Confused by EPS Wages Error for New Joiners? Let's Figure It Out Together

One of my employees' gross wages, EPF, and EPS wages are as follows:

16890 7097 7097

When I tried to create the ECR file, the below error message appeared:

"EPS wages for new joiners have to be zero (0). This is the first time he has become a member."

It appears from the given data that EPF & EPS wages are not correct. After the verdict of the Apex Court in 2019, EPF & EPS wages should be (monthly Gross - HRA) for most organizations. Therefore, every possibility exists where EPF & EPS gross exceeds 15,000/- per month. For first-time employment, there is a circular from EPFO effective from 01.09.2014, stating that for new employees, if the EPF & EPS wages are more than 15,000/- per month, there will be no contribution to EPS; rather, the entire contribution will be deposited to EPF.

S K Bandyopadhyay (WB, Howrah)