EPFO raises withdrawal limit for medical emergencies

In news that might bring great relief to its members, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has changed the rules for PF withdrawal. Now, subscribers will be able to easily withdraw money from their PF in case of medical necessities.

According to EPFO’s recent circular, this change is regarding the limit of auto claim processing (or auto withdrawal). Earlier, the limit for withdrawing money from one’s provident fund under Paragraph 68J was Rs 50,000, which has now been increased to Rs 1 lakh.

This means that now, if any account holder applies for withdrawal of up to Rs 1 lakh from his/her PF account for medical purposes, then its processing will be done via auto mode. Earlier, this facility was only available for claims up to Rs 50,000.

Under Paragraph 68J of the Employee Provident Fund Scheme, EPFO ​​allows its members to withdraw money from their PF accounts in difficult times. For example, if an employee loses his job, he/she can withdraw money from their PF account by applying under Form-19.

Apart from this, the facility to withdraw money from PF is also available for needs like building, buying or repairing a house, marriage, children’s education etc. Advance withdrawal from PF can be done easily under paragraph 68J.

It is worth noting that if a subscriber, or his dependent is hospitalized for more than a month or has any major disease like TB, leprosy, paralysis, cancer, mental illness, heart condition or more, then a claim for withdrawal can be made under paragraph 68J.

Here is how you can lodge your claims with EPFO online :

1. Log on to the EPFO member portal through your Universal Account Number (UAN)
2. Ensure that your Know Your Customer (KYC) details are updated.
3. Select the type of claim you wish to file from the available options like marriage, home loan repayment etc.
4. Validate your identity by entering the OTP received on your registered mobile number.