The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has issued 1,49,806 pension payment orders for higher contributions to retired applicants in line following the November 2022 Supreme Court order, PTI reported.
This was shared by Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State (MoS) for the Ministry of Labour and Employment, in a written reply to this week. The orders come following the apex court’s direction to the Centre to facilitate higher contribution to the pension scheme as per their actual wage so that members can get higher benefit.
‘Consider enhancing minimum pension benefits’
A day later, BJP Rajya Sabha member K Laxman asked the Centre to also consider enhancing minimum pension benefits through a special mention in the house, PTI reported. He stated that “statutory minimum pension remains ₹1,000 while the cost of food, medicines and healthcare has increased substantially over the years”.
Seeking to draw the government’s attention to the issue of “millions of retired workers across the country”, Laxman said there is a need to strengthen social security under .
He noted that workers’ unions have represented that the minimum pension may be enhanced linked to inflation through an appropriate mechanism and suggested that affordable healthcare support for pensioners and spouses also be considered.
EPFO: Pension scheme disbursal in numbers
- The ministry received 15,24,365 claims under contribution for higher for higher pension, as per the MoS. Of which, 11,595 were pending till 5 August.
- As of 31 March, the total number of pensioners under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) is 85,84,604; and total disbursed under EPS till 31 March is ₹15,819.28 crore.
- The minister informed the House that the EPS 1995 has been superseded by EPS 2026. “The government is committed to ensuring robust social security coverage to members of schemes while taking into consideration the sustainability of the fund and the future liabilities thereon,” she added.
- The government is providing a minimum pension of ₹1,000 per month to the pensioners under the EPS 1995. For this, 1.16% of wages is provided annually towards EPS to the EPFO by the Centre. For the contribution, employers provide 8.33% of wages up to ₹15,000 per month.
- All under the scheme are paid out of such accumulations. The fund is valued annually as mandated under paragraph 32 of EPS, 1995, she added.
How EPFO members can track claims — Umang app
- Download the Umang app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
- Register on the app with your -linked mobile number and set a 4-digit M-PIN (remember this for future login).
- After signing in, search for EPFO under the “All Services” section and on the main service page, tap on “Employee Centric Services”.
- Select the option labelled “Track Claim” (sometimes listed under “General Services” as “ Status”).
- Input your 12-digit Universal Account Number (UAN) and click Get OTP.
- Enter the OTP sent to your registered mobile number and click Login or Submit.
- Your screen will display all claims made under that UAN. Click on a specific Claim ID to see detailed information, including the Tracking ID, Claim Type, and current Claim Status.
Track EPF claim — Using portal
- Log in to the portal — unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface.
- Click Online Services in the top navigation bar and select Track Claim Status.
- Your ID, Form Type, and current status will appear.
Track EPF claim — SMS
To check claim via , send a message from your registered mobile number (linked with UAN) to 7738299899 in the following format:
- EPFOHO (space) UAN (space) Language code
- Example — EPFOHO 123456789012 BEN
The language codes are ENG (English), HIN (Hindi), PAN (Punjabi), GUJ (Gujarati), MAR (Marathi), KAN (Kannada), TEL (Telegu), TAM (Tamil), MAL (Malayalam), BEN (Bengali).
You will receive an automated reply with your or account balance information.
Track claim — Missed call, toll-free call
- Give a from your registered mobile number to 9966044425 to receive an automated reply with claim status or account details.
- Or call the EPFO’s toll-free number: 1800 118 005 or 1800 114 470 and ask for the status.
- EPFO has issued over 149,000 pension payment orders for higher contributions.
- Members can track their pension claims via SMS, apps, and online portals.
- There’s a growing call for enhancing the statutory minimum pension to reflect rising living costs.