# EPFO sets new EPS eligibility rules for employees earning above Rs 25,000 2026-10-01T06:57:21+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has issued guidelines for employers to check EPS membership eligibility for new employees after raising the wage ceiling from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 per month. Employees earning up to Rs 25,000 in basic pay and dearness allowance must mandatorily join EPF, EPS and EDLI. For those earning over Rs 25,000, EPS membership depends on past membership: if the employee was an EPS member earlier, they must continue in EPS. If not, no EPS contribution is required, and they can stay in EPF alone. Employers must verify the employee’s Universal Account Number (UAN) to check previous EPS status. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The new wage ceiling brings workers earning between Rs 15,001 and Rs 25,000 into mandatory EPFO coverage, but leaves a key gap: employees above Rs 25,000 who never joined EPS remain outside the pension scheme, with no option to opt in. The EPFO’s reliance on past membership rather than current salary to decide eligibility means higher earners who switched jobs from outside the formal sector may stay uncovered. Employers now bear the burden of checking each new hire’s UAN history, and any wrong or missed deduction must be rectified through the EPFO. The real consequence of an incorrect contribution will surface only when a pension claim is filed. ## Coverage - economictimes.indiatimes.com Straight explanation of EPFO rules without framing for or against the government This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Code on Social Security 2020, EPF, EPFO, EPS Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/epfo-sets-new-eps-eligibility-rules-for-employees-earning-above-rs-25000/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/epfo-sets-new-eps-eligibility-rules-for-employees-earning-above-rs-25000/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/