EPFO claim delays flagged by officers’ body: IT staff shortage, pending PF claims among key concerns

An association representing officers of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has written to Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, raising concerns over delays in provident fund claim settlements, shortage of IT personnel and staffing gaps, while seeking policy intervention to improve the functioning of the retirement fund body.

According to a letter dated August 3, 2026, as reported by ET, the EPF Officers’ Association said lakhs of auto-processed claims have remained pending for over 20 days despite the EPFO’s push to digitise claim settlement through its newly launched Centralized IT Enabled System (CITES).

The association said CITES was expected to enable most EPF claims to be processed automatically within two to three days. Instead, it alleged that a large number of claims have remained stuck without any explanation being provided either to field offices or subscribers.

It also claimed that frontline EPFO officials have been left to handle growing member grievances on grievance portals, social media and in-person interactions, while public messaging has continued to suggest that claims are being settled within two days. These are allegations made by the officers’ association and there has been no official response from the EPFO or the Labour Ministry so far.

The association further said the CITES project, awarded to the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in January 2023 with a 10-month implementation timeline, has faced significant delays and has only been rolled out partially since July 2026, according to the letter.

Staff shortages, pension reforms among key concerns

Apart from claim delays, the officers’ body flagged what it described as chronic manpower shortages within the EPFO. It claimed there has been no direct recruitment to the Information Services Division (ISD) since 2004 and that the organisation has been unable to appoint a full-time Chief Technology Officer for the past three years.

The association also said staffing norms remain based on sanctioned strength fixed in March 2008, even though subscriber volumes and digital workloads have grown significantly over the years. It argued that metro offices, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Gurugram, are operating under considerable strain because staffing levels have not kept pace with demand.

The letter also called for reforms to the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS), arguing that declining interest rates have made the existing pension structure financially difficult to sustain. It suggested revisiting withdrawal rules, drawing comparisons with the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), where withdrawals are more tightly regulated to preserve retirement savings.

In addition, the association urged the government to review the practice of appointing officers from outside the EPFO to senior leadership positions, arguing that the organisation would benefit from greater domain expertise at the policy-making level.

The EPFO has, in recent months, been rolling out several technology-driven initiatives aimed at improving service delivery, including the implementation of the EPF Scheme, 2026 and CITES-based digital processes. The organisation has also acknowledged temporary service disruptions during technical upgrades and said it is working to provide seamless services to members.