Coronavirus: EPFO advises beneficiaries to not to visit its offices

The Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) on Friday asked pensioners and employers to avoid visiting its offices and avail online services like raising claims for PF, view balance, and make payments etc from their homes.

The step has been taken to curb the spread of deadly coronavirus, the EPFO said in a statement.

To contain the spread of coronavirus, the EPFO advises members, pensioners and employers to avoid visiting EPFO offices and avail various online services offered by it from their homes, it said.

Most of the services of the EPFO are available online, it mentioned.

An employee can generate his/her own Universal Account Number (UAN), activate his/her UAN and seed it with Aadhaar, PAN, Bank Account and mobile number (KYC seeding), the EPFO said.

"Employee can also make nominations, view balance in the passbook, update his/her date of exit, transfer his/her account from unexempted to exempted establishment and vice-versa.

"Employees have been further empowered to raise claims online for the provident fund (PF) advances or final withdrawal, pension or insurance benefits and receive payment of PF/pension/insurance benefits directly in his/her bank account," the statement said.

Similarly, a pensioner can download his/her pension payment order (PPO) or preserve it in Digilocker. He/she can know his PPO number with the help of his/her bank account number or UAN and view passbook. Pensioners can also update Jeevan Praman (Digital Life Certificate) online any time of the year.

"Employers can register their establishments under EPF&MP Act, 1952 and obtain establishment ID, make payment of EPF and allied dues through RTGS/NEFT and submit Electronic Challan cum Return (ECR). Employers have also been facilitated to avail e-inspections of their establishments," it said.

In case of any grievance, the EPFO said employees, employers and pensioners can get them resolved online through EPFigms portal. The details of these services and facilities are also available at www.epfindia.gov.in.

All these facilities are also available on the government's UMANG App and one can avail the services on mobile his/her mobile phone too, the EPFO said.