Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) is preparing to implement many major changes for its members. Important information related to these changes is coming to light. Of these, discussions are going on to increase the pension amount, and it is fully expected that the government is preparing to give a big gift to the employees who contribute to the pension scheme. According to reports, there is a demand to increase the EPS-95 pension to ₹7,500, and the government is seriously considering the matter. Apart from this, the process of re-opening closed Provident Fund (PF) accounts is also about to begin.
First: Pension amount will increase by ₹7,500!
EPFO is seriously considering the old demand of labor unions to increase the pension amount. Their demand is that in view of inflation, the pension amount under EPS-95 should be increased from the current ₹1,000 to ₹7,500—a direct increase of 7.5 times. A parliamentary committee has also issued recommendations in support of this demand. Several rounds of meetings have been held regarding this demand, and it is expected that a decision on this matter can be taken very soon.
Second: Closed PF accounts will be reopened.
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) is moving towards another major change: reviving closed PF accounts. Under a new initiative, preparations have been made to reactivate such closed PF accounts. A new platform, which will use Aadhaar-based access, will make it easier to link old accounts. Talking about the benefits, this initiative will help in identifying closed EPF accounts, linking them with Universal Account Number (UAN) and reactivating them. As a result, it will be easier for members to withdraw funds deposited in these accounts.
In connection with this change, Labor and Employment Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya has announced the launch of EPFO’s ‘E-PRAAPTI’ portal. Talking about the process, EPFO members will now be able to easily access their closed accounts. Notably, accounts that do not have a UAN and have been deactivated can now be reactivated. Subsequently, these accounts can be reactivated by updating your profile and linking them to your UAN in a few easy steps. This will be of special benefit to those members who have forgotten their EPF member ID.
Third: PF funds can now be withdrawn from UPI-ATM
One of the other major changes taking place in EPFO (change in EPFO rules) is that PF funds will soon be withdrawn through ATM. Preparations to launch ‘EPFO 3.0’ are almost complete; This is indicated by the continuously released updates.
The technical changes being made in the EPFO portal are expected to go live soon. Members will be able to use their PF accounts like their savings accounts, allowing them to withdraw deposited amounts directly from ATM machines. According to various reports, the facility to withdraw PF funds through ATM may be available by the end of May.
To further simplify the PF withdrawal process, EPFO may also introduce a facility that will allow members to withdraw PF funds through UPI. By logging in with their UAN and completing the OTP verification process, members will be able to transfer the funds in their PF accounts directly to their bank accounts using UPI. After this, this amount can be easily withdrawn from the ATM. However, a certain limit will apply on this; Employees will not be able to withdraw their entire PF balance in one go. Instead, they will be allowed to withdraw only 75% of their total balance, while keeping the remaining 25% in the account.
The process of withdrawing money through UPI will work like this:
Members will log in to the EPFO portal or mobile app.
After logging in, their total balance and withdrawal limit will be visible.
They will put in the amount they want to withdraw.
After this, they have to enter their UPI ID.
Once the verification is complete, the amount will be directly transferred to their bank account.
Continuous progress in settlement of PF claims
The speed of settlement of claims in EPFO is continuously increasing. In FY 2025-26, a total of 8.31 crore claims were settled—a figure significantly higher than the 6.01 crore claims settled in the previous financial year. One special thing is that EPFO settled 71.11% advance claims in just three days. This month—especially in April 2026—a total of 61.03 lakh claims were settled.
