Good news for thousands of EPFO members. On Monday, the government announced that the Employees’ Provident Fund of India (EPFO) has processed 21,885 pension payment orders for those eligible for a higher pension. They also urged 1.65 lakh eligible members to contribute an additional amount to qualify for this increased pension.
Shobha Karandlaje, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, shared this update in the Lok Sabha during a Q&A session. She mentioned that pensioners have submitted a whopping 17,48,768 applications to receive a higher pension under the Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995.
According to the minister, out of those 17.48 lakh applications, demand notices were sent to 1,65,621 members, informing them to deposit the remaining amount needed for higher pension eligibility by January 28, 2025. So far, 21,885 pension payment orders have been issued.
She also noted that the progress of pending cases is being closely monitored, with local authorities instructed to speed up the process. This initiative follows a Supreme Court order from November 4, 2022.
To check the status of your EPFO higher pension application, you can do it online through the unified member portal by following these steps:
1. Go to the EPFO unified member portal.
2. Click on ‘Track application status for pension on higher wages’.
3. On the next page, select ‘Click here’ under the same section.
4. Enter your application acknowledgement number, UAN number, or PPO number.
5. Complete the captcha, check the consent box, and click ‘Get OTP’.
6. Input the OTP you received and click ‘Get status’. Your application status will then appear on the screen.