New Delhi, July 5 -- A secure, long term investment tool, the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) allows members to withdraw full or partial funds under specific conditions. While partial withdrawal is permitted even before retirement, final settlement is approved only after you leave employment.

Online claims with full KYC take 3-7 working days. Approval can take 7-15 working days and auto-mode eligible claims take 72 hours. And offline physical claims submitted to EPFO office can take up to 20 working days. You will receive SMS alerts at every stage (claim submitted, approved, disbursed).

Partial withdrawals are allowed for certain reasons as long as minimum balance is maintained. The reasons include i.e. medical treatment, education, mar...