More than 30.9 lakh inactive EPF accounts held ₹9,330 crore as of March 31, 2026, according to official data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) application. As reported by India Today, the figures show a marginal improvement from the previous financial year, when there were 31.83 lakh inoperative EPF accounts with an unclaimed balance of around ₹10,181 crore as of March 31, 2025. During FY26, the number of inactive accounts declined by nearly 92,000, while the unclaimed corpus fell by about ₹851 crore. However, the RTI data obtained through India Today reveals that nearly 31 lakh dormant accounts and thousands of crores in retirement savings remain unclaimed, indicating that while progress is being made, the challenge of recovering unclaimed retirement savings continues to persist.
The Centre has notified the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) Scheme, 2026, replacing the EPF Scheme, 1952, in a move aimed at simplifying provident fund rules and digitising services for nearly eight crore active subscribers. According to India Today, the new scheme was notified during the current financial year, signaling the government's push towards a more streamlined and digital provident fund system. However, the RTI data highlights that recovering unclaimed retirement savings remains a significant challenge despite the modernisation efforts. The notification of the EPF Scheme, 2026 signals the government's commitment to improving the provident fund system, but the unclaimed balance underscores the need for greater awareness and easier claim settlement processes for employees who have changed jobs multiple times.
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) shared limited information with the RTI applicant, stating that the Inoperative Accounts Cell (IAC) was established during 2025-26 and that earlier information is not maintained by the cell. As reported by India Today, the EPFO declined to disclose details on the number of inactive EPF accounts linked with Aadhaar, the amount lying in those accounts and the status of auto-settlement, citing provisions of the RTI Act that exempt information held by a public authority in a fiduciary relationship. The organisation also stated it does not maintain separate data on inoperative EPF accounts with balances exceeding ₹5 lakh. The RTI application sought year-wise data on inoperative EPF accounts for the previous five financial years to understand whether the problem has been growing over time, but the EPFO could provide information only for FY25 and FY26.
The RTI data highlights that recovering unclaimed retirement savings remains a significant challenge despite the new scheme's implementation. According to India Today, the figures suggest that while the number of inactive accounts is gradually declining, a substantial amount of employees' retirement corpus continues to remain locked in dormant EPF accounts. The notification of the EPF Scheme, 2026 signals the government's push towards a more streamlined and digital provident fund system, but the unclaimed balance underscores the need for greater awareness and easier claim settlement processes for employees who have changed jobs multiple times. For employees who have changed jobs multiple times, ensuring that previous PF accounts are linked, transferred and regularly monitored remains an important step in safeguarding long-term retirement savings.
