Thinking of withdrawing EPF? You don't have to submit documents for claims

If your KYC is complete and information matches EPFO records, you can skip paperwork

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Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) subscribers don’t have to submit documents when making a claim to withdraw money if they fulfil certain conditions, the Ministry of Labour and Employment told Parliament recently.

 

The clarification aims to end confusion and speed up the claims process.

 

What has changed

The ministry told Lok Sabha that, after the introduction of the composite claim form in 2017 EPFO no longer asks for “physical proof of reason for withdrawal”. EPF members only have to self-certify the purpose for withdrawing funds, whether it is for marriage, education, home purchase, medical treatment, or any other “eligible reason”. “No document substantiating the claim is required to be submitted to the EPFO offices,” said the ministry.

 

How self-certification works

The composite claim form, introduced in 2017, replaced the earlier multi-form process. It is designed to:

 

• Simplify withdrawals (advance, partial, or final) 
• Allow members to declare the reason for withdrawal themselves 
• Shift the responsibility of declaration from the employer to the employee 
• This is part of EPFO’s broader effort to improve transparency and reduce claim rejections.

 

When documents are not needed

 

You can withdraw your EPF money without uploading or submitting documents if:

 

• Your Aadhaar is seeded and verified in the EPFO system 
• Your PAN and bank details are correct and updated 
• You are applying online using the UAN portal

 

This applies to:

-Advance withdrawals for marriage, medical treatment, etc.

 

-Final settlement after retirement or two months of unemployment