The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has established a national task force and a dedicated IBC cell to recover over ₹21,000 crore in pending provident fund (PF) dues from companies, sources told Moneycontrol.
Task Force Focus
The newly formed task force will monitor high-value cases, specifically those with PF dues exceeding ₹1 crore. Officials said the panel will recommend actions for recovery and meet monthly to submit progress reports.
Additionally, a special IBC cell has been created to track PF dues from companies undergoing liquidation under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016. A digital dashboard of IBC cases has been developed to monitor companies in liquidation on a daily basis. EPFO is also working on a dedicated digital portal to track all arrears and recovery progress.
Pending Dues Categorisation
EPFO has divided pending dues into two categories:
- Immediately Realizable (IR): ₹2,980 crore
- Non-Immediately Realizable (Non-IR): over ₹18,500 crore
Details of major defaulters remain confidential.
Recovery Mechanisms
Field officers at zonal and national levels have been tasked with conducting recovery drives and regularly monitoring progress. Experts said the task force will enhance coordination, streamline follow-ups, and speed up recovery in cases of large defaults.
“Recovery can be pursued through attachment and sale of employer assets, garnishee orders, or claims filed with resolution professionals or liquidators in insolvency cases,” said Aditya Bhattacharya, Partner at King Stubb & Kasiva.
Adil Ladha, Partner at Saraf & Partners, added, “A structured, centralised monitoring mechanism will strengthen EPFO’s recovery efforts and help ensure employees’ social security entitlements are protected, even in complex insolvency scenarios.”
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