From a tax perspective, as per Section 10(12) read with Rule 8 of Part A of Fourth Schedule of the Income-tax Act, 1961, the accumulated PF balance due and payable to you, that is, balance to your credit on the date of cessation of your employment,
is exempt from tax if you have rendered continuous service for a period of five years or more.
is exempt from tax if you have rendered continuous service for a period of five years or more.
Where there are multiple employers and the accumulated PF balances, and the previous balances are transferred to the PF account with the last employer, the cumulative period of employment with all the employers are required to be considered for the purpose of evaluating whether the employee has rendered continuous service for a period of five years or more.
In your case, as the cumulative period of employment exceeds five years, the accumulated balance payable to you at the time of ceasing your employment with the last employer, shall be exempt from tax. However, any accretions to the balance thereafter would be taxable in your hands, as upheld in recent judicial precedents.
