EPF Withdrawals To Go Digital: 75% Access Via ATMs, UPI By March 2026, Says Labour Minister
This move aims to eliminate time-consuming paperwork and procedural delays, facilitating near-instant transfers to registered bank accounts.
Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in an interview with a news channel said that by March 2026, up to 75% of an employee’s Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) corpus will be withdrawable directly via ATMs and Unified Payments Interface (UPI), signalling at a shift toward simplified, digital-first access to employee savings.
This move aims to eliminate time-consuming paperwork and procedural delays, facilitating near-instant transfers to registered bank accounts.
Mandaviya emphasised, “You can still withdraw your 75% EPF immediately. I am telling you in advance that before March 2026, the Ministry is introducing a feature where a subscriber can withdraw their EPF through an ATM. The Ministry will also link EPF withdrawals with UPI.”
PF Withdrawal Norms
As things stand, there are norms that outline the frequency and amount of one's PF withdrawals.
In case of unemployment for over one month, EPFO allows withdrawal of 75% of the PF balance. After remaining unemployed for two consecutive months, an EPF subscriber can withdraw the remaining 25% or the entire balance. For house construction or purchase, EPFO allows withdrawal up to 90% of the employee’s PF balance. One can avail this service after completing three years of membership with EPFO. Employees can use this facility once and withdraw the money in one or more instalments.
Similarly, an EPF subscriber can withdraw the PF balance for housing loan repayment purposes under specific conditions. The maximum amount permitted is the minimum of these three conditions: 36 months’ basic wages and DA, the total of employee and employer share with interest, or the total outstanding principal and interest of the home loan. The withdrawal can be made in only one instalment. An EPF member needs to remain enrolled for at least 10 years to use this facility.
Under EPFO rules, an advance in special cases can be withdrawn from the employee’s share with interest. This facility can be used one or more times. The conditions to withdraw under this category include closure of the employer establishment for over 15 days, non-payment of salary for over two months, etc.
In the case of illness, EPFO allows an advance withdrawal to meet medical expenses. The advance is payable in one instalment only. The maximum amount permitted is the least of the following: either 6 months’ basic wages and dearness allowance (DA) or the employee’s share with interest.
For the purpose of marriage, EPFO allows an advance as a one-time instalment facility. The maximum amount permitted is 50% of the employee’s share with interest. An EPF subscriber can avail this facility only after at least seven years of enrolment under the scheme.
