Overview

• The auto-settlement ceiling has been quintupled to Rs 5 lakh, enabling members to withdraw funds for education, illness, marriage or housing without manual approval.
• Advance claims up to the new limit will be cleared within three days through EPFO’s automated system.
• In FY2024-25 the EPFO auto-settled a record 2.34 crore claims, a 161% rise over the prior year, and it has processed 76.52 lakh auto-claims (70%) in the first 2.5 months of FY2025-26.
• Recent digital reforms include simplification of KYC corrections, removal of employer-seeding requirements and elimination of document uploads to target a 72-hour claim turnaround.
• Officials say EPFO is developing a feature to let members withdraw EPF directly via ATMs or UPI once bank accounts are linked, with backend integrations still underway.