EPFO Update 2025: Claim Settlement Process Now Smoother Without Cheque Upload

​The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has effected some major reforms in order to make the provident fund (PF) claim settlement process simpler for its membership of millions. These changes are expected to improve user experience by simplifying some complex procedures and quickening claim settlement.

Elimination of Cheque Leaf or Attested Bank Passbook Uploads

However, when an EPFO member was seeking online PF withdrawal, he was required to upload an image of a cancelled cheque leaf or an attested copy of a bank passbook. This step was meant to check bank account details linked with Universal Account Number (UAN). However, this process was prone to delays because of failed uploads, unreadable documents, etc.​

To overcome these hurdles, the EPFO has decided to eliminate the requirement to upload these documents online for the claim settlement Process. This was piloted on May 28, 2024, for about 1.7 crore members. After succeeding, the relaxation has been extended to all EPFO members.

This rationale is because when one seeds the bank account with UAN, then the name of the bank account holder is already verified, and no additional documentation is required. It is expected that this simplification will free claim rejections due to documentation issues and drastically cut the number of associated grievances. 

Removal of Employer Approval for Bank Account Seeding

Earlier, after the members had updated his/her bank account details in the EPFO system, approval from the employer needed to be initiated to carry on further with the process. Step in this usually resulted in a backlog of nearly 14.95 lakh pending approvals, with employers taking an average of 13 days to approve.​

The dispensing with the need for employer approval in the seeding of bank accounts process by EPFO has been made. The objective of this change is to hasten the process of seeding of the bank account of which PF accounts are getting credited seamlessly.

Now, members can update or change their bank account details with entering the new account number, new IFSC code authenticated through Aadhaar OTP without Employer confirmation. With this reform, the nearly 15 lakh members waiting for approvals will be benefited and the process will be streamlined. ​

Impact on EPFO Members

The reforms are expected to make living easy for EPF members. To make the claim settlement process simpler, faster and more transparent, EPFO wants to remove redundant documentation requirements and employer approval steps. About 14.95 lakh members are waiting for employer approvals and the approximately 6 crores members shall no more suffer from documentation delays.​

EPFO’s Commitment to Continuous Improvement

This is due to the fact that the EPFO is continuing to make improvements to its services for its members. EPFO plans to reduce the administrative burden and improve user satisfaction by using technology and by working towards smoothing out the process. These are apart of a bigger objective of modernizing the underpinnings of the EPFO to keep it in line with the Indian government’s digitalization objectives.​

Looking a Bit Further

However, the latest simplifications made by EPFO are a good step to make the provident fund claim process more modern. Through the elimination of documentation and approval steps, EPFO is not only reducing the processing time but also enhancing the overall user experience of EPFO’s members overall. The introduction of these reforms points to EPFO’s commitment to adopting and embracing technology in order to continuously improve service delivery.