NEW DELHI: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) plans to launch a digital platform to help members identify and reactivate dormant or unclaimed EPF accounts using Aadhaar-based verification, even if these are not linked to a Universal Account Number (UAN), Labor Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Wednesday.
The proposed portal called E-PRAAPTI (EPF Aadhaar-Based Access Portal for Tracking Inoperative Accounts) will enable subscribers to access legacy accounts, update profiles and complete UAN deployment without employer intervention. The move marks a move towards user-driven account management within the EPFO ecosystem, Mandaviya said.
In its initial phase, E-PRAAPTI will operate on an ID-based membership system that will allow users with older account details to initiate search and activation. The platform is expected to expand later to cover those who cannot recall or access their member IDs.
The move comes amid a broader push by EPFO to digitize services and reduce manual processes, reflected in a record 83.1 million insurance claims processed in the fiscal year 2025-26 (FY26), up from 60.1 million in the previous financial year. A growing share of these complaints, especially withdrawals in advance, are processed automatically within three days. Procedural liberalization, including the removal of uploaded check sheets and simplified bank establishment, has also improved ease of access for subscribers.
“The new platform is expected to help unblock a significant volume of non-performing accounts, improve transparency and reduce paperwork, while complementing ongoing efforts to automate claims handling and improve service delivery schedules,” the minister said.
Early or partial withdrawals accounted for 55.1 million claims, indicating greater access to pension fund savings as members increasingly draw on balances to meet financial needs.
Automation played a key role. As many as 71.1% of advance claims were processed in the automated mode in FY26, compared to 59.19% a year earlier, reducing manual intervention and enabling processing within three days.
Digital simplification has also eased procedural hurdles. Some 66.8 million members filed claims without uploading checkbook images, while 15.9 million deployed their bank accounts without employer approval. Similarly, 7.05 million transfer requests were automatically processed without intervention from members or employers, and 2.48 million transfer requests were initiated directly by members.
Profile management has also improved, with 2.93 million members correcting their details and accessing PF accounts independently without approaching EPFO offices or employers.
The momentum has carried over into the current financial year as well. In April 2026 alone, EPFO processed 6.10 million claims, with nearly 74% of advance claims being processed through automated mode. Overall, 98.70% of claims were settled within 20 days, demonstrating a continued increase in turnaround time and service efficiency.
