The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation marked its 74th Foundation Day by announcing two new initiatives aimed at improving subscriber access to provident fund services.
The first initiative expanded EPFO's digital footprint through a verified WhatsApp platform. Subscribers can now check their PF balance, view the latest five transactions, and access passbook information via the messaging service. The service also provides guidance on requirements related to the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana. The PIB announcement confirmed the proposed services but did not specify the WhatsApp number or activation procedure; subscribers were advised to use only EPFO's officially verified WhatsApp service and avoid sharing their UAN, Aadhaar details, passwords or OTPs with unverified contacts.
The second initiative introduced automatic settlement for eligible inoperative accounts carrying balances up to Rs 1,000. This measure is designed to help employees recover small forgotten balances from old provident fund accounts without having to file individual claims. Eligible accounts must be classified as inoperative, Aadhaar-verified, and have a balance not exceeding Rs 1,000. EPFO will initiate the settlement process after completing prescribed identity and bank-account verification. According to the PIB press release, approximately one lakh accounts involving Rs 5 crore are expected to benefit from this initiative. An account is classified as inoperative if no contribution is received for a continuous period of three years after the member attains 55 years of age or from the date of retirement, whichever is later. The automatic settlement does not apply to inactive PF accounts with balances exceeding Rs 1,000.
Together, these initiatives reflect EPFO's focus on simplifying access to provident fund services and reducing the procedural burden on subscribers, particularly former employees and beneficiaries who may have overlooked small PF balances or found the claim process inconvenient.
