🏦 EPFO Pension Update

Pension Blow: EPFO Rejects 11 Lakh Higher Pension Claims, Only 4 Lakh Get Green Light (Source- Times Now Digital, dated 30/7/2025)

📌 What is EPFO?

EPFO stands for Employees' Provident Fund Organisation. It is a government group that helps workers save money for their retirement. Every month, a small part of your salary goes into your Provident Fund (PF). When you retire, this money helps you live a better life.

💰 What is Higher Pension?

Higher pension means getting more money every month after retirement. But to get a higher pension, the money should be counted based on your real salary, not on a fixed limited amount (which was ₹15,000 per month earlier).

Many employees said, “We want our pension to be based on what we really earned, not the small limit.” That’s why they applied for a higher pension.

⚖️ What Did the Supreme Court Say?

In November 2022, the Supreme Court (India’s top court) said something very important:

“If you were a member of EPF before September 1, 2014, and you continued working or retired after that — you can apply for a higher pension based on your actual salary.”

This was good news for many people!

📋 What Happened Next?

After the court’s order, lakhs of people (15.24 lakh to be exact) sent their forms to EPFO saying:

“Please give us a higher pension.”

As of July 16, 2025, the government has shared some big updates:

✅ 98.5% of the total applications have been looked at.✅ 4 lakh applications were accepted.❌ But sadly, 11 lakh applications were rejected.

This means most people did not get approval for higher pension.

😟 Why Were So Many Applications Rejected?

Minister Shobha Karandlaje, who works in the Labour and Employment Ministry, said:

“We checked all applications carefully, following the Supreme Court’s rules.”

Still, many were rejected — and in some places, like Chennai and Puducherry, the rejection rate was very high.

📍 In that region:📝 72,040 people applied❌ 63,026 were rejected!That’s almost 9 out of 10 people being told "No."

People in those places are now worried. They want to know why their forms were rejected, but the government hasn't shared full details yet.

📤 What Has Been Done So Far?

Here’s what EPFO has done:

✉️ 4,00,573 people got letters saying their higher pension is accepted.🕵️‍♀️ 21,995 applications are still being checked.

But for others who got rejected, it’s still confusing. The government has not explained clearly why so many were denied or what will happen next.

🧓 Why Does This Matter?

Pension is like your pocket money after you retire. You worked hard all your life — so it's only fair to get the right amount of money. This is why so many people are upset.

✅ In Short (For Busy Readers)

• EPFO got 15.24 lakh requests for higher pension.

• So far, 98.5% checked.

• Only 4 lakh approved.

• More than 11 lakh rejected!

• Chennai-Puducherry had very high rejections.

• Supreme Court had allowed higher pension for workers before Sept 1, 2014.

• Government hasn’t yet explained all the rejections.

💬 Final Thoughts

This is a big topic for many retired and working people. Everyone wants clarity, fairness, and peace of mind. If you or someone in your family applied for a higher pension, stay updated and talk to a trusted advisor if needed.

If you have questions or want help understanding your pension options, I’m here to support you.

👉 Gagan Singh Lakhanatia Financial Advisor📩 7973915519, licgaganptk@gmail.com