The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has recently been the subject of several reports and social media posts claiming that all pensioners must submit a new mandatory form by July 28, 2025, or risk losing their pension benefits, whereas the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has stated that the widely circulated report is completely false.
PIB Fact-Checks the Claim
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), the PIB Fact Check unit addressed the circulating claims, confirming that no such new EPFO form has been issued. The tweet advised the public not to believe false information and called the reports "baseless."
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It stated: "It is being claimed in a news article that the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) issued an urgent notice to all pensioners, warning them that their pension benefits may be suspended if they fail to submit the required new EPFO form by July 28 2025. This claim is FAKE. No such new EPFO form has been issued by the EPFO."
The Press Information Bureau also advised citizens to be cautious of such deceptive statements circulating online. It underlined the significance of validating information via trusted channels and stated, "Always rely on official sources for accurate information." The advisory aims to prevent misinformation from causing confusion among pensioners and the general public.
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Recent Updates in EPFO
While the Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) recently updated its members' withdrawal guidelines. The auto withdrawal limit was increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, allowing eligible members quicker access to their Provident Fund savings in urgent situations. The update was announced by Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya earlier this week.
Also, from January 1, 2025, pensioners under the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS), 1995 can access their pension from any bank branch across the country.
To avoid falling for such deceptive content, pensioners and EPFO members are urged to cross-check any pension-related information with official sources like the EPFO website or their official social media handles.
