Now, claims for provident fund (PF) withdrawals above Rs 10 lakh can be done offline. Reversing its earlier decision, the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has decided to accept PF withdrawal claims above Rs 10 lakh submitted offline via physical forms.
The EPFO, in February 2018, had made it compulsory to file online claims for provident fund withdrawals above Rs 10 lakh. Similarly, it also made mandatory to file online claims for withdrawals of Rs 5 lakh under the Employees Pension Scheme (EPS).
In its circular dated April 13, the EPFO said that it has revised instructions to settle claims for EPF and EPS withdrawals. The PF withdrawal claims of above Rs 5 lakh can also be submitted offline now.
"Instructions issued on the circular regarding 'Submission of claims through online mode in case of settlement amount is above Rs 10 lakh' have been revisited in a meeting chaired by CPFC, in view of the problems faced by members/claimants (including International Workers) in filing online claims," the EPFO said in the circular.
"Considering the grievances raised by members, this stipulation will be kept in abeyance so that offline claims will also be accepted in all cases," it explained.
"However, in view of the need to step up security, claims received online from claimants will be sent online to employers for further verification, only after which the claim will be settled. The employer should return the claim within 3 days to the EPFO office either accepting or rejecting the claim", the circular added.
