EPFO restores passbook portal ahead of 8.25% interest credit

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has reopened its Passbook portal after a two‑week shutdown for a major database consolidation, software upgrade and the Centralised IT‑Enabled Services (CITES) project. Members can now log in to view their provident‑fund statements; recent‑year transactions are visible immediately, while records from earlier years are being migrated and will appear within a few days.

The restoration comes just before the scheduled credit of an 8.25% annual interest rate for FY 2025‑26, which EPFO plans to begin depositing into accounts from July 15. The portal also introduces a new process for Universal Account Number (UAN) activation: web‑based activation via the Unified Member Portal has been discontinued, and members must now use the UMANG mobile app with Aadhaar‑based face‑authentication technology.

Alongside the technical upgrades, the newly notified EPF Scheme 2026 sets a minimum balance of 25% of an account’s eligible amount before any partial withdrawal and outlines three simplified withdrawal categories. The CITES project centralises all EPFO member records on a single national database, enabling faster claim processing, electronic fund transfers and reduced need for physical office visits.