New Delhi: Employees can withdraw their Provident Fund (PF) balance for various reasons. Under these circumstances, the EPFO will process your claim and transfer the funds to your bank account. The EPFO has taken several steps to expedite the claim settlement process and improve accessibility for EPFO subscribers.
The EPFO has taken several steps to expedite the claim settlement process. Earlier this month, Union Minister of State for Labor & Employment Shobha Karandlaje provided this information in a written response to the Lok Sabha.
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Here are the 8 major steps taken by EPFO to streamline the claim settlement process, knowing which can help you withdraw your PF hassle-free and use it for various purposes.
1. Auto mode processing of claims
The amount limit for auto mode processing of advance claims has been raised to Rs one lakh. In addition to the advancements for illness and hospitalization, auto mode processing is also enabled for the advancement of housing, education, and marriage. 60% of advance claims, according to the minister, are processed automatically. Claims submitted in auto-mode are processed within three days.
2. Member details correction process simplified
The process for correcting member details has been streamlined. Members with Aadhaar-verified UANs can update their IDs on their own without assistance from EPFO. According to the minister, about 96% of modifications are currently made without the assistance of the EPF office.
3. Attestation of Aadhaar-verified UANs eliminated
Employer’s attestation of Aadhaar-verified UANs is no longer required for transfer claim submission requests. According to the minister, just 10% of transfer requests need the attestation of both the member and the employer.
4. Relaxation of cheque-leaf requirement
The requirement to include a cheque-leaf with the claim form has also been relaxed for KYC-compliant UANs meeting prescribed criteria, the minister said.
5. Upfront validations developed
To make sure members don’t submit ineligible claims, several upfront validations have been created to guide members regarding the eligibility and admissibility of claims.
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6. Centralized IT-Enabled System
The claim settlement process is being further streamlined with the Centralization of member databases under the Centralized IT Enabled System (CITES 2.01).
7. De-linking facilities for erroneous/fraudulent accounts
Additionally, EPFO has offered de-linking facilities to members whose EPF accounts were fraudulently or incorrectly linked by the establishments. Over 55,000 customers have de-linked their accounts as of the end of February 2025, since the introduction of the service on January 18, 2025.
8. Online claim submission
There is no longer a need to visit the field office as more than 99.31% of claims are now submitted online. As of March 6, 2025, there have been 7.14 crore online claims submitted for FY 2024–2025, informed the minister.
