Understanding the Latest EPFO Circular on Full Salary Pension: What Does It Mean for You?

Dear friends,

Kindly see the new EPFO circular on the above subject.

Abbas P.S,
ITI Ltd.,
PALAKKAD - 678 623.

EPF circular on pension for full salary 23.3.17. Can anybody give me the formula for pension calculation in the light of the above circular? Please also advise on the calculation for depositing the amount to receive the revised pension.

Dear PURANIK KRISHNA,

The formula for pension calculation is pensionable service x pensionable salary / 70. The deposit may vary depending on the variation in salary and interest rate for your total service period. It is recommended to contact your Sub Regional PF Office for further information.

Abbas.P.S

Whether it is applicable for early pension taken by a member at the age of 55 years.

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Thank you for submitting your query.

Dear Anil Chander,

The above provision to contribute to the pension fund on the full salary is applicable for reduced pensioners as well. Kindly contact your PF Commissioner's Office.

Abbas. P. S

Hello, can anyone tell me how to calculate pensionable service? I joined the company in 1982. The scheme came into existence in 1995. I am due for retirement in September next year, i.e., 2018, after putting in 36.5 years of service.

As per EPF Pension Circular dated March 23, 2017, what will be the new pension, and who is eligible for this pension? Can anybody tell me?

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Dear Tendulkar,

For those who contributed to PF on full salary (i.e., in excess of the ceiling limit), they are eligible to contribute to the pension fund on their full salary. Those who have been relieved from service and have completed full settlement can also choose to remit the difference/arrears with interest.

The pensionable salary of those who contributed on their full salary will be calculated based on the actual salary. Consequently, the pension amount will be higher.

Abbas P.S.

Abbasji,

What about my request regarding my question posted yesterday about pensionable service?

Dear Tolani Chatru,

If you contribute to the ceiling limit, your service will be categorized into three periods: service up to 15.11.1995, 16.11.95 to 31.08.2014, and 01.09.2014 until completion of 58 years (or the date of relieving from service, whichever is earlier).

Abbas.P.S

For those employees who have not signed the option form for contributions beyond the limit of 6500/-, can they still get the benefit? Can they sign the option for transferring the amount from their PF fund to the pension scheme?

EPF Rate 13.16% W.E.F 01/04/2017

Break-up of the EPF contribution

12% of the employee’s salary goes towards the EPF.

Whereas the employer’s contribution is divided as below:

3.67% goes towards contribution for EPF

8.33% goes towards contribution for EPS

0.5% goes towards contribution for EDLI

0.65% goes towards contribution for EPF administration charges

0.01% goes towards contribution for EDLI administration charges

TOTAL CONTRIBUTION

12% (Employee) + 13.16% (Employer) = 25.16%

Dear Mr. Brij Mohan Singh,

Please note that from 01/04/2017, no sum is payable towards A/C #22, i.e., EDLI Administration Charges. From 01/04/2017, the total EPF contribution from the employer is 13.15%.

Dear All,

Can anyone suggest me on the following:
1. I retired in August 2011 and have not claimed my pension until June 2015. I received the amount for the pending period and pension regularly.
2. Can I claim a 4% per year hike in pension as per the latest orders?
3. Am I entitled to new enhancements as per the decision of the Supreme Court of India?

Please suggest.

Dear SKNIGA, please note that you have been receiving a pension with a retrospective date, i.e., from the date of retirement in August 2011. You applied belatedly for the pension in June 2015 and mentioned that you have already received arrears of the pension as well. The Supreme Court pension you are referring to has no relevance to your case. Members of EPS who are eligible for a pension can contribute to EPS for two years after attaining 58 years, or EPS members retired at 58 years can defer availing the pension by two years. Consequently, their pension amount will increase by 8.16%. Please peruse the attachment, which is self-explanatory.

Dear Abbas,

Subject: The New Circular on 31-05-17 Regarding the New Pension Scheme

What are the implications of the new circular on the New Pension Scheme issued on 31-05-2017? Almost all PSUs are managed by Trusts, and the PF is remitted to EPFO only.

Will the new pension scheme be applicable to such PSUs, especially for ITI Limited?

Regards,
Satheesh Kumar P.
09482087049

The latest circular dated May 31, 2017, states that a member whose contributions are managed by their organization's trust, known as an exempted trust, may not be eligible for a pension based on their full salary.

As per the new circular dated 31-05-2017 issued by EPFO, employees of exempted trusts are not eligible for full pension, although they have contributed to PF as per non-exempted trusts. Why this discrimination?

Dear friends,

EPFO's circular dated 31.05.2017 is an interim notification in compliance with the recommendation from the PEIC (Pension and EDLI Implementation Committee). The final decision has to be taken by the Central Board of Trustees (CBT).

Abbas P.S

When is the CBT meeting scheduled next? The decision regarding the implementation of the new pension scheme and remitting the due amount in respect of the new pension calculation can happen only after this meeting and decision then?

