EPS pension 2026: eligibility, how it is calculated and how to claim
Under the Employees' Pension Scheme, 2026, a member with at least ten years of eligible service gets a monthly pension of pensionable wages multiplied by pensionable service, divided by 70, with a floor of ₹1,000 a month. The Scheme replaced the 1971 and 1995 pension schemes on 29 June 2026.
Researched by Mirza Seraj BaigFacts last checked against official sources on 21 September 2026- Run by
- Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), under the Ministry of Labour and Employment
- Service needed
- At least 10 years of eligible service for a monthly pension
- Minimum pension
- ₹1,000 a month, subject to two deductions the Scheme names
- Claim settled in
- 20 days from a complete claim, or a written note of what is missing
About the Employees' Pension Scheme, 2026
The Employees' Pension Scheme, 2026 (EPS) is the pension side of the provident fund system. Each month the employer remits 8.33% of the employee's wages, up to the wage ceiling the Central Government notifies, into the Pension Fund out of its own contribution, and the Central Government adds 1.16% of the pay of members, up to a limit it specifies (paragraph 4). The wage ceiling is ₹15,000 a month (Ministry of Labour and Employment, S.O. 2702(E), 29 May 2026). The Scheme lists no separate contribution from the employee to the Pension Fund.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment notified the Scheme as G.S.R. 527(E) on 29 June 2026 under the Code on Social Security, 2020, and it came into force on publication in the Gazette. It supersedes the Employees' Family Pension Scheme, 1971 and the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995, except for things done before that date. The pension fund account kept under the 1995 scheme continues as the Pension Fund Account, and that scheme's net assets vest in the Pension Fund (paragraphs 3 and 4).
The Scheme applies to an employee who becomes a member of the Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 2026, or of the provident fund of an exempted establishment, on wages at or below the wage ceiling, and to anyone who was, or was entitled to become, a member of the 1995 or 1971 schemes (paragraph 7). EPFO, which runs the scheme, says membership continues until 58 years, death, or settlement of the pension. The Scheme also says no member or beneficiary is denied pension because the employer failed to comply with its contribution duties (paragraph 16).
What the formula gives at the ₹15,000 wage ceiling
Monthly pension = pensionable wages × pensionable service ÷ 70 (paragraph 12(2)). The figures below are our own arithmetic from that formula, assuming wages at the full ₹15,000 ceiling throughout the last 60 months and retirement on reaching the age of superannuation. A member with 20 or more years of pensionable service gets two extra years counted (paragraph 10(2)), which is why 20 years counts as 22 here. Your own figure depends on your actual wages and service.
| Eligible service | Pensionable service counted | Monthly pension, about |
|---|---|---|
| 10 years | 10 years | ₹2,143 |
| 15 years | 15 years | ₹3,214 |
| 20 years | 22 years (20 + 2) | ₹4,714 |
| 25 years | 27 years (25 + 2) | ₹5,786 |
| 30 years | 32 years (30 + 2) | ₹6,857 |
| 35 years | 37 years (35 + 2) | ₹7,929 |
Leaving before 10 years: the withdrawal benefit
A member who leaves with less than ten years of eligible service is entitled to a withdrawal benefit under Table IV of the Scheme, or may choose a scheme certificate instead (paragraph 13). Table IV gives a proportion of the wages at exit for each month of service, and the wages at exit are the weighted average of the wages at the end of each wage-ceiling period. If you exit before the age of superannuation, the benefit becomes payable only after 36 months from the date the last contribution fell due, or on reaching that age, whichever is earlier. These are selected rows; the Gazette table lists every month.
| Months of service | Proportion of wages at exit (Table IV) |
|---|---|
| 6 months | 0.51 |
| 12 months | 1.02 |
| 24 months | 1.99 |
| 36 months | 2.98 |
| 60 months | 5.02 |
| 84 months | 7.13 |
| 108 months | 9.33 |
If a member dies or is disabled
The Scheme pays the eligible family: the spouse and the member's sons and daughters, including legally adopted children (paragraphs 2 and 15). These are the floors and rates it states.
