The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has introduced major reforms to make EPF withdrawals easier and more flexible.
Now, members can access up to 100% of their EPF balance, including both employee and employer contributions.
The new system merges 13 withdrawal rules into three simple categories: Essential Needs, Housing, and Special Circumstances.
Simplified Withdrawals for Education, Marriage, and Special Needs
Under the new rules:
Withdrawals for education can be made up to 10 times, and for marriage, up to 5 times, compared to earlier combined limits.
The minimum service requirement is now just 12 months, making it easier for more members to access their funds.
For Special Circumstances, members don’t need to specify a reason, removing a common cause of claim rejections.
To ensure long-term savings, 25% of the EPF balance will still remain untouched.
Members will continue to earn EPFO’s 8.25% annual interest, helping their retirement corpus grow.
Faster, Automated, and Digital Services
EPFO has also simplified processes for withdrawals:
100% auto-settlement of claims is now possible, requiring no documents.
The EPFO 3.0 digital platform integrates cloud, core banking, and API-first systems to provide instant withdrawals, automated settlements, and multilingual self-service.
Additionally, an MoU with India Post Payments Bank will allow pensioners to submit Digital Life Certificates (DLCs) from home, which is especially helpful for elderly citizens in rural areas.
Vishwas Scheme to Reduce Legal Burden
To tackle long-pending litigations over delayed PF remittances, the Vishwas Scheme introduces graded penalties, starting as low as 0.25% for delays up to two months.
Over 6,000 pending cases worth ₹2,406 crore will be resolved once employers comply, reducing legal hassles.
These reforms highlight EPFO’s commitment to modernization, inclusivity, and member-friendly governance, making it easier for employees across India to access and manage their provident funds.
