A major policy change was instituted in September 2025 when the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) revised its eligibility criteria for pension under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS). Recognizing the rights of short-term, contract, and gig workers, any person who has contributed for a month is eligible for future pension benefits.
From Six Months To One Month: What Changed?
Earlier, for pension eligibility, employees had to work and contribute for at least six months to EPS. If the employee had less than six months of service, their EPS contributions were instead transferred into their Provident Fund without ever earning pension benefits for them.
Now, any employee who has worked and contributed for one month or more into EPS is eligible for pension benefits under this new ruling, including basic pension, disability pension, and survivor benefits.
Who Stands To Benefit More?
This change in the policy primarily benefits those workers who regularly change jobs frequently-whether in BPOs or logistics, delivery services to short-term contractual work. Before, the short jobs did not qualify for EPS pension benefits, but now their contributions count toward possible pension benefits in the future.
Social security gets a little stronger for such citizens who keep hopping from job to job, thus solving a long-standing vulnerability in employment systems in the country.
How To Verify Your Pension Contribution?
Here’s how you can verify if the pension has been deducted:
- Log on to the EPFO passbook portal using your UAN and password.
- Check for entries relating to EPS contributions in the passbook.
- If you find that EPS has not been contributed despite your working in an EPS-paying job for one month, you can register a grievance with the EPFO mentioning the 2025 rule change and specifying your employment period as 2024.
- In this manner, your rightful pension entitlement will be duly reflected in the records maintained by EPFO.
Also Read: Unified Pension Scheme 2025: Early Retirement Benefits For Govt Employees