Transferring Your Post Office Savings

You want to transfer your Post Office Savings Account but don’t know how to. Fret not! Here’s how you can do it. 

You might have relocated from one city to another. Or it is possible that you have relocated from one area to another within the same city. In these cases, you will want to transfer your Post Office savings account or your other Post Office schemes to a nearby Post Office. But is it a cumbersome process? Will it take a long time? What is the procedure? We answer all these questions for you.

The process

You can transfer your Post Office savings account and schemes to another Post Office whenever you want. This includes Post Office savings account, time deposit, and of course, your Public Provident Fund (PPF) account too.  To transfer your account, you need the transfer application form. This transfer form is named Form SB 10 (b) and will be available with your Post Office. You also have the option to download it from the India Post website.

You need to submit the application form to the Post Office from which you want to transfer your account (that is, the Post Office where you are currently holding the account). The first step will be to fill all the details required in Form SB 10(b). This will be your account number, the balance in your account, the Post Office branch where you hold the account, and other such details. You need to give the specimen signature of all account holders in the form. Some post offices do accept applications made on plain paper in the form of a request letter. But do check with your Post Office before submitting the same.

Submit the documents

Now, take a copy of your account passbook as well as the form or letter. This will help you refer to it in case there are any hassles or mistakes while the account is getting transferred. The third step is that you need to submit the form or letter prepared by you along with your account passbook. The postal assistant (PA) at the Post Office counter will take the form and give you an acknowledgement slip.

Once you submit the application to the Post Office where you currently hold the account, the same will be forwarded to the Post Office where you want the account to be transferred after verification of the signatures. The Assistant Post Master (APM) will verify the form as well as the passbook. He/she will then send it to the Savings Bank Control Organization (SBCO) branch of your region. The SBCO is an organisation that controls accounts of all Post Office branches. An SBCO branch will be available for each Head Post Office and will audit all Post Office transactions for that region.

At the backend

Coming to our transfer, the SBCO supervisor will send your form and passbook to the transferee Post Office, that is, the Post Office to which you want to transfer the account. Once your form reaches the transferee Post Office, the APM there will verify it. Then, it will reach the PA there. Now, it is all ready for you to collect.

It’s done!

You need to give your acknowledgement slip to the PA at the counter and get back a new passbook with the old balance. Note that you may have to do the Know Your Customer (KYC) process once more.

The process is expected to take about 20 business days or three weeks. However, just like other Post Office processes, the transfer of your Post Office accounts might take much longer if the Post Offices are not Core Banking Solution (CBS) enabled. The transfer can be accessed online if both the Post Offices are CBS enabled. The process might take some time if one of them is CBS enabled. If both are not CBS enabled then it will be very tough to get the transfer done quickly as everything will have to be done manually.

Also, note that there are cases where the documents have got lost in transit. That’s the reason why you need to keep a copy of the form and the passbook. Of course, you cannot deposit money in the Savings Account until you get your passbook. Here are some ways to avoid such issues.

Submit a copy of the application form and passbook to the transferee Post Office (the Post Office to which you are transferring the account). This way, if there is any issue, you can approach this Post Office which will be close to where you live. As is obvious, visiting the Post Office from which you are transferring funds will be difficult for you if you have relocated. The process will take a really long time if the Post Office where you hold the account currently is not a Head Post Office. In this case, you should contact the APM at the Head Post Office for assistance. It is best to note down the name and designation of the PA to whom you submit the documents. This way, you can approach them if anything goes wrong.

Additional Reading: How To Open A Post Office Recurring Deposit

Have complaints?

In case you are having issues with the transfer, you need to be very proactive. All complaints regarding the transfer of Post Office accounts need to be lodged within 60 days of submitting the transfer application. You can even keep a scanned copy of the passbook and form/request letter so that you can email them or take a print-out in case you lose the photocopies.

It is best to retain the photocopies as well as scanned copies of the passbook until you receive your new passbook. You can also use them for filing any complaints you might have. In case you have any problems with the transfer, you can file a complaint online on the India Post website. You get an instant acknowledgement for it.

As per the Citizens Charter of the Department of Posts, all Post Office complaints that are filed need to be settled within 60 days of receiving them. In case there is a need for an investigation, the complaints need to be resolved within 90 days. In case your complaint isn’t resolved within these timelines, you can write to the APM of the head Post Office of your region. You can also contact the supervisor of the SBCO branch for your region. Net-savvy? You can write your complaint on the Facebook page of SBCO India Post. You can, of course, write to them or email them. Email ids, telephone numbers and fax numbers of all the Post Office authorities are available on the India Post website.

A step by step guide

• Download Form SB 10 (b) from the India Post website or collect it from the Post Office.
• Take scanned as well as photocopies of your passbook and transfer application.
• Fill up Form SB 10 (b) or write a request letter (if your Post Office accepts the same), with all details inserted.
• Handover the application along with your passbook to the PA at the counter.
• Take the acknowledgement of the application submitted.
• The signatures on the application and passbook will be verified by the APM at the Post Office where you submitted them.
• The APM will send it to the Supervisor of the SBCO in your region.
• After the transaction is verified, the passbook will be sent to the Post Office where you want the account to be transferred.
• The APM of this Post Office will verify it and hand it over to PA at the counter.
• You need to submit the acknowledgement at the counter to get a new passbook.

Transferring your Post Office savings is not tough if you know how. If you want to do away with the hassles of transfer, invest in bank Fixed Deposits (FD). You can transact online and there will be little need to transfer your account.