The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has advised its subscribers to beware of third-party handlers. The retirement fund body encourages its seven crore members to use its free online services pertaining to provident fund accounts, available on its official portal/platform.
The organisation has emphasised that all accounts-related activities including submission of claims and updation of KYC can be done online (via the UMANG app and the EPFO portal) free of cost without the help of third-party agents who may actually fleece them. Since April of 2025, subscribers do not need to even obtain employer’s approval to link their bank account details with the Universal Account Number of UAN. The processes have been simplified to the extent that subscribers/members can now log onto the EPFO website and edit, correct or update their personal details (address, bank account no. etc.) without the need for any verification by managers. This saves a lot of time and effort. The EPFO has also made it possible for subscribers to withdraw cash from their provident fund via ATMs.
Many processes have been made simpler and easier for the subscribers. For instance, employer approval is no longer required for transfer claims. Also, there is no need to upload the image of a cheque leaf or an attested copy of the passbook either so that settlements can be processed faster.
Additionally, EPFO has warned that these third-party agents who claim to help subscribers in getting their work done are not authorised by the organisation, and therefore, should not be relied on.
