The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on Sunday launched interactive WhatsApp-based services for subscribers to access their provident fund (PF) account details. An automatic settlement facility for eligible inoperative accounts with balances of up to ₹1,000 was also rolled out. The initiatives were launched during an event marking EPFO’s 74th Foundation Day at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi.
The WhatsApp service will enable subscribers to check their PF balance, latest five transactions and passbook information. It will also provide personalised guidance and assistance in completing requirements related to the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY), the labour ministry said on Sunday.
The interactive services will make routine account-related information accessible via EPFO’s verified WhatsApp service, reducing the need for physical visits to EPFO offices.
The launch expands EPFO’s digital service delivery beyond its existing online platforms and WhatsApp information channel.
In another initiative launched at the event, EPFO will automatically settle Aadhaar-verified inoperative accounts with balances of up to ₹1,000, subject to prescribed identity and bank-account verification. Eligible subscribers will not have to file individual claims to receive their dues. Around 1 lakh accounts involving approximately ₹5 crore are expected to benefit from this facility.
The automatic settlement initiative follows the EPFO Central Board of Trustees’ approval of a pilot project at its 239th meeting in March this year. The board had approved auto-initiation of settlement for around 133,000 inoperative accounts with balances of up to ₹1,000, involving nearly ₹5.68 crore.
The pilot was intended to transfer the amount directly to members’ Aadhaar-seeded and EPFO-linked bank accounts without requiring fresh claims or documentation.
Under EPF provisions, an account is classified as inoperative if no contribution is received for a continuous period of three years after a member attains 55 years of age or from the date of retirement, whichever is later.
The ministry also highlighted improvements in EPFO’s claim settlement process following the introduction of the Centralised IT-Enabled System (CITES 2.01), with EPFO’s average claim settlement time falling to 2.57 days in October 2026.
EPFO currently serves around 80 million contributory members and 8.5 million pensioners, with a retirement corpus of nearly ₹32 trillion, according to the ministry.
Speaking at the event, Central Provident Fund Commissioner Ramesh Krishnamurthi said the fourth tranche of incentives under PMVBRY was disbursed on Sunday.
According to ministry data, 286,290 employees received the first instalment of incentives worth ₹163.39 crore, while 144,831 employees received the second instalment totalling ₹96.01 crore. Another ₹702.39 crore was disbursed to 83,242 employers under the scheme.
Launched in August 2025 with an outlay of ₹99,446 crore, the PMVBRY aims to support 35 million jobs over two years, including 19.2 million first-time formal-sector entrants. Under the scheme, first-time employees earning up to ₹1 lakh a month are eligible for an incentive of up to ₹15,000, paid in two instalments. Employers hiring additional workers over their existing workforce baseline receive monthly incentives of ₹1,000-3,000 per eligible employee for two years, with manufacturing establishments eligible for an additional two years of support.
Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya urged EPFO officials and employees at the event to contribute to the organisation’s reform process, continuously innovate and update its operations to keep pace with changing requirements.
The ministry also released multiple publications at the foundation day: “EPFO State Profile 2026”, “Compendium of Judgements 2026”, “Kendra Nidhi”, “Beyond the Desk, Beyond the Ordinary”, “Reimagining Governance Discourse for Excellence”, “Shasan Vidhi Mein Karuna” and “The Indian Journal of Social Security”.