The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has recently released a circular aimed at streamlining the procedure for rectifying EPF member information as per a report published in News18. This circular introduces a new standard operating procedure (SOP) for amending EPF member details such as names and birth dates.
Following this SOP, updating EPF member information becomes a straightforward task, reducing the likelihood of claim rejections. Additionally, the new process serves as a safeguard against fraudulent cases resulting from data discrepancies.
The EPFO in a circular issued on August 23, 2023, said, “It is also observed that unregulated and non-standardisation of processes has led to tinkering with member identities in certain cases leading to impersonation and fraud." The new SOP will allow the EPF member to update 11 profile-related parameters. These include:
- Name
- Gender
- Date of Birth
- Father’s Name
- Relationship
- Marital Status
- Date of Joining
- Reason for Leaving
- Date of Leaving
- Nationality
- Aadhaar Number”.
A primary cause for the rejection of withdrawal claims stems from discrepancies between the provided information and EPFO records. It's essential for the claimant's name and date of birth to align with the data in the EPFO records. With the introduction of a new SOP by the EPFO, the likelihood of rejection for Employee Provident Withdrawal Claims can be significantly reduced.
Process for requesting modifications to your EPF account
As per the most recent EPFO circular, the EPF account holder is required to submit a request for profile detail corrections through the Member Sewa Portal. Additionally, the essential documents will need to be uploaded onto the portal and stored on the server for future reference.
The adjustments made by EPF members in their accounts must also undergo validation by their respective employers. The EPFO circular read, “The request submitted by the EPF account holder will also be reflected in the employer’s login. Further, an automatic mail will be sent to the employer’s registered email ID. EPF members can only get the data corrected for those member accounts which are generated by the present employer.”
