In a development that will impact lakhs of subscribers of the retirement fund body EPFO, the Ministry of Labour is reportedly planning a new dedicated mobile application from April 2026. The new app will allow EPFO subscribers to withdraw their employees' provident fund (EPF) directly into their bank accounts through the UPI payment gateway. According to sources, the ministry is also working on a project where a certain proportion of the EPF will be frozen, and a large chunk will be available for withdrawal through their bank account using Unified Payment Interface (UPI).
Universal Account Number
Currently, the member uses either the Universal Account Number (UAN) portal or the UMANG app to access their EPF accounts and avail of their services.
The source said that these services will remain available on both platforms, while the new dedicated app will further improve the accessibility and delivery of services for EPFO subscribers.
He explained that subscribers will be able to view the eligible EPF balance available for transfer to their seeded bank accounts in the mobile application.
They will be allowed to use their linked UPI PIN to complete the transaction, ensuring a secure transfer of funds to their bank accounts.
The source stated that the EPFO is presently conducting trials using 100 dummy accounts to improve the efficacy of the service and remove any technical glitches that the service may have.
New system to avoid time-consuming process
The new system is being developed to avoid this time-consuming process and reduce the burden on the EPFO, as over 5 crore claims, mostly for EPF withdrawals, are settled every year.
The source said that the EPFO cannot allow its members to withdraw money directly from the EPF accounts because the body does not have any banking licences.
However, the source said the government wants to improve EPFO services to be on par with banks.
