Nowadays provident fund (PF) is a very important savings for every employed person. Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) handles PF of crores of employees across the country. From time to time, EPFO changes its rules to make PF claim, withdraw money and verification. In April 2025, EPFO has made three major changes, which has made the process of PF claim and verification more easier and faster than ever.
These changes will affect crores of EPFO members and their employers. Now it has become much easier than ever to remove PF, claim or verify bank account. These new rules of EPFO are not only beneficial for employees, but also make work easier for employers. Let’s know about these three big changes in detail and now what you have to do from claim to verification.
EPFO New Rules 2025: Overview Table
Name of rules | Brief description of change |
Check the leaf upload requirement | Now it is not necessary to upload a check or passbook photo at the time of claim |
Employer approval for bank verification | Employer approval after bank verification is not necessary |
Face verification for uan | Now UAN can be generated/activated by face verification |
Claim settlement process | The process has become faster and easier |
KYC verification | KYC is now from Centralized IT system |
Withdrawal via UPI/ATM (Upcoming feature) | PF withdrawal from UPI/ATM will soon be possible |
Total beneficiary | Around 7.7 million EPFO members |
Implementation date | Applicable from April 2025 |
EPFO New Rules 2025: What has changed in PF?
EPFO has made changes in three major rules related to PF claim and verification in April 2025. These changes not only make the process easier, but also eliminate the problems of claim rejections and delays to a great extent. Understand these changes in detail below:
1. Check or Passbook Upload Requirement Finish
Earlier, when an EPFO member used to claim PF online, he had to upload a photo of the check leaf or bank passbook to verify his bank account details. If the photo was not of good quality, the claim was rejected. Now this rule has been completely eliminated.
- Now you do not need to upload a check or passbook photo at the time of PF claim.
- This change is applicable to all EPFO members.
- This will reduce claim rejection cases and will speed up the process.
- The rule began on the pilot basis in May 2024 and is now implemented to all.
- About 7.7 crore members will benefit from this change.
2. Employer approval for verification of bank account
Earlier, even after the bank account verification, the approval of the employer was necessary. The bank verification used to take about 3 days and the employer’s approval used to take an average of 13 days. Now this step has also been removed.
- Now the employer’s approval is not required after the bank account verification.
- This has reduced the claim of claim processing significantly.
- Now the bank account verification can be done through direct Aadhaar OTP.
- This will give immediate benefit to more than 1.5 million members, whose claims were stuck due to the approval of the employer.
- This change has been made for Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living.
3. UAN Generate and Activate from Face Verification
EPFO has introduced the facility of face verification to generate and activate UAN (Universal Account Number). Now new employees or those who do not have UAN Activate, they can complete this process through face verification with the help of UMANG APP.
- Generate/activate UAN with the help of Aadhaar Face Verification Technology from UMANG APP.
- This has made the process easier for both employers and employees.
- Now the UAN of the new employee can be generated immediately.
Benefits of EPFO’s new rules
After these changes, EPFO members and employers will have many benefits:
- Claim process fast and easy: Now claims of claim rejections will be low and processing will not be delayed.
- Documentation less: Now less documents are needed, which has led to transparency and simplicity in the process.
- Online process easy: Now PF claim, bank verification and UAN activation everything has become online and easy.
- Employers’ jobs less: Now employers will not have to approve every claim or verification, which will save their time.
- Aadhaar OTP Verification: Bank account verification can now be from Aadhaar OTP, which has further intensified the process.
PF Claim Settlement Process: New method
Now the method of claiming PF in EPFO has become even easier. Know the step-by-step process below:
- Login on EPFO’s website or Umang App.
- Enter your UAN and password.
- Go to Online Services and choose Claim (Form-31, 19, 10C & 10D).
- Enter bank account details (which is link to UAN).
- Now you do not need to upload a check or passbook photo.
- Do Aadhaar OTP verification.
- Submit the claim.
- Now the employer’s approval will not have to wait, the claim will be processed.
- Track the claim status online.
EPFO’s new rules: Understand in easy language
- Now you have to upload the photo of the check, nor to get the approval of the employer to remove the PF.
- The bank verification will be from Aadhaar OTP.
- UAN is the option of face verification to generate/activate.
- The claim process has become much faster and easier than ever.
PF withdrawal via UPI/ATM: New feature may come soon
EPFO can soon start UPI and ATM facility to extract PF. This means that you will also be able to withdraw money from your PF account from UPI or ATM, like bank account. This facility can begin by May or June 2025.
EPFO New Rules 2025: Important Points
- EPFO’s new rules are applicable since April 2025.
- Now about 8 crore EPFO members can take advantage of these changes.
- The time taken in bank verification and claim processing has reduced considerably.
- Claim rejection cases will also decrease.
- PF withdrawal is now easier and faster.
New rules of EPFO: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Is it necessary to upload check or passbook for PF claim now?
No, it is not necessary now. The process is completely online and paperless.
Q2. Is employer’s approval necessary for bank account verification?
No, now the employer’s approval is not required after bank verification.
Q3. What to do to generate or activate UAN?
Now you can generate or activate UAN through face verification from Umang App.
Q4. How long will PF withdrawal take?
Now the process has intensified, as the document upload and employer’s approval is not required.
Q5. Can PF be extracted from UPI or ATM?
This facility may start soon, which will make PF out of removing and easier.
EPFO New Rules 2025: Comparison Table (Old vs New)
Old rule | New rule |
Czech or passbook photo upload required | Now upload is not necessary |
Employer approval is required after bank verification | Now approval is not necessary |
UAN Generate/Activate did not have face verification | Now UAN generate/activated possible from face verification |
Claim processing could take 15-16 days | Now the process increases, claim settlement possible in 3-5 days |
Documentation | Documentation low and paperless |
New rules of EPFO and PF: Why are these changes important?
- The government’s goal is to make all government services online and easy under Digital India.
- These new EPFO rules are beneficial for employees, as they can now get PF claim in a short time.
- Work has also reduced for employers, which will save both their time and hard work.
- Claim rejection cases will be reduced, which will also reduce the workload on EPFO.
Disclaimer:
This article is based on changes in the recent rules by EPFO. EPFO’s new rules are completely real and have been issued by the government. The purpose of these changes is to make the PF claim and verification process easier, faster and transparent. All EPFO members and employers can avail these rules. If you face any kind of problem, you can take help of EPFO’s official website or UMANG APP.
With the implementation of these rules, PF claim has become much easier than ever and now you will not have to get into the mess of a documentation or approval of the employer.
Note: If EPFO makes any other change in future, then you will continue to get its information in this way. Stay connected to all the updates associated with PF!