Why Are Freshers with High Salaries Still Enrolled in the EPF Pension Scheme?

Hi Everyone,

I have a question about the EPF scheme. The scheme mentions that a fresher with a basic salary exceeding ₹15,000 per month is not required to join the pension scheme. However, many organizations offer packages ranging from ₹5-7 lakh per annum to freshers, where the Basic and DA exceed the ₹15,000 threshold. Despite this, these employees are still included in the pension scheme. Why is this the case? Is it not mandatory to exclude such employees from the pension scheme? If an audit reveals this, could it result in heavy penalties for the organization?

Hi Everyone,

I have a question regarding compliance with the government amendment to the EPS-95 scheme effective from 01/09/2014, which increased the maximum pensionable salary to ₹15,000. According to this amendment, any new employee joining an establishment and drawing a basic wage exceeding ₹15,000 per month can only become a member of the Provident Fund (PF) after submitting an option as per the provisions of Para 26(6) of the EPF Scheme. Such employees are not eligible for membership in the Pension Fund.

Despite this, I have observed that some organizations offer packages ranging from ₹5-7 lakh per annum to freshers, who are then included in the Pension scheme. Why is this the case? Is it not mandatory to exclude such employees from the pension scheme? If an audit reveals this, could it result in heavy penalties for the organization?

Conditions for Pension Fund Coverage

There are conditions attached to coverage in the Pension Fund. The first condition is as follows: the basic and dearness allowance, i.e., the salary on which PF is deducted, should not exceed Rs 15,000. The second condition is that the employee should not be an existing member of the Pension Scheme. If the employee is already a member of the pension scheme, you should continue to contribute to the pension scheme. The third condition is that this salary cap of Rs 15,000 applies only to employees who joined on or after September 1, 2014. Therefore, if you have an employee who joined before September 2014, they would be covered by the Pension Scheme, and you should continue the contribution.