EPFO may employ third-party agents to resolve member grievances, queries

EPFO may empanel 'Suvidha Providers' to help members resolve grievances for a small fee, with the proposal set for approval at the CBT meeting in February

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is likely to empanel third-party agents to help resolve queries and grievances of members, said two officials aware of the matter. This decision is set to be approved in the upcoming meeting of the EPFO’s Central Board of Trustees (CBT) in February, said the officials. 

“This will be a similar model to that of goods and services tax (GST) Suvidha Providers and Income Tax Facilitators. These are third-party companies, recognised by the government,” said one of the people. “While a name has not been decided yet, they will essentially be ‘EPFO Suvidha Providers’.” 

A GST Suvidha Provider (GSP) is a third-party, government-authorised tech company that connects its software to the GST Network (GSTN) so businesses can file returns, upload invoices, reconcile data, and manage compliance more easily. These are private companies empanelled by GSTN, who help companies in GST compliance activities for a fee. Some of these empanelled companies are Deloitte, EY, ClearTax, Zoho and Canara Bank, among others, according to the GSTN website. 

A similar model is slated to be applied to EPF-related grievances and issues that commonly arise among members, according to the two officials. These intermediaries will operate on a nominal, fixed service charge of ₹20 or ₹25, said the second official. 

“We have to give licences to these facilitators and they will need to be given training by the government,” said the first official. “While they will charge a commission, at least these companies will be government-approved, so there will be no other difficulties.”

According to the officials, this subject was discussed in the last CBT meeting that was held on October 13, 2025, and is likely to get approval in the next meeting. The CBT is the apex decision-making body of the social security organisation. 

According to the labour ministry, the EPFO currently has around 85 million active contributing members. 

On Friday, Union Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya, said that the CBT has recommended simplifying the multiplicity of provisions in the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) scheme that had led to complications for members while filing claims for partial withdrawals. 

“Members can claim partial withdrawals up to 75 per cent of his balance under the simplified, liberalised and easy to understand provisions. The remaining balance of 25 per cent will help in building a better retirement corpus for members,” said Mandaviya. 

EPFO members can withdraw EPF money through UPI from March 

EPFO subscribers will likely be able to make transfers from their provident fund accounts directly into their bank accounts through UPI payment gateway from March, said a senior official.“The EPFO portal and EPFO app will both become UPI-enabled. When you withdraw through UPI, the money should instantly be reflected in your bank account once you link your UPI,” said the official.