The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on Wednesday extended the time for employers for uploading and submitting the joint options of employees to claim higher pension with their wage details online till May 31. This is the fifth extension for the process, which was initiated to implement the Supreme Court verdict on the matter delivered on November 4, 2022. The decision was taken by Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav, the Union Labour Ministry said in a release.
A senior EPFO officer told The Hindu that the extension would not impact the distribution of higher pension. The officer said the disbursement had already started wherever the retired subscribers had deposited the demand amount calculated by the EPFO based on their higher wages.
The EPFO had started an online facility for submitting applications for validation of option and joint options for pension on higher wages on February 26, 2023 till May 3, 2023. The limit was extended to June 26, 2023 and later 15 days were further given to remove any difficulty faced by the eligible pensioners and members. “About 17.49 lakh applications for validation of option / joint options have been received from pensioners / members till July 11, 2023,” the Ministry said, adding that more than 3.6 lakh joint options were still pending with the employers for processing.
Also read | One year after Supreme Court verdict, EPFO releases FAQs for implementing higher pension
Employees and Employers’ associations had sought extension of period for uploading wage details of applicant pensioners / members. The employers were given further period of three months to submit wage details etc. online latest by September 30, 2023. “This time was further extended till December 31, 2023 because many representations were received from employees and employers’ associations wherein requests were made to extend further time period for uploading wage details of applicant pensioners / members,” the Ministry said, justifying the decision to give yet another extension.
