22,000 EPFO members get higher pension: How to track your application

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has asked 165,000 eligible members to deposit additional amounts to get higher pensions, the government told Parliament on Monday.

 

Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State for Labour & Employment, said 17,48,768 applications were submitted by EPFO members and pensioners seeking higher pension benefits under the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS), 1995. The scheme allows members to receive a higher pension by contributing a greater amount during their service tenure.

 

As of January 28, EPFO has issued demand notices in 1,65,621 cases, informing members about the balance amounts required for higher pension eligibility. Meanwhile, 21,885 pension payment orders have been processed and issued.

 

Karandlaje said that the resolution of pending cases is being closely monitored. Clarifications have been provided to field offices to expedite the processing of applications. The pension on higher wages is being administered based on the Supreme Court's decision dated November 4, 2022.

 

To facilitate the process, EPFO introduced an online system for filing validation and joint option applications. This facility was made available to members, pensioners, and employers on February 26, 2023, with the deadline extended multiple times: First until July 11, 2023, then for employers to submit joint applications until September 30, 2023, and further until May 31, 2024.

 

As many as 1.749 million applications were received by July 11, 2023. In a final extension, employers were given a last opportunity to forward applications for pensions on higher wages by January 31, 2025.

 

How to track EPFO higher pension application status?

 

Visit the EPFO unified member portal.

 

Click on ‘track application status for pension on higher wages’.

 

On the next page, select ‘click here’ under the same tab.

 

Choose and enter either your application acknowledgement number, UAN number, or PPO number.

 

Fill in the captcha code, tick the consent box, and click on ‘get OTP’.

 

Enter the received OTP and click ‘get status’. Your application status will then be displayed on the screen.