Pensionable service calculation in the new pension scheme

How is the pensionable service calculated in the new pension scheme? a) Before 1995 b) After 1995 & c) After 2014? How is the service calculated based on these factors? Is there an additional +2 score added to the service if the service is more than 20 years? Then the (Number of pensionable service / 70) gives you the factor for multiplication with your Basic Salary + DA. Is this correct?

Calculation of pension amount

The (Basic + DA) for arriving at the pension amount per month - How is this taken? Is it the average of the last five years or the average of the last one year?

EPF proposal for ESI Insurance

Has the EPF proposal for ESI Insurance been finalized?

Lump sum amount for EPF retirees

Is there a proposal to give a lump sum amount for the EPF retirees as a terminal benefit? What is the formula for this?

Regards, Satheesh Kumar.P

I am not aware of the next meeting date of CBT. EPFO will change the interim notification only if the CBT's decision is in favor of employees.

Service Categories

Generally, service will be divided into two categories:
a) Past service, i.e., service up to 15.11.95
b) Pensionable service w.e.f 16.11.95.

If the total service (including past service) is more than 20 years, a 2-year bonus/weightage will be added to pensionable service, provided the relieving from service is after the completion of 58 years of age. If the contribution is on the ceiling limit, pensionable service will be divided again as up to 31.8.14 (6500) & w.e.f 1.9.14.

(Rest of the queries may be addressed later)

Regards, Abbas.P.S

It is not understood on what basis the EPFO has not agreed to companies with exempted trusts, as it is clear that all three aspects have different statuses. The Provident Fund Trust might have obtained an exemption, but for Pension, it is not exempted, as most of the PSUs contribute to RPFC. The third aspect is on EDLI. If EDLI is exempted, then the employer can opt for alternative schemes. That is why most companies have their arrangements with LIC or other institutions.

I mean to say that PF Trust, Pension Fund, and EDLI all have different statuses. The individual exempted status can be viewed on the EPFO website. However, why one is linked to the other is not very clear. If someone can explain, it would be better.

Dear friends,

Exemption possibilities for PF, pension, and EDLI

Exemption is possible for all three cases, namely PF, pension, and EDLI. Currently, the EPFO is not ready to offer the full salary option on pensions, as it is significantly more expensive. Their circular dated 23.3.17 complies with the Supreme Court's direction to provide this facility to all. Now, I will address the point on which the EPFO is denying the provision, and the courts are countering the argument.

Even though there was a provision to contribute to EPS on full salary, EPS cannot receive arrears with retrospective effect. To this argument, courts state that there is no question of retrospective payment. Whether the deposit is in PF or EPS, it remains with the EPFO. Only a paper adjustment is needed to transfer the amount from PF to EPS. Now, the EPFO has observed that in the case of exempted trusts, the PF amount is not with the EPFO but with the concerned organizations. Accordingly, they feel that they are not obligated to obey the court order regarding exempted trusts.

Abbas P.S

Discrimination in PF Circulars

Subsequent to the circular dated 23/03/2017, another circular dated 31/05/2017 (attached) has been issued by the PF Organisation, causing glaring discrimination by differentiating between exempted and unexempted establishments in granting higher pensions, as per the circular dated 23/03/2017 issued based on the Honorable Supreme Court's order dated 4/10/2016.

Employees having a PF account and EPS account with the concerned RPFC will only be given the benefit of a higher pension, whereas employees with a PF account with trustees will not receive the benefit of the circular dated 23/03/2017. This appears to be unreasonable and uncalled for, as employees with a PF account with trustees, through no fault of their own, are being deprived of a benefit accrued based on the Honorable Supreme Court's order.

Dear Friends,

Please advise if opting for the full pension scheme is a good option, considering that we will be contributing 8.33% of Basic+DA, which will reduce our EPF corpus. Is this a better option? Also, kindly provide any estimated calculation sheets available.

Thank you.

My basic salary is 20860, and I have worked with the organization for up to 26 years. What will be my pension amount as per the new EPS formula?

Dear Mr. Abbas,

I joined ITI LTD as an AEE on 7th March 1983 and retired as DGM on 30th April 2014. I am receiving a pension of Rs. 2331 from May 2014. Am I eligible for an enhanced pension as per the EPO circular dated 23.3.2017? If so, what is the procedure, and how is the revised pension calculated?

Please inform me.

Thanks,
K. S. Manjunatha

Dear Manjunath Sir,

On 31.05.2017, EPFO issued another circular stating that the organizations having exempted PF trusts cannot opt for full salary. Hence, you may approach the court as we did.

Abbas.P.S

A new employee has joined our company, and he has worked for 10 years in his previous company. He has also withdrawn his P.F. and received the scheme certificate. Now, he wants to transfer the pension to his new P.F. member account. Is it possible to transfer the pension to the new P.F. account?

