EPFO: How to apply for a higher pension under the EPS scheme

Today is the last date to apply for a pension on a higher salary. However, there is still a lot of ambiguity about applying for and receiving a higher pension. Aarti Raote, Partner at Deloitte India, says: “The deadline for applying for a higher Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) pension will end today. Despite several circulars and notifications from the PF office, the employers and employees have several open questions. Both are currently facing challenges in collating information; hence, many wish they had more time to think and verify the details provided. However, given that the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has not still come up with any press release on the extension, it looks unlikely.” 

Meanwhile, let’s look at how one can apply for a pension on a higher salary. 

Step 1: Employees seeking to apply for a higher pension must visit the EPFO Unified Member portal and click on the option 'Pension on Higher Salary. It would help if you visited Member E-Swea portal at https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/. There is an option for "Pension on a Higher salary”. Click on it. 

Step 2: Fill in the details and submit the form. Exercise the online application to validate Joint Option', and fill in the requisite details. 

Step 3: You need to fill in the required details. It will help if you keep your UAN number with you. Fill in your Name, DOB, Aadhaar, mobile number and captcha and get the Aadhar-linked authorisation pin. You will then receive an OTP on your Aadhaar-linked mobile number, which you must submit for validation. 

Step 4: Once you validate yourself, you will be directed to the third level, where you must submit all personal and PF-related details. The page is generally auto-filled, following data available with EPFO. However, if you have worked with multiple employers, all EPF accounts might not be mentioned, as digitalisation in EPFO only happened a few years ago. So, you have to manually enter all the PF details if the information is provided. 

Vaibhav Bhardwaj, Partner at INDUSLAW, says, “Certain documents also need to be submitted, including but not limited to proof of joint option and proof of remittance in the provident fund and pension fund on higher wages exceeding the wage ceiling. An application for exercising a fresh joint option can also be submitted in a similar manner by clicking on the option 'Pension on Higher Salary: Exercise of Joint Option under para 11(3) and para 11(4) of EPS-1995 on or before June 26th 2023'. While pensioners in the past have experienced technical issues on the online portal and slow processing of applications, a major hurdle some pensioners face is the requirement to provide information about past wage details in case their employers are no longer in existence. It remains to be seen if the EPFO will issue any clarifications in this regard.” 

Step 5: An acknowledgement number will be generated after applying, which will be needed for future correspondence.  

Step 6: After submission of the application, the field officer will review the applications separately. If all requirements are ok, the employers' wage details will be cross-checked with data from the field offices. However, if the details match, the dues will be calculated, and APFC/RPFC-II/RPFC-I will issue an order to transfer/deposit the dues. If there is a discrepancy, the employer and employee/pensioner will be informed and given one month to provide the necessary information. Suppose the employer does not approve the submitted application form/joint option. In that case, they will be given a month's time to provide additional proof or correct any errors before the form is rejected. 

Adding to this, Kriti Kaushik, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co., said, “Given the uncertainties on the application process and the piecemeal clarifications, one can expect the PF authority to issue a consolidated notification that sets out the stepwise process for pensioners in simplified terms. There should also be some alternative for applying where employers have ceased operations. In many cases where validation of joint options is required, pensioners face technical difficulties in filling up relevant details in the online form. There also needs to be a modus operandi for cases where complete records are not available with employers or where contributions have erroneously been made into more than one account in the past. These are some critical issues that the EPFO must address before closing the application process completely.”