EPFO: Submitted a claim? Here's what the status message means and timeline for settlement process

The Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) is a government-backed investment and retirement savings option in India. Salaried individuals are eligible to open an EPF account when basic pay and dearness allowance are up to ₹15,000. You can further opt for voluntary provident fund (VPF), if the basic pay and DA exceed ₹15,000 per month.

For FY26, the Centre ratified the EPFO's suggestion of 8.25% interest rate for both EPF and VPF and interest credits were completed earlier this month on 15 July, PTI reported. This marked the third consecutive time the instrument delivered 8.25% returns on provident fund.

Today, we look at how much time EPF claims take to be settled, what the different status messages mean, and what subscribers can do to rectify any delays and complete the process.

How much time to EPF claims take?

• Online claims filed with the EPFO are usually settled within seven to 10 working days. This will require you to complete your KYC.
• Offline claims can usually take up to 20 days to settle. Users will receive SMS alerts from the retirement fund body when there is any change in status.
• If your claim is not settled within 20 days, members can raise a complaint here — epfigms.gov.in.

EPFO claim: What do the status message mean?

When the status is ‘Under Process’, this means that the EPFO is verifying your claim and you will have to wait for 7–10 working days for the process to be completed.

When the status is ‘Payment Under Process’, this means that the funds transfer has been initiated and approved and you can check your bank account for update on the same in two to three working days.

When the status is ‘Settled Amount’, this means that the amount has been credited to your bank account and you can check your bank statement and SMS update for confirmation of the same.

When the status is ‘Rejected’ this means that there is a mismatch or missing information in your claim and you will have to check what was the reason for the rejection, make the correction(s) and resubmit your claim.

When the status is ‘Pending at Field Office’, this means that the regional office is awaiting verification of your claim. In such cases, you will have to contact the EPFO office directly to find out the concern.

When the status is ‘Not Available’, this means that no claim has been found in the system and you will have to first verify your UAN and recheck the status after 24 hours.

How to check EPF claim status — Stepwise guide

Download the Umang app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

• Register on the app with your Aadhaar-linked mobile number and set a 4-digit M-PIN (remember this for future login).
• After signing in, search for EPFO under the “All Services” section and on the main service page, tap on “Employee Centric Services”.
• Select the option labelled “Track Claim” (sometimes listed under “General Services” as “Know Your Claim Status”).
• Input your 12-digit Universal Account Number (UAN) and click Get OTP.
• Enter the OTP sent to your registered mobile number and click Login or Submit.

Your screen will display all claims made under the particular UAN. You can click on a specific claim ID to see detailed information on it, including the tracking ID, claim type, and current claim status.

How to check status: EPF portal, SMS, Missed Call

Using the EPF portal

• Log in to the portal — unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface.
• Click Online Services in the top navigation bar and select Track Claim Status.
• Your Tracking ID, Form Type, and current status will appear.

Using SMS facility

• To check claim via SMS, send a message from your registered mobile number (linked with UAN) to 7738299899 in the following format:
• EPFOHO (space) UAN number (space) language
• Example — EPFOHO 123456789012 BEN
• The language codes are ENG (English), HIN (Hindi), PAN (Punjabi), GUJ (Gujarati), MAR (Marathi), KAN (Kannada), TEL (Telegu), TAM (Tamil), MAL (Malayalam), BEN (Bengali).
• You will receive an automated reply with your claim status or account balance information.

Using missed call or toll-free call

• Give a missed call from your registered mobile number to 9966044425 to receive an automated reply with claim status or account details.
• Or call the EPFO's toll-free number: 1800 118 005 or 1800 114 470 and ask for the status.