Thu Apr 03 22:18:31 UTC 2025: ## EPFO Streamlines PF Claim Process, Eliminates Two Key Requirements

**New Delhi, April 4, 2025** – The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has significantly simplified its claim settlement process, eliminating the need for members to upload cheque images or attested bank passbooks for online claims. The requirement for employer approval to link bank accounts with the Universal Account Number (UAN) has also been removed.

This move, announced by Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, is expected to benefit approximately six crore EPFO members. The ministry stated that removing the cheque image requirement will reduce claim rejections caused by poor image quality and streamline the process. This measure, initially piloted in May 2024, has already assisted 1.7 crore members.

The elimination of employer approval for bank account seeding with the UAN addresses a significant bottleneck. In 2024-25, 1.3 crore members submitted requests for this process, with around 36,000 daily requests. Currently, over 14.95 lakh approvals are pending with employers. This change immediately benefits these members, easing the process for both employers and employees. The ministry emphasized that the bank account holder’s name is already verified against EPF member details during the UAN bank account linking, making the additional documentation redundant.

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