10 FAQs ON RECENT CHANGES IN EPF WITHDRAWAL RULES

The Central Board of Trustees (CBT) of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has eased partial withdrawal rules for subscribers in October 2025.

- Versha Jain

As of March 31, 2024, EPFO had around 325 million active accounts, with approximately 74 million contributing members in 2023-24. While the deposits in EPF are automated, withdrawals are restricted to specific purposes. Partial withdrawals (advances) are permitted during service, and full corpus withdrawal after retirement or under certain other specified conditions.

Although CBT has approved the changes in the withdrawal rules, there is no notification yet about the effective date for implementation. Meanwhile, subscribers are confused about these new rules. Here are clarifications for 10 frequently asked questions (FAQs).

1 What are the new limits and conditions for partial withdrawals?

Under the new rules, up to 75 per cent of the accumulated corpus in your EPF can be withdrawn after completing a minimum of 12 months of service. To streamline the withdrawal framework, the categories for partial withdrawals have been reduced from 13 to three.

2 What are the three new categories under which partial withdrawal is allowed?

The three categories are “Essential Needs” (illness, education, and wedding), “Housing Needs”, and “Special Circumstances”.

3 What components make up the 75 per cent amount that is eligible for partial withdrawal?