ETF Benefits for Employees: Claims, Loans and Forms
An ETF member can claim 3% balance on leaving a job, plus life cover, disability, hospitalisation, surgery and Viyana housing loan. What each pays.
On this page
- Who is a member, and when does the account start?
- When can a member claim the balance?
- Benefit schemes members forget about
- ETF-backed loans: what they are, and are not
- Which forms does the employee file, and which does the employer certify?
- What the employer must give a leaver so the claim goes through
- Do this automatically in Humanised
- Frequently asked questions
- I worked for two employers this year. Do I have two ETF accounts?
- I have lost my ETF number. How do I find it?
- How long does a withdrawal claim take to be paid?
- Can I claim my ETF balance while still working for the same employer?
- Does the ETF pay interest on my balance?
- What happens to my ETF balance if I emigrate permanently?
An ETF member can claim their full account balance once they permanently leave employment. That is the employer’s 3% contributions plus interest. While still employed, the same membership gives free welfare cover. Life insurance pays up to LKR 100,000 and permanent-disability cover up to LKR 300,000. Heart or kidney surgery assistance pays up to LKR 350,000. Hospitalisation pays back up to LKR 50,000. Members can also apply for the Viyana housing loan and children’s scholarships.
Who is a member, and when does the account start?
Every private-sector employee becomes an ETF member automatically. So does every public-sector employee who is not in the government pension scheme. Membership starts the day your employer registers you. You do not sign up for it yourself. Only the employer pays: 3% of your total monthly earnings. Nothing is taken from your own pay (see our ETF employer guide). The Board also runs a separate voluntary scheme for the self-employed and migrant workers. It works differently, and is not covered here.
When can a member claim the balance?
A member can claim a refund of their ETF balance only when their employment ends for good. That means retirement, resignation with no further employment planned, or termination. The ETF Board’s benefits FAQ says: “it is only upon cessation of employment that a withdrawal claim for refund of contributions can be made”. There is no partial or hardship withdrawal while the member is still working for an employer.
Source: ETF Board benefits FAQ (etfb.lk), checked 20 September 2026.
Once a member does withdraw, the Board sets a waiting period before another withdrawal is possible. The rule is: “a member has to wait for five years from the date of cessation of employment relating to the last refund claim to make another withdrawal”. It matters most to members who take a short break between jobs and then start again with a different employer. A fresh account starts, but an earlier partial claim can affect how soon a later one is paid.
Benefit schemes members forget about
These are paid from the Fund’s income, not from any member’s own balance. Most employees never claim them, because they do not know they exist.
| Scheme | What it pays | Main condition |
|---|---|---|
| Free life insurance | Up to LKR 100,000 | Active membership; contributions paid regularly in the 12 months before death |
| Permanent disability insurance | Up to LKR 300,000 | Disability assessed at more than 50% by the Board’s physician, causing loss of employment |
| Heart surgery assistance | Up to LKR 350,000 | Application within 90 days of discharge |
| Kidney transplant assistance | Up to LKR 350,000 | Only the recipient of the transplant is entitled |
| Intra-ocular lens reimbursement | Up to LKR 25,000 per eye (LKR 50,000 for both) | Following cataract surgery; application within 90 days of discharge |
| “Shramasuwa Rekawarana” hospitalisation | Up to LKR 50,000 over a working life | At least 5 years’ active membership; minimum 2 days’ hospitalisation |
| Year 5 Scholarship | LKR 15,000 per child, one year | Child of an active member passes the Year 5 scholarship exam |
| GCE A/L educational grant | LKR 12,000 per child, one year | Child of an active member passes GCE A/L |
Source: ETF Board, non-statutory benefits (etfb.lk), checked 20 September 2026.
ETF-backed loans: what they are, and are not
The “Viyana” housing loan scheme is the main ETF-backed loan. It runs from LKR 100,000 to LKR 2,500,000, paid out by a partner bank against the member’s ETF balance. You can use it to buy, build, extend or renovate a house, or to redeem a housing loan from another lender. It needs a minimum of five years’ continuous ETF membership and a qualifying balance in your account. The interest rate is set by the lending bank, not the ETF Board, and varies with the loan size.
This is not a cash advance against your own balance while still employed. There is no way to borrow your own ETF contributions early. “ETF loan” searches usually mean the Viyana housing loan. There is no separate general-purpose ETF personal loan.
Which forms does the employee file, and which does the employer certify?
The ETF Board’s downloads page lists a form for each type of claim (etfb.lk, checked 20 September 2026):
- Form VI: claim on termination of employment (the standard withdrawal claim).
- Form VI(A): the employer’s certificate supporting that claim.
- Form VI(C) and Form VI(D): used where the employer’s business has closed.
- Form VIII and Form VIII-A: death claim, completed by the member’s dependants or other applicants.
- Form VIII-B / Form VIII-C: the employer’s or the pension department’s certificate for a deceased member.
- Separate application forms exist for each welfare scheme (hospitalisation, disability, heart and kidney surgery, scholarships) and for the Viyana loan.
The employee completes the claim form. The employer’s role is to certify employment dates, the last contribution paid, and the member number on the matching certificate form. A claim usually stalls because this employer certificate is missing, not because the employee’s own form is wrong.
What the employer must give a leaver so the claim goes through
- The member’s ETF number and confirmation of the last contribution period paid.
- A signed Form VI(A) (or the relevant certificate for the claim type), without unreasonable delay after the employee asks.
- Confirmation of the reason and date employment ended, matching what was reported on the last R1 or R4 remittance.
Keeping this ready is largely a records problem. The certificate needs the same member number, dates and contribution history that appear on the employer’s own R1/R4 filings. So a leaver’s claim is only as fast as the payroll records are complete. See our guide on how to pay ETF online for how those records are generated each month. See our directory of ETF offices in Sri Lanka for where a member actually takes the claim. Employees connected through payroll to leave management tend to have cleaner service records for exactly this reason. Run the numbers on your own contribution history with the EPF and ETF calculator.
Do this automatically in Humanised
Staff often ask these questions at the HR desk. An employee management system keeps your payroll records in one place. Humanised prepares the ETF R4, so the figures a leaver’s certificate needs are already on file.
This is general payroll guidance. Every case is different. For your own case, speak to a payroll practitioner or a lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
I worked for two employers this year. Do I have two ETF accounts?
No. Your ETF account follows your ETF/EPF member number, which stays with you across employers once issued. Each employer’s contributions add to the same balance, rather than opening a new one.
I have lost my ETF number. How do I find it?
Your current or most recent employer’s payroll or HR records hold it, since it is the same number used on every R1 or R4 filing. If that is not available, contact the ETF Board’s contribution section directly.
How long does a withdrawal claim take to be paid?
The Board does not publish a fixed turnaround on its public FAQ. Delays are most often caused by a missing or incomplete employer certificate, so confirm that has been submitted before chasing the Board.
Can I claim my ETF balance while still working for the same employer?
No. A refund claim can only be made once employment has ended for good, per the ETF Board’s benefits FAQ.
Does the ETF pay interest on my balance?
The Board credits interest to member accounts. This article does not state a rate, because it was not confirmed. Check your annual ETF statement, or ask the Board for the current rate.
What happens to my ETF balance if I emigrate permanently?
This falls under the Board’s claim procedures for cessation of employment. Contact the ETF Board or your nearest regional office for the specific documents needed for an overseas claim.
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