Form 185

Format for Accounts under a Recognised Provident Fund (RPF)

1. Purpose of Rule 294 and Form 185

Rule 294 requires that the accounts of a recognised provident fund (RPF) be prepared at intervals not exceeding twelve months. An individual account must be maintained for each subscriber, and such account must contain the particulars prescribed in Form 185. Form 185 is used for maintaining detailed annual financial information for each subscriber, including contributions, interest, withdrawals, and closing balances and its summery. This ensures compliance with the requirements laid down in Part A of the Schedule XI to the Income Tax Act 2025 and relevant rules.

2. Who Should File / Maintain Form 185

• Trustees or authorised officers of the recognised provident fund trust.
• Employers or PF administrators responsible for maintaining statutory PF records.
• Form 185 is maintained internally by the PF trust and is not filed by individual subscribers.

3. Structure and Contents of Form 185

Part-A of Form 185 records following details for each subscriber:

• Subscriber's personal and employment particulars
• Opening balance at the beginning of the year
• Employee's and employer's contributions month wise
• Interest credited month wise
• Withdrawals or advances taken
• Closing balance at year-end
• Verification by trustee or authorised officer

Part-A of Form 185 is maintained separately for each subscriber and contains month-wise records. In contrast, Part-B of Form 185 contains the same information but presents it in a consolidated annual format, subscriber-wise, for all subscribers.

4. Outcome of Maintaining Form 185

• Provides an accurate year-end statement of each subscriber's PF balance.
• Serves as the official record for taxation of PF contributions, withdrawals, and interest.
• Ensures compliance with the statutory reporting requirements under Part A of the Schedule XI and rules.

5. Documents Required

No document required to file with this form

Recognised provident fund accounting in Form 185 requires annual subscriber-wise records of contributions, interest, withdrawals, and balances. Rule 294 requires recognised provident fund accounts to be prepared at intervals not exceeding twelve months, with a separate account maintained for each subscriber in Form 185. The form is maintained internally by the provident fund trust or authorised officers, and records subscriber particulars, opening balance, monthly contributions, interest, withdrawals or advances, closing balance, and verification. Part A is maintained separately for each subscriber, while Part B presents the same information in consolidated annual subscriber-wise form.