EPS pension hike: Can EPFO increase minimum monthly pension from Rs 1,000 at its proposed November 19 meeting?

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) may take up the long-pending demand to increase the minimum monthly pension under the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS), 2026, at its next Central Board of Trustees (CBT) meeting, media reports say.

According to the reports, the EPFO's 240th CBT meeting is scheduled to take place in Gir, Gujarat, on November 19, 2026.

The reports claimed that the proposal to raise the minimum monthly pension from Rs 1,000 is likely to come up during the meeting.


An increase in the minimum EPS pension has been a longstanding demand of employees’ and pensioners’ unions. .

What is the EPS 2026 Pension Scheme?

The Employees’ Pension Scheme, 2026, is a social security initiative under the EPFO designed to provide lifelong pension support to employees in the organised sector after retirement. In the EPS fund, the employer contributes 8.33% of the employees’ basic pay or Rs 2,083, whichever is lower, every month.

What is the current minimum EPS pension?

The minimum pension under the EPS scheme is Rs 1,000 per month. It means that if the pension of an employee at retirement is less than Rs 1,000, the government will contribute to make it Rs 1,000. Employees’ and pensioners’ associations have for long been demanding an increase.

What is the maximum EPS pension?

There is no maximum pension limit under the EPS. It depends on the pensionable salary (with the current wage ceiling of Rs 25,000) and pensionable service.

EPS pension formula

The pension calculation formula remains unchanged under the EPS 2026 scheme.

Monthly EPS pension = (Pensionable salary × pensionable service) ÷ 70

Pensionable salary will continue to be the average monthly salary drawn during the last 60 months before exiting the pension fund.

However, even if someone’s basic salary and dearness allowance (DA) is Rs 50,000, their employer will contribute to their EPS account at a maximum ceiling of Rs 25,000 (8.33% of Rs 25,000).

Key changes introduced under EPS-2026

The EPS 2026 scheme superseded the EPS 1995 scheme from July, 2026.

he government notified the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS), 2026, under the Code on Social Security, 2020, replacing the EPS, 1995, and Employees' Family Pension Scheme, 1971.

While many provisions remain unchanged, the new EPS scheme introduces several changes, including:

-Pension claims to be settled within 20 days

-12% interest on delayed pension claims

-Higher pension provisions incorporated into the scheme

-Digital compliance requirements for employers