EPS 1995 progress: EPFO clears 99% of applications for higher pensions; fund supports minimum pension of Rs 1,000
Minister of state for labour & employment Shobha Karandlaje, in a written reply to Lok Sabha, said the EPFO has acted to implement directions issued in the Supreme Court judgment of November 4, 2022, within a stipulated time frame.An online facility allowed pensioners and members to submit applications for validation of joint options.
A total of 17.49 lakh applications were successfully submitted by the deadline of July 11, 2023, out of which around 15.24 lakh were forwarded by employers to EPFO by January 31, 2025, she added, as reported by PTI.As of November 24, 2025, nearly all applications received by EPFO have been disposed of, Karandlaje informed the House.
She said 4,27,308 demand letters were issued, with 34,060 cases later found ineligible, mainly due to non-remittance of the demand amount.Of the applicants who complied, around 2,33,303 have deposited the demand amount or given consent.
Among them, 96,274 are still in service while 1,37,029 have already retired.
For the retired, Pension Payment Orders (PPOs) have been issued to roughly 1,24,457 applicants, with 12,572 PPOs under finalization.Karandlaje highlighted the fairness of the scheme, noting that the pro-rata calculation under Para 12 of the EPS treats both pensioners under the wage ceiling and those with higher salaries equitably.
“The Supreme Court also did not find the same ultra-vires,” she said.The EPS 1995 is a ‘Defined Contribution-Defined Benefit’ social security plan.
The Employees’ Pension Fund corpus is made up of contributions by employers at 8.33 per cent of wages and by the central government at 1.16 per cent of wages, up to Rs 15,000 per month.
All benefits under the scheme are paid from these accumulations, which are valued annually.
The March 31, 2019, valuation showed an actuarial deficit.To support pensioners, the government provides a minimum monthly pension of Rs 1,000, in addition to the annual budgetary contribution of 1.16 per cent of wages.Reaffirming the government’s commitment, Karandlaje said, “The Government of India is committed to ensure maximum benefits for workers under the EPS-95 scheme, duly taking into consideration the health of the respective funds as well as the future liabilities thereon.”
