EPFO makes EPF Death Claims Easier: No Aadhaar details needed to process Claims
Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) makes it easier to process claims for deceased EPF account holders by introducing new rules. In this new rule, holders will get a concession if they don’t have an Aadhaar linked to their account for the processing of physical claims. As they no longer need to deal with verifying and updating Aadhaar details when an EPF account holder passes away.
In a circular dated May 17, 2024, the pension fund organization explained that while they’re allowing claims without Aadhaar linking, they still need approval from the Officer in Charge (OIC) through an online file. This file must show how they checked the deceased’s membership and verified the legitimacy of the claimants. They also need to follow any extra steps the OIC suggests to prevent fraud.
Basically, you can now submit physical claims for death cases without linking Aadhaar. But before it’s approved, the Officer in Charge (OIC) needs to give the green light through an online file. Plus, they will double-check everything to confirm the identity of the deceased member and ensure the claim is legitimate, even if Aadhaar details are not provided.
The EPFO circular also mentioned that if there are any mistakes or missing Aadhaar details in the UAN database, field offices should follow specific steps to fix them. This includes correcting the information in the UAN, linking Aadhaar, and ensuring it’s valid, based on guidelines from a previous circular.
The main problem is the mismatch between the EPFO’s UAN database, which holds provident fund details, and the UID database, which has Aadhaar information.
The new EPFO rules aim to solve these differences especially when someone passes away. When Aadhaar details are wrong in the UID database after someone’s death, it causes issues for field offices trying to verify and process claims for the provident fund amount. These problems delay nominees or legal heirs from getting their rightful funds.
The latest EPFO rules make it easier to handle these situations by allowing physical claims for death cases without linking Aadhaar. While it is better to link Aadhaar, the EPFO focuses on quickly giving funds to beneficiaries by allowing other ways to verify, with approval from the Officer in Charge (OIC).
