EPFO 3.0 App to Enable UPI Withdrawals, Auto-Settlement of PF Claims

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is preparing to roll out a major digital transformation initiative known as EPFO 3.0, designed to modernise how millions of Indian workers access and manage their retirement savings. This upgrade, building on earlier online services, aims to make the provident fund system far more user‑centric and efficient, with a strong focus on real‑time digital transactions and streamlined processes.

At the core of EPFO 3.0 is a planned mobile application that will enable UPI‑based withdrawals of EPF funds, expected to be launched by March‑April 2026. Under this system, subscribers will be able to view their eligible EPF balance within the app and use their linked Unified Payments Interface (UPI) ID and PIN to transfer funds straight to their bank accounts — a stark contrast to the current practice of submitting claims through the UAN portal or UMANG app and waiting for several days for settlement.

Officials involved in testing the new platform say it has been trialled using dummy accounts to address technical issues ahead of a nationwide rollout. Once live, the app will work alongside existing EPFO services rather than replace them, enabling both legacy online functionality and the new UPI‑centric features to coexist. EPFO’s broader digital upgrade also includes improvements such as digital passbook access, Aadhaar‑linked verification, and enhanced claim tracking.

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A key practical benefit for subscribers will be the dramatic reduction in the time needed to access their money. Under the current auto‑settlement mechanism, eligible claims can take up to three days to clear electronically, but UPI withdrawals are expected to enable near‑instant transfers into bank accounts. Users are advised to ensure their Universal Account Number (UAN) is KYC‑compliant — including Aadhaar and bank linkages — ahead of the feature’s launch for seamless service.

EPFO 3.0 is seen as part of a broader push to modernise India’s retirement savings infrastructure and bring it closer to bank‑like convenience and transparency. With over 7.5 crore active contributors and a corpus nearing ₹26 lakh crore, simplifying access to provident fund money through digital channels has been a long‑standing goal for policymakers and the labour ministry.

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