The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) is soon rolling out a revolutionary upgrade called EPFO 3.0 for its millions of subscribers, simplifying PF withdrawal rules beyond its reach. 13 outdated and complex rules are being replaced by just three simple categories, ensuring instant claim settlement and 100% auto-settling. Find out whether PF ATM or UPI withdrawals will be available, and what significant features will be added in this technological breakthrough that will completely transform the entire process.
What’s the truth about withdrawing PF through ATM/UPI
Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) members have been eagerly awaiting the rollout of EPFO 3.0 for quite some time. Several reports have claimed that EPFO 3.0 will offer users several new features, including the ability to withdraw PF funds via ATM or UPI. News is spreading widely that under the new system, subscribers will now be able to withdraw PF funds from their accounts using ATMs or UPI. This technological change is likely causing some delays in its rollout.
As of now, the EPFO has not yet officially activated the facility to withdraw PF funds through ATMs or UPI, nor has any concrete official announcement been made in this regard. Although it was scheduled to launch in June 2025, it has been delayed due to complex technical issues and extensive testing. Currently, there is no official timeline for when ATM/UPI withdrawals will be available, and members will have to wait for official notification.
Only 3 categories now instead of 13
The most significant update of EPFO 3.0 involves the simplification of PF partial withdrawal rules. Until now, there were 13 different, complex, and complicated rules for partial withdrawals, causing significant hassle and confusion for subscribers when filing claims.
EPFO has removed all these and restructured them into just three simple categories, making the process much simpler and transparent:-
Urgent Needs: This includes important reasons such as critical illness, higher education, and marriage.
Housing Needs: This includes withdrawals for purchasing, constructing a home, or repaying a home loan.
Special Circumstances: This will include certain specific and urgent cases.
This will certainly make claiming much easier for subscribers.
Other Major Features Coming in EPFO 3.0
EPFO 3.0 is not limited to simplification of rules; it also brings several other attractive and powerful benefits that will provide subscribers with financial freedom:
Members can now withdraw up to 100% of their eligible provident fund balance, including both employee and employer contributions. This is a huge financial support in an emergency.
The withdrawal limit for education-related contributions has now been increased to 10 times, and for marriage purposes, it has been increased to 5 times. Previously, the withdrawal limit for both these purposes was only 3 times.
The minimum service period required to be eligible for any partial withdrawal has been reduced to just 12 months.
Members will be required to maintain a minimum balance of 25% of their contributions to safeguard their retirement corpus so they can continue to benefit from EPFO’s high interest rate (8.25% per annum).
The entire process will be document-free and settled automatically (100% auto-settled), thereby speeding up claim disbursement and saving time. Furthermore, the deadlines for premature final settlement and pension withdrawals have also been extended to promote long-term savings.