EPFO: What is Form 10C? Documents required for pension benefit claim, explained

All members of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) with account for more than 10 years, are also automatically subscribed to the retirement body's Employee Pension Scheme (EPS). The savings for this comes from the employer's 12% contribution, of which 8.33% is directed towards EPS.

At time of retirement (58 years of age), members can withdraw their provident fund amount in full and maintain annuity in the pension scheme by availing the Scheme Certificate.

Further, you can also choose to delay pension payments by pausing contributions for two years (lumpsum earns 4% p.a. interest till 60 and no interest after) or continuing contributions for two years (higher accumulated corpus means higher final payout).

Pension benefits: What is Form 10C? Why is it needed?

• Notably, EPF members who wish to withdraw pension or obtain a scheme certificate both need to fill and submit Form 10C.
• For members seeking partial withdrawal in case of unemployment for more than two months, or medical and other emergencies, while retaining membership with the retirement fund body.
• The form is also used by family or nominee of a deceased member who passed after 58 years of age but did not complete 10 years of service.
• Clear Tax noted few exceptions, where members must apply for pension using Form 10D: The first being when you accept reduced pension or when you withdraw prematurely due to permanent disablement.
• You can download Form 10C for online application here — https://www.epfindia.gov.in/site_docs/PDFs/Downloads_PDFs/Form10C.pdf

List of documents required to submit Form 10C

You will need to fill in your name, UAN, Aadhaar number, PAN number, father / husband's name, date of birth, date of joining, date of leaving, reason for leaving, bank account details, and postal address.

You will also have to provide the following along with your Form 10C application:

• Copy of blank/cancelled cheque.
• Date of birth certificate cheque of children of the member, if applying for Scheme Certificate.
• In case of death, the member’s death, you will to submit the death certificate.
• Succession certificate, in case application, is made by the legal heir.
• Revenue stamp of ₹1 to be attached with the form.

Initiate pension claim online — Stepwise guide

• Visit the EPFO's official e-SEWA portal and login using your UAN, password, and captcha code — https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/
• From the menu items, select ‘Claim Form (Form-31, 19, 10C & 10D)’ and click.
• It will open a screen with ‘Member Details’ auto-filled — Your name, father’s name, date of birth, contact details, bank account details, etc. You will need to fill in the last four digits of your bank account and verify it.
• Next step will be to give consent by clicking ‘Yes’ on the ‘Certificate of Undertaking’.
• On the next page that loads select ‘Proceed for Online Claim’. It will lead to a claims section with your PAN, mobile number, and UAN details auto filled. You can choose between ‘Withdraw PF Only’ (Form 19) or ‘Withdraw Pension Only’ (Form-10C).
• Once the Form 10C loads, fill the required details, generate and complete OTP, and click submit. You will receive an SMS on your registered mobile number once the submission is successful.
• The amount will be directly deposited into your provided bank account once the request has been processed.

Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.