My first company created my EPS account despite my basic pay being more than 15K. They continued to contribute Rs.1250/month to EPS. My second and third company too continued the contributions since EPS account was present. Issue starts when my third company one day realizes that they should discontinue EPS contribution since I am not eligible. After 8 months, they stop making EPS contribution. My current organization i.e. fourth company also is contribution Rs.1250/month to EPS.
When I applied for PF transfer request on the EPFO portal, it was rejected stating that my 3rd company did not make EPS contributions for a given period (as I mentioned above). When I reached out to my last company to rectify this issue, they asked me to go to my 1st employer which should not have created EPS account in the first place. After 7 years, it is next to impossible to re-establish contact with first company’s PF team.
Can my Last employer (3rd one) do something at their end to rectify this issue like contributing to EPS account retrospectively for the no-contribution period?
Your last employer (3rd Company) can prepare a revised Form 3A, along with a clarification letter and it needs to be submitted to the corresponding PF office.
In this revised Form 3A, the employer’s PF contribution should be segregated into EPF and EPS for all months during which the EPS contribution was not made.
Employee check her/his portal why the contribution to EPS was not made or why the rejection happened. Discuss with the HR or Payroll officer. After this that issue was not resolve, Submit Fresh Transfer Request to the portal. After verifying the details, you may need to submit a fresh EPF transfer request excluding EPS if there was no contribution. you can file a grievance on the EPFO grievance portal explaining the situation. The officers give the process and solutions.
You can reach out to your regional PF office, and request the help of the officers to provide clear guidelines. Based on their advice you can reach out to your 3rd company to get the documentation resolved and file the fresh request post rectification of the gaps.
If none cooperates, you can file a grievance in the PF portal to expedite the support.
@Bhuvana_Anand,
Hello Ma’am i am struggling to find Right Answer for my case:-
Below is my situation:
I joined my first job in March 2019 and they made me EPS Member that time: In my first month salary ( PF wages = ₹14,974), that was ≤ ₹15k.
But Later (same job) 2nd Month Onwards EPF wages rose above 15k (â‚ą17,193).
When EPFO says: “EPS applies if pay at the time of becoming PF member ≤ ₹15,000”, the “pay” = EPF wages (Basic + DA + retaining allowance).
I am confused in my scenario if I am eligible for EPS or not, because my PF transfer got rejected due to this …. I changed company from A to B to C and my PF is stuck in each company and i don’t have clarity what needs to be done from my end If my EPS data is wrong…
Can anyone Please provide me clarity on my case? If i get the right path i can fight epfo with a clarity….
Under Para 6A of the EPS, 1995 and EPFO Circulars (notably 2014 and 2017 clarifications):
“An employee who becomes a member of EPF on or after 1 September 2014 and whose pay (Basic + DA + retaining allowance) at the time of joining is more than ₹15,000 per month shall not be eligible for membership of the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS).”
However, if the employee’s pay was ₹15,000 or less at the time of joining EPF, they must be enrolled under EPS, even if the pay rises above ₹15,000 later.
Interpreting “At the Time of Becoming a PF Member”
This phrase is key in your case.
“At the time of becoming a PF member” means the month you first became a member of EPF, i.e., the month when your first PF deduction was made.
The subsequent increase in salary does not affect EPS eligibility. Once you are covered, you remain an EPS member.
Considering the above you were validly eligible for EPS because your first month’s PF wages were below ₹15,000 at the time of joining. The later increase does not make you ineligible.
The rejection could be due to data mismatch or system flagging, not your actual ineligibility.
Some of the common grounds could be:
Your date of joining EPS or EPS wages incorrectly entered (e.g., shown as â‚ą17,193 instead of â‚ą14,974).
Some employers might have unchecked “EPS Member = Yes” in later transfers due to mismatch.
EPFO system may auto-reject the transfer if any record shows you joined EPS after wages > â‚ą15,000.
To Rectify and Escalate
Download your service history from Member Passbook → “View → Service History” and note:
Date of Joining EPF
Date of Joining EPS
Wages at Joining
Check if your first employer (Company A) correctly entered:
EPS wages = â‚ą14,974
“EPS Member = Yes”
If later employers (Company B/C) show “EPS = No”, you can:
Submit a Joint Declaration through your current employer to EPFO (to correct EPS joining details).
Attach first salary slip (March 2019) showing â‚ą14,974 PF wages as proof.
Attach your initial Form 11 (if available) that shows you were not an excluded employee.
Once corrected, apply PF + EPS transfer again using:
Form 13 (online transfer)
Ensure all previous employers have approved digitally.
If EPFO still rejects:
Raise a grievance on EPFiGMS portal.
Upload the above proofs and quote the rule: “Pay at the time of becoming PF member ≤ ₹15,000”.
You can use this reasoning in your submission:
“At the time of becoming a PF member in March 2019, my PF wages were ₹14,974, below the ₹15,000 threshold. As per EPS 1995 Para 6A, I was eligible and became an EPS member. The subsequent increase in PF wages does not disqualify me. The transfer rejection appears due to an incorrect system validation, which needs rectification.”