EPFO Simplifies Online Claims and Bank Account Seeding Process

Removal of Cheque Leaf / Attested Bank Passbook Upload Requirement

What’s Changed:

• EPFO has permanently removed the need to upload a scanned image of a cheque leaf or attested bank passbook for filing online claims.

Background & Pilot Success:

• The change was piloted from May 28, 2024, for KYC-updated members. Over 1.7 crore EPF members benefited during the pilot phase.

Why It Matters:

• As the bank account is already verified during UAN-linked bank account seeding, additional documents became redundant.
• Ensures faster processing and fewer claim rejections due to unreadable uploads. Will immediately benefit around 6 crore EPF members.

Elimination of Employer Approval for Bank Account Seeding with UAN

What’s Changed:

• Employer approval is no longer required for seeding or updating bank account details with the Universal Account Number (UAN).

Current Process & Bottlenecks:

• Bank verification takes ~3 days, but employer approval takes ~13 days, delaying the overall process.
• Over 14.95 lakh bank account seeding requests were pending at the employer level.

Impact of the Reform:

• Immediate benefit to 14.95 lakh members awaiting employer approval. Simplifies seeding and updating bank details—now directly authenticated via Aadhaar OTP.
• Improves Ease of Doing Business for employers and Ease of Living for employees.

Benefits of the New EPFO Process Simplification

• Faster Claims Processing: No document upload, no employer delays
• Reduced Grievances: Fewer rejections due to poor document quality
• Efficient Workload Management: Employers relieved from redundant approval steps
• Member Empowerment: Easy bank account update via Aadhaar OTP authentication
• Digital Transformation: Aligned with EPFO’s vision for a simplified, tech-driven service ecosystem

PIB