EPFO allows Covid relief seekers to revise age papers

NEWDELHI: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has allowed people to correct discrepancies in age-proof documents online to help 90% of its 60 million subscribers under the ₹15,000 a month salary bracket as many of them were unable to produce valid papers to withdraw money from their accounts under the relaxed norms announced as part of a Covid-19 relief package on March 26, government officials said on Sunday.

Under the relief package, the government would contribute for the next three months both the share of the employee and the employer in the PF accounts of establishments that have fewer than 100 employees, and where 90% of the workers earn less than ₹15,000 per month.

“The EPFO has issued instructions to all field offices to ensure that all date of birth-related correction requests are expeditiously attended to and all subscribers facing financial stress due to the Covid-19 pandemic must get money from their provident fund (PF) accounts online,” one of the officials said, requesting anonymity.

The government has also amended the PF regulation scheme to allow employees to withdraw, on a non-refundable advance basis, 75% of the amount, or up to three months of wages, whichever is lower, from their accounts.

The official quoted above said on several occasions poor workers could not withdraw their hard-earned money post-retirement because their age in the records was different from that stated in their claim forms. “Thus, EPFO has decided to relax age-proof norms,” he said.

“The change in date of birth shall be accepted as per Aadhaar up to a maximum range of plus or minus three years with reference to the EPFO record,” the official said.

A subscriber can submit correction requests online. EPFO can validate the date of birth of a subscriber online with Aadhaar instantaneously after the member files an application.

At present, subscribers can get their date of birth corrected by producing any of these documents: