Navigating Family Pension Claims: How Can My Father Access His Benefits After 11 Years?

Dear All, My father left his job 11 years ago, and he received his PF amount. Now, he is a businessman and wants to claim Family Pension. He is 54 years old. Does he have to fill Form 10C and apply to avail pension from his previous employer, or is there a different procedure for availing pension? How long does it take to start receiving the pension amount?

Regards,
Ashish
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

First, you should check whether he has claimed all the accumulations in EPF and EPS. If he retired during 2000, he must have contributed to EPS since November 1995. If he has not claimed and opts for a Scheme Certificate (for both EPF and EPS), he is now eligible for a reduced pension. Please check the documents available with you and get back to me.

Regards,
S. Sethupathy
Excellent HR Services
Erode-1

He retired in 1999 and contributed to EPF until that time. He has claimed his PF but not his pension amount. Thus, what is he required to do to claim his pension at a reduced rate?

Regards,
Ashish

Your father can use Form 10D, along with the required documents. I am enclosing the Form 10D.

Regards,
S. Sethupathy, Erode.

Thank you for your support, but I knew that Form 10D is required for persons who have passed away or for claiming a pension. Kindly clarify.

Regards,
Ashish

Dear Ashish Ji, Please follow the guidance of Shri S. Sethupathy Ji. Use Form 10-D only.

Pension Options Inquiry

I also request the seniors to please tell us which one is more beneficial: reduced pension (eligible from any date now) or superannuation pension (eligible after completion of 58 years of age), in your father's case.

Dear Shyam Agrawal, the early pension or reduced pension will start only after the age of 50. The pension amount will be reduced by 4% progressively for every year short of 58 years of age. It is advisable to opt for a superannuated pension rather than a reduced pension. You can try this website for the calculation of pension and reduced pension:

[Calculate your pension and Withdrawal Benefit](http://www.epfkerala.in/calcpenwb.html)

Regards,
S. Sethupathy, Excellent HR Services, Erode.

Dear Sethupathy, can you let me know if I have contributed to PF for 3 years? I am leaving this company and moving forward. In my new company, they don't have PF. What do you suggest I do to withdraw the total EPF? Can I benefit from a pension after I turn 50 or 58 years old as in the above case?

Thanks,
Shiv

You can withdraw your EPF account fully and opt for a Scheme Certificate for the EPS amount. In later years, if you join a company where PF is in operation, you can surrender your Scheme Certificate and serve for an additional 7 years to be eligible for a pension.

Regards,
S. Sethupathy, Erode.

What is the procedure for opting for a scheme certificate in EPS (EPF)? What is the minimum number of years of service that an employee needs to put in to opt for a scheme certificate?

Regards,
Nevil Diaz J V

You can opt for either withdrawal (for less than 9.5 years of service) or for a Scheme certificate while applying through Form 10C. Once you have contributed for 10 years, you have no option to withdraw the EPS accumulations. You are required to put in at least 6 months of service before applying for withdrawal or a Scheme Certificate.

Regards,
S. Sethupathy, Erode.

Hi, I too have a question regarding EPF. I worked in a company in Chennai for 10 months and another company in Bangalore for 13 months. I have applied for and collected my PF amount from ESI after resignation. Currently, I am working in GCC.

Eligibility for Pension

My question is, am I eligible for a pension under prevailing laws since I contributed for 20 months in two different states? Can anyone clarify this, please?

A minimum of 10 years of service is required for EPS pension. The Scheme Certificate serves as a bridge to cover any gaps in the years of service, ultimately leading to the completion of 10 years. Once you have completed 10 years of service as a member of EPS, you will become eligible for a pension.

I hope this clarifies the process.

Regards,
S. Sethupathy
Erode.

Eligibility for Pension Under EPS

Pension is admissible only if one completes 10 years of contributing service under EPS, including service rendered under EFPS 1971 (which may be in parts).

Mr. Ashish has not mentioned the length of the contributory period (length of service period).

Clarification on Pension Claim Process

Mr. Sethupathy has amply clarified the provisions. Form 10-C is required for claiming a pension. It will be of no use to ask for a Scheme Certificate at this stage when no contribution is being paid.

Further Information

For further clarifications, please go through the website of EPFO.

Regards,
Chandok - Ex RPFC

I have applied for PF withdrawal earlier to claim the amount. Now, if I continue my service in India for 8 or more years to make a total of 10 years of service, only then will I be eligible to apply for a pension. Am I right?

Thank you to both Mr. Sethupathy and Mr. Ramachandra for responding with detailed explanations.

Dear Mr. Kamaraj,

You have indicated in your earlier post that you have withdrawn PF for 10 months and 13 months that you have worked. Since you had not completed 10 years here and also as your service was more than 6 months, probably, you must have also received the EPS amount along with the PF amount. Because at the time of submitting the PF claim form, I presume that you would have also submitted 10-C to claim EPS. I do not know if you are aware of this. So please check with your previous employers if the amount received by you includes EPS also and whether they got 10-C also signed from you. If it is so, then only the current experience of 8 years would be taken as pensionable service and earlier experience will not be counted.

The earlier experience would be counted only if you have submitted Form-13 with the current employer and have sought the transfer of EPS (though you have withdrawn PF from earlier companies) to the current account. So you have to first clarify whether you have opted for EPS withdrawal also or only PF and whether you have submitted Form-13 with the current employer if you have not withdrawn your EPS earlier and have sought transfer.

Also, you will be eligible for a pension only on completion of 10 years of pensionable service and that too only after attaining the age of 50 and leaving the job.

Hope the matter is clear.

Regards,
K. Ramachandra
Bangalore