EPFO to extend auto-settlement of claims to include final withdrawals, allow auto-transfer of accounts — Check details

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) plans to extend its auto-settlement process to include final provident fund withdrawal claims, a top official at the retirement body told PTI. It is also looking to automate transfer of accounts when members changed employers, the report added.

Ramesh Krishnamurthi, Central Provident Fund Commissioner at the EPFO said auto-settlement of final claims will fast-track money transfer to the bank accounts of applicant members. The organisation has over 7 crore members.

Krishnamurthi said, “We are also going to initiate, as far as feasible, auto-settlement for now...which was (available) only for advances. Now we are going in for auto-settlement of final withdrawals.”

EPFO to expand auto-settlement: What will change?

According to the report, expansion of the auto-settlement feature would include final withdrawal claims, from the present rules, which allow for partial or advance withdrawals up to ₹5 lakh through auto mode.

For the current process, deadline of completion for auto-settlement is three days from date of filing.

According to Krishnamurthi, the body will also allow auto-transfer of provident fund accounts in case a member shifts from one employer to another.

He added that there will be no need for forms to complete the transfer of accounts. “You don't have to file a form anymore. We try to auto-migrate your accounts to your latest member account,” he stated.

About EPFO's auto-settlement, auto-transfer process

The EPFO's auto-settlement mode has processed more than 3.52 crore claims for amounts up to ₹5 lakh as of 25 February 2026 (FY25-26). It had in June last year increased the auto-settlement threshold from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh to minimize manual oversight and shorten processing windows.

As of 25 February, over 70 lakh transfer claims were completed without requiring intervention from staff or employers. This marks a major shift from the previous system, where job changes necessitated manual PF account transfers.

EPFO rules under new labour codes: Status check

Krishnamurthi further told the publication that the EPFO is also looking to publish rules under the four new labour codes and is undertaking “a huge attempt” to simplify, codify, standardise definitions and other terms. These codes were notified by the central government on 8 May.

Krishnamurthi said that the next set of notifications that pertain specifically to the EPFO would be published shortly.

Three EPF schemes to be renotified — Details

Further, the top official told the news agency that it will also renotify three schemes under the new legal framework. These include the EPF Scheme 1952, Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme 1976, and Employees' Pension Scheme 1995.

“We have not gone in for major changes. We have tried to integrate all the learnings from the past. We have included all the recent central board of trustees approved decisions, which include simplification of the withdrawals and other such reforms, including a major overhaul of the provisions relating to the exempt trust. Those have been included in the new schemes,” Krishnamurthi added.

(With inputs from PTI)

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