Big news is waiting for the crores of EPFO members. As the new year begins, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has refreshed its services and introduced five guidelines aimed at enhancing the collective notification process and the Centralised Pension Payment System (CPPS) for its members. Curious about the benefits available to EPF members? Let’s explore!

 

EPF Subscribers: Enhanced convenience for EPF members

 

Members now have the ability to update their profiles and modify information in their PF accounts easily through the online portal. These enhancements are intended to make managing EPF accounts more user-friendly and efficient. You can find more details about these updates here.

 

Higher Pension: Insights on Higher Pension

 

The EPFO has released a circular that clarifies policies regarding the processing of pension cases for individuals who have been overpaid under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS). Queries from field offices concerning the policy on overpaid (PoHW) cases were subsequently referred to the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoL&E) for clarification.

 

The clarifications address several important points:

 

1. Ensuring equitable pension calculations across various categories of pensioners.

 

2. Strict compliance with trust rules for exempted entities.

 

3. A clear differentiation between arrears and pension arrears to avoid confusion.

 

4. These guidelines are designed to streamline field operations, align them with legal and procedural standards, and foster consistency and transparency in managing PoHW cases.

 

Joint announcement: Joint announcement

 

The updated guidelines take the place of the earlier Standard Operating Procedure (SOP Version 3.0) released on July 31, 2024. “Instead of the instructions found in the Joint Notice SOP Version 3.0 from July 31, 2024, the following guidelines are provided to streamline the process,” stated EPFO.

 

Streamlining based on member classification

 

The process has been simplified by categorizing members into the following groups:

 

1. Members with Universal Account Numbers (UAN) created using Aadhaar (after October 1, 2017) – are required to submit joint notification requests online.

 

2. Members with UAN numbers established before October 1, 2017, whose name, date of birth (DOB), and gender have been confirmed by UIDAI via Aadhaar – must also submit joint notification requests online.

 

3. Members with UAN numbers not verified by Aadhaar, those without UAN numbers, or deceased members – the joint notification request should be submitted directly by the member or claimant.

 

Members can upload documents through Digilocker. Alternatively, documents listed in Annexure-II can be submitted as a single PDF. The option to upload via Digilocker will be available soon. For each requirement, at least two documents need to be uploaded. However, if using Digilocker, only one document is necessary. If the Employee (EE) can make the required change themselves, no document upload is needed.

 

1. This circular provides details about the launch of the Centralised Pension Payment System, set to begin on January 1, 2025.

 

With this new system, there will be no restrictions on bank or branch jurisdiction for Pension Payment Orders (PPOs). Pensioners will not need to transfer their PPOs when switching banks or branches. The system will incorporate new banks or branches along with essential information such as IFSC codes. Members can now utilize the same bank account associated with their UAN-KYC for pension claims, minimizing payment errors. For newly issued PPOs, linking Aadhaar details in the system is mandatory to facilitate the smooth processing of Digital Living Certificate (DLC) submissions.

 

EPF member profile update

The EPFO has streamlined the process for members to update their profiles, demonstrating its dedication to enhancing member services and ensuring the accuracy of information. Under the new guidelines, UAN-verified members can easily update personal details such as name, date of birth, gender, nationality, parents’ names, marital status, spouse’s name, and dates of joining or leaving employment without needing to provide supporting documents.

 

However, for UANs issued before October 1, 2017, a certificate from the employer or company will be necessary for updates.

 

Transfer of PF: PF transfer

To make it easier to transfer EPF accounts when changing jobs, the requirement to submit an online transfer claim through the previous or current employer has been eliminated in certain cases, speeding up the transfer process.