EPFO Overhauls Trust Rules & Expands E-PRAAPTI Portal
In a decisive move to strengthen financial oversight, the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has implemented major changes to its regulatory framework and is moving forward with its ambitious E-PRAAPTI portal.
1. New Rules for Company-Managed PF Trusts (1 May 2026)
The government has notified new rules replacing mandatory annual audits with a risk-based audit system. The most impactful change is a strict 2% interest rate cap for exempted establishments. Under the new system, these trusts cannot declare interest rates more than two percentage points above the annual rate announced by the EPFO.
Additionally, EPFO has introduced a new compliance mechanism under the Income Tax Act, 2025, replacing Forms 15G and 15H with a single consolidated Form 121 for all subscribers, effective from 1 April 2026. Federal Bank has also integrated with EPFO to allow EPF payments via its net-banking platform.
2. E-PRAAPTI Portal Expansion (29 April 2026)
Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced the launch of E-PRAAPTI (EPF Aadhaar-Based Access Portal for Tracking Inoperative Accounts). This portal serves as a specialized digital platform to help members identify, track, link, and activate old or inoperative EPF accounts through a streamlined Aadhaar-based authentication mechanism.
3. Auto-Claim and Digital Milestones (April 2026)
EPFO reported record growth in service delivery for FY 2025-26. The retirement fund body settled a record 83.1 million claims, marking a 38.3% jump compared to 60.1 million claims settled in the previous year. This was made possible by the auto-settlement limit being increased from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh and the full adoption of the Centralised Pension Payments System (CPPS) in all field offices.
4. 8.25% Interest Rate Retention
The EPFO's Central Board of Trustees (CBT) has recommended keeping the EPF interest rate unchanged at 8.25% for the financial year 2025-26, the second consecutive year at this rate, bringing stability to over 7.8 crore contributing members.