EPFO Chandigarh office settles 14,158 cases for higher pension benefits

The Chandigarh regional office of Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has settled 14,158 cases of employees, declaring them eligible for pension on higher wages in light of a recent Supreme Court judgment. The EPFO local office received applications from 24,250 employees working in different establishments covered under the Chandigarh regional office, who were members of Employee Pension Scheme (EPS).

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Out of the total applications, 19,367 were in the format of joint options, concerning those who continued to be in service after September 1, 2014. According to an official from the local EPFO office, “These many applicants were amongst the highest in the country.” To handle the large number of applicants and examine the records thoroughly, the regional office worked in mission mode, even beyond office hours and on public holidays.

The official stated that during the last fortnight of the financial year 2024-25, 14,158 joint option applicants were deemed eligible for pension on higher wages following the Supreme Court judgment. Demand letters were sent to these employees by March 31, calculating the lump sum arrears' contributions along with interest, allowing them three months to remit the contributions. Notably, the demand letters issued accounted for over 73 per cent of the joint option applications received, the highest percentage in the country and the third-highest in absolute numbers.

Many members have now deposited the amounts against the demand letters. The regional office is working to finalise pension payment orders (PPOs) and arrear payments to all such pensioners by June 30. Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, Chandigarh, Kishan Pratap Singh, has requested EPS members to wait until the first week of July for updates, given the high volume of inquiries.

During the financial year 2024-25, the local office settled 6,97,372 claims, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 37.73% compared to 5,06,325 claims settled in 2023-24. The return/rejection rate decreased to 20.18% in 2024-25 from 27.22% in 2023-24. Additionally, the total number of grievances received during 2024-25 was 14,797, down from 16,835 in 2023-24, with grievances per lakh claim settlements reducing from 3,325 to 2,139.