EPFO Withdrawal Rule Change 2025: Bank A/c Employer Verification No More Required; No Need To Upload Image Of Cheque Leaf, Attested-Passbook

EPFO has taken two major decisions for claim settlement that include removal of Requirement to Upload Image of Cheque Leaf / Attested Bank Passbook and removal of Employer Approval Requirement for Seeding Bank Account Details with UAN.

New Delhi: In yet another bid to simplify the Claim Settlement Process, EPFO has undertaken two major reforms.

"In yet another step towards enhancing the Ease of Living for EPF members and Ease of Doing Business for employers, Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has introduced two key simplifications in its claim settlement process. These measures will significantly streamline the process of claim settlement and reduce grievances related to claim rejections," Ministry of Labour & Employment said in a release on Thursday.

1. Removal of Requirement to Upload Image of Cheque Leaf / Attested Bank Passbook

EPFO has completely dispensed with the requirement of uploading an image of a cheque leaf or attested bank passbook while filing online claims. This requirement was initially relaxed on a pilot basis for certain KYC-updated members. Since its launch on 28th May, 2024, the move has already benefited 1.7 crore EPF members.

Following the successful pilot, EPFO has now extended this relaxation to all members. As the bank account holder’s name is already verified with the EPF member’s details at the time of bank account seeding with the Universal Account Number (UAN), this additional documentation is no longer necessary.

By removing this requirement, EPFO is set to immediately benefit around 6 crore members, eliminating claim rejections due to poor-quality/unreadable uploads and reducing associated grievances.

2. Removal of Requirement of Employer Approval for Seeding Bank Account Details with Universal Account Number (UAN)

To streamline the process of seeding bank accounts with UAN, EPFO has now removed the requirement of employer approval after bank verification.

Currently, every member is required to seed his/her Bank Account with UAN in order to get their PF withdrawals seamlessly credited to such account. During the F.Y. 2024-25, 1.3 crore members have submitted their requests for seeding their Bank Accounts and the requests after due matching with the respective Bank/NPCI are to be approved by the Employer through DSC/E-Sign.

Under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi ji, EPFO continues its reform journey!

Two major reforms have been introduced to make the claim settlement process simpler, faster, and hassle-free for crores of EPF members & employers:

_ No need to upload image of cheque leaf/_ pic.twitter.com/YScWOkw0gn — Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) April 3, 2025

The above simplified process will also facilitate those members who want to change their already seeded Bank Account by entering their new Bank Account no. along with the IFSC code duly authenticated through Aadhaar OTP.

The members who are yet to seed their Bank Account or change their seeded Bank Account can take advantage of the above simplified process to get their Bank Account seeded at the earliest.