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The Provident Fund (PF) accumulated under the Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) is primarily designed to financially secure the post-retirement life of employees. However, keeping in mind the sudden financial needs and big expenses in life, EPFO ​​provides the facility to its subscribers to withdraw PF Advance (Non-Refundable Advance) while in service. Often there is doubt in the minds of employees as to when, for what reason and how often they can withdraw money from their account. Under the provisions of the EPF scheme, withdrawal limits, required service period and frequency of withdrawal have been fixed for different purposes like marriage, illness, higher education of children, buying a new house or repaying a home loan. For what purpose, how much and when can PF advance be withdrawn? Understand the complete chart. The main rules set by EPFO ​​for various mandatory requirements are as follows: Purpose of Withdrawal Minimum Service Tenure Maximum Withdrawal Limit How many times can you withdraw? (Frequency) Illness/Medical Emergency (Illness) No minimum service condition (0 years) 6 months Basic + DA, or Employee Share with interest (whichever is lower) / In Auto-Mode up to ₹1-5 lakh as many times as required (in cases of serious illness) Marriage (self, children, brother/sister) 7 years of total service 50% of Total Employee Share (Employee Share) with interest Maximum 3 to 5 times during entire service period Higher Education (Post-Matriculation Education) 7 years of total service 50% of total employee contribution with interest Purchase or construction of a house/plot for higher education in a phased manner (3 to 10 times) 5 years of service (3 years in housing scheme) 24 to 36 months of basic + DA or up to 90% of PF balance Only 1 time in the entire service period (for purchase of plot/house) Repair/Renovation Up to 12 times monthly basic salary after 5 years of construction Maximum 1 to 2 times during service period Home loan prepayment/repayment 3 years of service Up to 90% of total PF corpus (employee + employer share) Only once during service period 1. Medical Emergency: Immediate relief without any service condition if the employee, his spouse, children or dependent parents suffer from any serious illness. If there is a medical condition or hospitalization is required, there is no minimum service period requirement. EPFO has also introduced Auto-Mode Settlement facility for medical claims, under which eligible claims are settled directly into the bank account within 3 to 4 working days without human intervention. Under this, the employee can withdraw an amount equal to his shares and interest or equal to 6 months' basic salary and dearness allowance. 2. Marriage and children's education: Benefits will be available only after 7 years of service. Strict rules apply when withdrawing funds for marriage in the family or for children's education after 10th (Engineering, Medical, MBA etc.): The employee is required to have completed at least 7 years of continuous service. Withdrawals are limited to 50% of the employee's own contribution and interest thereon (employer's share cannot be withdrawn under this head). This claim for marriage can be made for one's own marriage, son/daughter's marriage or real brother/sister's marriage. 3. Purchase of house and land: Largest withdrawal quota EPFO ​​gives the biggest relaxation for purchasing a house or flat: Members can withdraw up to 90% of their total funds on completion of 5 years (3 years under special housing clause 68BD) of service. It is mandatory for the property to be registered in the name of the employee, in the name of the spouse or in the joint name of both. This benefit is available only once for purchase or construction of a house. How to apply PF advance online sitting at home? (Form 31) There is no need to visit offices to withdraw advance from PF, the entire process is online: Step 1: Log in to the EPFO ​​Member e-Seva portal (unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in) by entering your UAN and password. Step 2: Make sure that your Aadhaar, PAN card and bank account details (KYC) are fully verified and active. Step 3: Go to 'Online Services' in the main menu and select 'Claim (Form-31, 19, 10C & 10D)' option. Step 4: 'Verify' by entering your bank account number and click on 'Proceed for Online Claim'. Step 5: Go to 'I want to apply for' dropdown and select PF Advance (Form 31). Step 6: Select the purpose for which money is required (sickness, marriage, education, housing), enter the required amount and upload clear copy of chequebook/passbook. Step 7: Submit the claim by entering the OTP received on the mobile number linked to Aadhaar. PF advance is a non-refundable withdrawal, that is, it does not need to be deposited in the account again. However, financial advisors always suggest that unless there is a major emergency, one should avoid unnecessary withdrawals from the PF fund, so that the 8.25% compound interest earned on retirement is not lost.