3 days ago
EPFO office leads country in processing higher pension claims under SC order
The Regional Office of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Chandigarh, has emerged among the top-performing zones in the country in finalising pension-on-higher-wages cases following the Supreme Court's November 4, 2022 judgment.
The apex court had opened a window for eligible employees and their employers to jointly apply for higher pensions under the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS), 1995, on wages exceeding the ceiling limit of ₹15,000, provided contributions were made accordingly, and the employee was in service as on or after September 1, 2014.
Following the judgment, the Chandigarh EPFO received a total of 24,250 applications from EPS members, including 19,367 joint option submissions by those still in service after the cut-off date. These were among the highest in the country.
To meet the exceptional volume of applications, the regional office worked in a 'mission mode' — beyond office hours and through weekends—- particularly during the last fortnight of the 2024–25 financial year. As a result, 14,158 joint-option applications were processed and approved for higher pension eligibility.
Demand letters outlining the lump-sum arrears and interest payable were dispatched by March 31, 2025, with a three-month window for remittance. This accounted for more than 73% of the joint-option applications — ranking the regional office first in the country in percentage terms and third in absolute numbers.
EPFO officials said many members have already begun depositing the due amounts, and the office is now in full gear to finalise Pension Payment Orders (PPOs) and disburse arrears by June 30, 2025.
Given the high footfall of members seeking status updates, Regional PF Commissioner Dr Kishan Pratap Singh has urged beneficiaries to wait until the first week of July to allow staff to complete the processing efficiently on a first-come, first-served basis.
Major gains in claims settlement
Dr Singh also highlighted the office's strong overall performance in FY 2024–25. A total of 6,97,372 claims were settled, marking a 37.73% jump from 5,06,325 claims the previous year.
Improvements in turnaround time were equally significant. While 91.55% of claims were settled within 10 days in 2024–25, only 77.72% had met that benchmark in 2023–24. Similarly, 99.41% of claims were cleared within 20 days this year, up from 96.86% last year.
The claims rejection or return rate also fell to 20.18%, compared to 27.22% in the previous fiscal. This efficiency gain translated into fewer grievances. Complaints dropped from 16,835 in FY 2023–24 to 14,797 in FY 2024–25. In terms of volume, grievances per lakh claims settled fell by 35.6%—from 3,325 to 2, Singh said with the one-time processing of higher wage pension claims nearing completion, subscribers can now expect even faster service delivery and redressal going forward. He said the performance reaffirms EPFO's commitment to improving ease of access, employer facilitation, and overall user satisfaction.