Regards,
Sunil Kumar

Dear Mr. Sunil,

Please ask the concerned employee to submit their original EPS Scheme Certificate to the present PF Office along with a covering letter providing details of their current PF/EPS Account Number and obtain an acknowledgement and preserve the same.

Upon joining the new establishment, the Scheme Certificate should be submitted/surrendered to the present PF Office for tagging it to the present EPS Account.

Thank you.

Dear Abbas Sir,

I started working on May 19, 2014, with a private organization that regularly contributes to my PF account. How can I avail the full salary Pension benefit? Is it applicable in my case?

Thank you.

I have completed my 58 years of service in December 2015. I have also applied for PF Pension and commenced my pension from January 2017. I have received arrears from December 2015 to December 2016. If I apply for revised pension as per the revised circular, by paying the difference of the amount from 15000/pm and 6500/pm = 8500/pm now along with interest charges, what is the procedure to apply and what will be the pension I will receive per month now.

Capt. M.V. Nagendra Rao

Supreme Court Ruling on Pension Enhancement

In connection with this thread, there is an Economic Times news item stating that the Supreme Court ruling allows a retiree to enhance their pension by paying arrears, resulting in an increase of 1200% from Rs. 2372 to Rs. 30592 per month. For more details, please visit https://m.economictimes.com under the caption "Can you also get a manifold hike in lifetime pension from EPFO? Find out."

In my view, existing members and retirees can substantially benefit from the recent move and the Apex court ruling. I have also posted a new thread requesting practicing professionals to shed light on this for the way forward.

Dear Abbas Sir, thank you very much for focusing on pension-related issues and educating the employees. Kindly clarify for me that EPFO does not consider Rs. 15,000/- for calculating pension for those who retire after 2015 onwards, as employees are contributing Rs. 15,000/- (Rs. 1,450/- per month) from 15 September 2014 onwards. According to the amendment notification, they have to calculate the 60-month average salary before the date of retirement. Could you please check the details below and provide clarification?

Mr. X
DOB - 15.06.1959, Date of Joining: 01.01.1986, Date of Exit: 14.06.2017 (superannuation)
Past service: (up to 15.11.95) = 9 years 10 months 15 days
Actual service: (after 15.11.95) = 21 years 7 months 0 days
Wages on 15.11.95 = 3500
Wages on the date of exit: 15000
Eligible Service: 31 years
Pensionable Service: 21 years 7 months 0 days
Pensionable Salary: 11,175/-
Weightage Service: 2

With the above details, could you please calculate and inform me of the monthly pension and widow pension amounts?

Regards,
Madhu

Dear Friends,

One of our employees has retired at the age of 58. His date of birth is 09.07.1960, date of joining was 21.12.1995, and he retired on 09.07.2018. Total service calculated is 22 years and 6 months. His last basic salary was Rs. 14,422/-. Could you please provide information regarding his pension amount?

Regards,
Tarak Shaw

Dear Tarak Shaw,

Please submit Form D in respect of the retired employee to the concerned EPFO. The member will receive a PPO (Pension Payment Order) containing details of quantified pension, service details, pensionable salary, etc. Compare this information with the available records. Since the employee has more than 20 years of membership, 2 years of bonus service will also be added. This is the correct way to analyze the data.

Hi Friends, I am sharing the following information and seeking guidance from the experts here. I submitted an application for enhanced pension in compliance with the Supreme Court order to the PF Commissioner in Delhi on 8th June 2017. Despite sending several inquiries, I have not received any replies. As I am now residing in Kerala, I am unable to personally visit the office. I recently discovered that the PF Office has been divided into different zones, and my application is now under the jurisdiction of the Delhi South EPFO at Dwarka. I forwarded a copy of my initial application to the Dwarka Office on 22nd May 2018 and have been following up on my case through a former colleague.

I have received an update that my file has been located and retrieved from the old office. They are now requesting a fresh application, and the notable requirement is that my ex-employer must commit to paying the matching contribution and diverting 8.33% of the actual salary. I retired from service in 2006, and all final settlements have been completed. How can my previous employer provide an undertaking when I severed all ties with them over 12 years ago? I have already pledged to remit the amount due to the Fund.

I have attached the undertaking from my employer for your review. I would appreciate feedback and insights from experts on this matter.

Dear All,

Please find the new Circular dated 22-01-2019 from EPFO regarding the full pension option. Does this circular permit all EPF members to opt for the actual pension based on the last drawn salary?

Satheesh Kumar.P
9482087049 / 9113054347

Not applicable to such of the employees whose PF account is maintained by Exempted Establishments. Glaring example of discrimination.

The matter regarding the applicability of higher pension to employees whose PF is with the Trusts of the Exempted Establishments is pending in the Honorable Supreme Court. More than 250 cases filed by either individuals and/or associations are pending for disposal.