EPFO: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has simplified the fund withdrawal process for its members. This new decision aims to make claiming Provident Fund benefits much easier for EPF members. One significant change is that members no longer need to upload a cheque during the PF withdrawal process.
Photo of their cheque or an attested bank passbook
According to a statement from the labor ministry, members are exempt from uploading a photo of their cheque or an attested bank passbook. The ministry noted, “EPFO has completely eliminated the need to upload images of cheque leaves or verified bank passbooks when filing online claims. This requirement was initially relaxed on a trial basis for some KYC-updated members.
EPFO has now extended this exemption to all members
Since its introduction on May 28, 2024, this change has benefited 1.7 crore EPF members.” Following the success of the pilot program, the EPFO has now extended this exemption to all members. “Since the bank account holder’s name is already verified with the EPF member details when linking the bank account to the Universal Account Number (UAN), this extra documentation is no longer necessary.”
EPFO is poised to provide immediate advantages
By removing the cheque photo requirement, the EPFO is poised to provide immediate advantages to around 6 crore members, reduce claim rejections due to poor-quality uploads, and lessen related complaints. Another update from the retirement fund organization is that employer approval is no longer needed to link bank account details with the Universal Account Number.
To further streamline the process of linking bank accounts with UAN, the EPFO has eliminated the need for employer approval after bank verification. The ministry reported that in FY 2024-25, 1.3 crore members have requested to link their bank accounts, and after matching with the respective bank/NPCI, the requests are approved by the employer through DSC/E-Sign.