| Benefit | What the Scheme provides |
|---|---|
| Widow or widower pension | For a member who dies in service, the pension the member would have got on retiring on the date of death, or ₹450, or the Table III amount, whichever is higher. Any such pension below ₹1,000 a month is raised to ₹1,000. It is payable until the death or remarriage of the widow (paragraph 15(2)). |
| Children's pension | 25% of the widow pension for each child, at least ₹250 a child, until the child is 25, for up to two children at a time. A child who is permanently and totally disabled gets it regardless of age (paragraph 15(3)). |
| Orphan pension | Where there is no widow, 75% of the widow pension, at least ₹750 an orphan, until age 25, for up to two orphans at a time. It continues beyond 25 for a beneficiary with a mental disorder or physical disability (paragraph 15(4)). |
| Permanent total disablement | Pension under paragraph 12, with a minimum of ₹250 a month, even without ten years of service, provided at least one month's contribution was made. The member must undergo the medical examination the Central Board specifies (paragraph 14). |
| Nominee or dependent parent | A member with no spouse or eligible child may nominate someone to get the widow-pension-equivalent, and the nomination lapses if the member later acquires an eligible family. With no family and no nomination, it goes to the dependent father, then the mother (paragraph 15(5)). |
Who gets a pension under the Employees' Pension Scheme, 2026?
- Be a member: an employee of a covered establishment who is a member of the Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 2026, or of an exempted establishment's provident fund, on wages at or below the wage ceiling, or an existing member of the 1995 or 1971 schemes (paragraph 7).
- Have rendered at least ten years of eligible service for a monthly pension (paragraph 12(1)). For most members eligible service is contributory service rounded to the nearest year, and six months or more counts as a year (paragraph 9).
- A superannuation pension is for a member who retires on reaching the age of superannuation. EPFO's page on the scheme says membership continues until 58 years.
- An early pension is for a member who leaves before that age. It can start from age 50 at the earliest and is reduced by 4% for every year the member's age falls short of the age of superannuation (paragraph 12(7)). EPFO's page confirms a reduced pension can be drawn from age 50.
- A member with less than ten years of eligible service gets the withdrawal benefit or a scheme certificate instead (paragraph 13).
- Members of the erstwhile Employees' Family Pension Scheme, 1971 (existing members) have separate pension amounts and minimums, depending on when the pension starts, in paragraph 12(3) to (5). This page does not work those through.
What should you keep in order?
- Your nomination and family details. EPFO says Form No-2 is the form prescribed under the Provident Fund, Pension and Deposit Linked Insurance schemes for submitting them.
- Your service and wage record: pensionable wages are the average monthly wages over the 60 months before you leave the membership, capped at the wage ceiling (paragraph 11).
- A scheme certificate, if you left earlier and chose one. The Commissioner issues it showing your pensionable service, pensionable wages and the pension due, and if you later join another covered establishment the earlier service is added to the new one (paragraph 12(10) and (11)).
- An Aadhaar number, for the Digital Life Certificate, and the bank or post office account through which your pension will be paid. EPFO says pension is disbursed monthly through banks and post offices.
How do you claim it?
There is nothing to apply for to join
The Scheme applies to covered employees who are members of the provident fund, and the employer remits the pension contribution. Under paragraph 16, a member's pension is not denied because the employer failed to comply.
Keep your nomination and family details current
EPFO says Form No-2 is used for family and nomination details. Someone with no spouse or eligible child can nominate a person, and that nomination becomes void if they later acquire an eligible family.
Decide when your pension should start
It can start after the age of superannuation, or from age 50 at 4% less for each year short of it, or be deferred up to age 60 for 4% more for each completed year after the age of superannuation (paragraphs 12(6), (7) and (9)). If you leave earlier you can instead take a scheme certificate.
Submit the claim to EPFO with the required documents
The claim form and the documents are EPFO's to specify, and this page does not reproduce them. Use EPFO's own website and regional office. The Scheme requires the Commissioner to settle a claim that is complete in every respect within 20 days of receiving it, or to record any deficiency in writing and tell the applicant within 20 days (paragraph 17).
After the pension starts
Submit a life certificate every year
EPFO's scheme page says pensioners drawing pension under the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995 must give a Life or Non-Remarriage Certificate after 12 months from the month the pension was sanctioned or the last certificate was submitted, and that pension stops after that if it is not submitted. It has not restated this for the 2026 Scheme, so confirm the current requirement with EPFO.
