As 2025 draws to a close, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) can point to a year marked by structural reform, digital acceleration and a clear push to simplify life for its more than 30 crore members.

One of the most visible changes was the expansion of auto-settlement of withdrawals, with claims up to ₹5 lakh now processed without mandatory cheque or passbook uploads. Partial withdrawal rules were overhauled, collapsing 13 complex provisions into a single framework covering essential needs, housing and special circumstances.

Members can now withdraw up to 75% of their provident fund balance after just 12 months of service, while limits for education and marriage withdrawals were significantly liberalised.

On pensions, EPFO rolled out the Centralised Pension Payment System (CPPS), enabling EPS pensioners to draw pensions from any bank branch across India from January 2025. Doorstep digital life certificate services were also introduced through a tie-up with India Post Payments Bank.

Litigation and compliance saw a rethink with the approval of the Vishwas Scheme, which introduced graded penalties and sharply reduced penal damages, signalling a shift towards dispute resolution rather than enforcement.

2025 also saw a strong push on enrolment. Under the Employee Enrolment Campaign 2025, employers were allowed to declare previously unenrolled workers with minimal penalties, broadening social security coverage.

Digitisation remained a core theme. EPFO strengthened UAN allotment and activation through the UMANG app using face authentication, simplified Aadhaar seeding and correction, enabled bulk UAN generation in special cases, and made transfer certificates directly downloadable on the member portal.

Also Read: India’s labour reset in 2025: New laws, falling joblessness, expanding welfare

Operational reforms extended to employers as well, with a revamped Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) system introduced for wage months from September 2025, featuring system-based validations and mandatory interest calculations.

Rounding off the year, EPFO credited 8.25% interest for FY25, expanded its banking network to 32 banks, joined the ISSA Bureau, and operationalised the India–UK social security agreement.

Taken together, 2025 marked a decisive shift towards a more digital, member-centric EPFO—one focused on speed, transparency and broader coverage rather than procedural complexity.