The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation is set to introduce E-PRAAPTI, a new Aadhaar-linked platform aimed at helping users trace and access old or inactive provident fund (PF) accounts.
The digital system is expected to simplify the process for subscribers who may have lost track of PF balances due to job switches, outdated records or accounts created before the Universal Account Number (UAN) system became common.
The platform is part of EPFO's push towards a more member-driven system. Instead of depending on previous employers to verify or transfer old PF accounts, subscribers will be able to manage the process directly through online authentication.
How Will Users Access Old PF Accounts
In the initial phase, E-PRAAPTI will allow users to log in using Aadhaar authentication and search for inactive accounts through old PF member IDs. Once an account is identified, users can link it to their current UAN, update KYC details, add bank information and reactivate the account digitally.
The system is also expected to improve services in later phases. Over time, EPFO may enable account retrieval without the requirement of older account details. This will allow workers to recover forgotten PF savings accumulated across multiple jobs.
The move is particularly important because India has a large number of dormant PF accounts, many of which belong to employees who changed organisations years ago and never transferred their balances.
Impact Of New EPFO Feature
The introduction of E-PRAAPTI could significantly improve access to retirement savings for millions of subscribers. EPFO has already witnessed a sharp increase in digital transactions, with 83.1 million claims settled in FY26 compared to 60.1 million in FY25.
More than 71% of advance withdrawal claims were reportedly processed automatically.
Despite the expected benefits, implementation challenges still remain the same. The reason is that older PF records often contain mismatched details related to names, dates of birth or employment history, which may create difficulties during verification.
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Keeping the challenges aside, the portal is being viewed as a major step towards improving accessibility and transparency in retirement savings management.
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