What is the New 'Passbook Lite' by EPFO for Easy PF Access?

New Delhi, Sep 18 (NationPress) Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, revealed on Thursday that the EPFO has launched a new feature named 'Passbook Lite', designed to provide members with a straightforward means to access their passbook and a concise overview of their contributions, withdrawals, and balance directly through the member portal, eliminating the need to visit the passbook portal.

This innovative 'Passbook Lite' feature is integrated into the EPFO’s member portal as part of ongoing reforms aimed at delivering efficient, transparent, and user-friendly services to its members.

The initiative is anticipated to significantly enhance user experience by allowing access to all essential services, including passbook functionality, via a single login. For those seeking a detailed view of their passbook information, including graphical representations, members can still utilize the traditional 'Passbook Portal'.

This strategy aims to provide greater accessibility for members while improving operational efficiency by alleviating pressure on the existing Passbook Portal and streamlining the architecture through the integration of current APIs within the member portal. The primary goal of this reform is to facilitate all key services through a single login, ensuring greater ease of use. It is expected to decrease grievances, boost transparency, and heighten member satisfaction.

Currently, when employees transition jobs, their PF accounts are transferred to the new employer’s PF office using Form 13 online. Upon transfer, a Transfer Certificate (Annexure K) is generated by the prior PF office and forwarded to the new PF office. Previously, Annexure K was exclusively shared between PF offices and was accessible to members only upon request.

"A reform has been implemented that now allows members to directly download Annexure K in PDF format from the Member Portal. This enhancement will enable members to monitor the status of their transfer applications online, ensuring complete transparency and allowing easy verification of their PF transfers. This will ensure that the PF balance and service period are accurately updated in the new account, fostering ease of living, transparency, and trust in EPFO processes," the government stated.

This feature will also enable members to maintain a permanent digital record for future reference, which is crucial for calculating EPS benefits.

At present, accessing any EPFO services such as PF transfers, settlements, advances, and refunds necessitates approvals from higher-level officials (RPFC/Officer-in-Charge). This layered approval process has frequently resulted in delays and extended processing times for members’ claims.

The scope of this reform encompasses PF transfers and settlements, advances and past accumulations, refunds, cheque/ECS/NEFT returns, and interest adjustments.

This will yield numerous advantages for users, including quicker claim settlements and reduced processing times, simplified approval layers for smoother service delivery, enhanced accountability at the field office level, and increased transparency and member satisfaction through faster, seamless services.