The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation on Tuesday said Aadhaar was no longer compulsory for withdrawal claims under the Employees Pension Scheme, PTI reported. This comes months after the retirement fund body had made it mandatory for employees to submit Aadhaar details by March 31.

However, members submitting claims for fixing pensions using form 10D will still be required to submit their Aadhaar numbers. Members with less than 10 years of service can submit a full and final settlement claim through form 10C to withdraw their accumulated amount. “The requirement of submitting the Aadhaar number under Form 10C claims led to issues in settlement of withdrawal cases,” an official told PTI.

While form 10D is used by those who are withdrawing their pension after retirement, form 10C is used to withdraw the amount before 10 years of service are completed.

Earlier in January, the EPFO had made it mandatory for its four crore subscribers and around 50 lakh pensioners to submit their Aadhaar numbers. The deadline was extended from February 28 to March 31.

While the Centre puts 1.16% of an employee’s basic salary towards the scheme, the employer contributes 8.33% of the employee’s salary. In total, the Centre gives Rs 850 crore every year as annual budgetary support to the scheme. Currently, the minimum pension under EPS is Rs 1,000 a month and an employee can receive the amount only after a minimum of 10 years of service.