Use the Digital Life Certificate instead of the physical one
EPFO says pensioners can use their Aadhaar number to submit a Digital Life Certificate at Common Service Centres, branches of pension-disbursing banks, post offices through India Post Payments Bank, and PF offices.
If your claim is delayed
If the Commissioner fails without sufficient cause to settle a complete claim within 20 days, interest at 12% a year may be charged on the benefit amount for the delay and deducted from the Commissioner's salary (paragraph 17(3)).
Important links
All of these go to the official government portal. Bookmark them — copycat sites with similar names charge for what these do free.
| What you need | Official page |
|---|---|
| EPFO: Employees' Pension Scheme page Eligibility, life certificate and pension FAQs | www.epfo.gov.in/pension-scheme-eps ↗ |
| Employees' Pension Scheme, 2026 (Gazette PDF) G.S.R. 527(E), 29 June 2026, the full text with Tables I to V | egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/2026/273951.pdf ↗ |
| Wage ceiling notification (PDF) S.O. 2702(E), 29 May 2026, ₹15,000 a month | www.labour.gov.in/static/uploads/2026/06/1dbfa6f5ef9510c30fa6c32008d1f816.pdf ↗ |
| EPFO home page Member and pensioner services | www.epfo.gov.in ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
How is the EPS pension calculated?
Monthly pension = pensionable wages × pensionable service ÷ 70, under paragraph 12(2) of the Employees' Pension Scheme, 2026. Pensionable wages are the average monthly wages over the 60 months before you leave the membership, capped at the wage ceiling. EPFO's page gives the same formula.
How many years of service do I need for an EPS pension?
Ten years of eligible service for a monthly superannuation or early pension. EPFO says a disablement pension is available without ten years of service, and a member with less than ten years gets the withdrawal benefit or a scheme certificate instead.
What is the minimum EPS pension?
₹1,000 a month, including any relief (paragraph 12(8)). From 1 September 2014 that floor is subject to deductions for commutation and return of capital taken under the 1995 scheme before 26 September 2008, and for early pension.
What is the extra two years of weightage?
A member who retires on reaching the age of superannuation with 20 or more years of pensionable service has two years added to the pensionable service (paragraph 10(2)). That raises the pension by two-seventieths of the pensionable wages.
Can I draw the pension early?
Yes, but not before age 50, and the pension is reduced by 4% for every year the age falls short of the age of superannuation (paragraph 12(7)). With EPFO stating 58 as the age membership runs to, starting at 50 would mean eight years short, a 32% reduction. Check the age that applies to you with EPFO.
Can I delay my pension to get more?
Yes. A member who has reached the age of superannuation can defer drawing the pension, but not beyond 60, and the pension rises 4% for every completed year of deferral. The member may keep contributing to the Pension Fund during the deferral if still employed, up to age 60 (paragraph 12(9)).
What if I leave before ten years?
You are entitled to the withdrawal benefit under Table IV, or you may choose a scheme certificate. If you exit before the age of superannuation, the benefit is payable only after 36 months from the date the last contribution fell due, or at that age, whichever is earlier (paragraph 13).
Can I take the pension as a lump sum?
EPFO's answer on its scheme page is no: asked whether the pension can be surrendered for a lump sum, it says no.
Does my employer's default stop my pension?
No. The Scheme says no pensionary benefit is denied to a member or beneficiary because the employer did not meet its contribution obligations, though the employer stays liable for them (paragraph 16).
Which schemes did the EPS 2026 replace?
The Employees' Family Pension Scheme, 1971 and the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995, except for things done or left undone before 29 June 2026. Pensions payable under them immediately before the new Scheme began are counted as pension under it (paragraph 2).
Who gets the pension if I die and have no nominee?
Where a member dies leaving no spouse or eligible child and has made no nomination, the pension goes to the dependent father, and on his death to the surviving mother for life (paragraph 15(5)). EPFO says the same when asked who can claim if no nominee exists: the dependent parents.
How long does EPFO have to settle a claim?
Twenty days from receiving a claim that is complete in all respects and has the requisite documents. If something is missing, EPFO must record it in writing and tell the applicant within 20 days (paragraph 17).