Questions people ask before they message me

No. NidhiSetu is an independent consultancy run by me, Shobhit Kesarwani. I'm not affiliated with, endorsed by or representing EPFO or any government body. EPFO's own services are free; you pay me only for diagnosis, paperwork, follow-up and escalation.

Check me on sites I don't control: my Google reviews ( 5.0 from 16), my LinkedIn recommendations and my Quora answers (3M+ reads). I publish my track record, including the cases that didn't work. I never ask for your OTP or passwords, I agree fees in writing before any work, and I never promise an EPFO outcome. Those are the same tests I suggest in how to spot a PF scam.

Never. Everything is done through official EPFO forms and portals, with you in control of your own login. You can share masked screenshots for me to review instead. If someone claiming to be me asks for these, it's a scam.

I collect only what your case needs: your contact details and the documents you choose to share. I don't sell, rent or trade it. It's shared only with EPFO's official portals, with your approval for each submission, or where the law requires it. Please mask bank account numbers beyond the last four digits before you send a screenshot. To have your information deleted, email shobhit@nidhisetu.co.in or WhatsApp me and I'll do it within 7 business days. Details are in the privacy policy.

A 30-minute call on phone or video, booked on Topmate. I go through your documents and claim history, explain what's wrong, and give you the route: what to correct, in what order and with which forms, and a realistic timeline. If the honest answer is that you don't need paid help, I'll say so. Topmate may add a small booking fee at checkout. See what the consultation includes.

Either. The consultation is 30 minutes on phone or video, whichever suits you.

No. The ₹499 is the fee for the consultation and isn't adjusted against case-support fees. If you want me to handle your case after the call, you get a written quote first and decide then.

If the call doesn't give you a clear next step, tell me within 24 hours and I'll refund the ₹499.

You don't have to. Many problems can be fixed on the EPFO portal, and I'll tell you when yours can. People come to me when a claim keeps getting rejected, the employer won't respond, records don't match, or there's a deadline. Then knowing the exact cause and the right sequence saves weeks.

By the work your case actually needs. A simple KYC correction and a multi-employer service-overlap problem take very different amounts of work. After the consultation you get a written quote with the fee, scope and expected timeline, before any work starts.

No. I never charge a percentage of your PF balance, whatever the size of your account.

If I take your case and don't file a grievance, submit a correction, prepare documents or send a documented escalation, you owe nothing. If that real work is done, it's chargeable, whether or not EPFO's final decision goes your way. How this works on the pricing page.

No. EPFO decides every case, and nobody can honestly guarantee its decision. Treat anyone who does as a red flag. What I commit to is real, documented work on your case before you owe anything.

It depends on the case and on EPFO's own processing time, which nobody controls. After the consultation you'll have a realistic timeline for yours, and for case support it's in the written quote.

No. Everything happens online and by phone, through EPFO's official portals. Your city doesn't matter: the member portal and the EPFiGMS grievance system are national. See areas I serve.

It isn't necessarily a dead end. When a former employer has closed and nobody is left to approve a request, the route has to move to EPFO's side, and the right escalation is what matters. Read a case like this or the guide to employers who won’t cooperate.

Yes. I work online and by phone, so you can work with me from outside India. See NRI PF help.

Growing businesses across India that need PF, ESI, payroll and labour-law compliance handled through official portals, and HR teams dealing with PF records in background checks. I work alongside your CA and payroll vendor rather than replacing them.

Either. Some businesses need a single piece of work, such as a registration, a notice response or a compliance health check. Others want monthly PF, ESI and payroll compliance on a calendar. Either way, the scope and fee are in writing before any work. Book a 15-min call to talk it through.

No. I prepare responses, evidence and documents for notices and inspections. Where a matter needs legal representation, a qualified labour-law professional handles it and I coordinate with them. I'll always tell you when a matter has crossed into that territory.

Businesses across India. The work goes through the national EPFO and ESIC portals and the state labour department portals, and the applicability assessment covers each state you operate in.