The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has given the last extension to employers to process and upload pending applications for Confirmation of Options/Joint Options related to high salary pensions.
According to the Ministry of Labor and Employment, this extension follows numerous requests from employers and their organizations for more time to complete the required submissions.
The online application center started on February 26, 2023, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s order dated November 4, 2022.
Originally available until May 3, 2023, the deadline was initially extended to June 26, 2023, to allow a full four months for eligible pensioners and members to submit their applications.
Another grace period of 15 days was given, the last deadline for filing the applications was July 11, 2023. As a result, EPFO ​​received a total of 17.49 lakh applications on that date.
Despite multiple extensions to submit the required salary details, EPFO ​​has observed that more than 3.1 lakh applications are still pending.
Employers have faced challenges in uploading the required salary data, causing some submissions to extend the deadline.
In response, EPFO ​​has now set a final deadline of January 31, 2025, for employers to process and upload outstanding applications.
In addition to extending the deadline for pending applications, EPFO ​​has also asked employers to provide updates or clarifications in over 4.66 lakh cases where additional information has been sought.
Employers are expected to respond by January 15, 2025, to ensure that the process is completed smoothly and in accordance with the Supreme Court order.
This extension gives employers a final chance to ensure that all pending pension verification applications are processed and uploaded, fulfilling their obligations under the Supreme Court ruling.