Here’s how to fix errors in EPS records now to avoid PF claim rejection, pension loss

Among the many riddles confronting subscribers to the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), the issues around the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) remain the most vexing. It is the part of EPF most of us ignore. Errors often creep in silently and remain unnoticed for years until the time comes to file for EPF withdrawal or transfer. Missing or erroneous contributions to the pension scheme can lock you out of your entire nest egg. The onus is on you for identifying these errors at the earliest.

The errant twin

Most of us are fixated on that growing corpus visible in the EPF passbook— this is the sum that includes your own contribution (12% of your monthly basic salary) and part of your employer’s share (3.67% of the employer’s matching 12% contribution), along with interest payouts. But what goes quietly unnoticed is its sibling, the EPS. For eligible employees, 8.33% of the employer’s contribution is mandatorily diverted towards the EPS, subject to a wage ceiling. You are eligible for a pension at age 58 if you complete 10 years of contributory service.

Unlike the EPF, you cannot withdraw the EPS amount as a lump sum, nor does it show as a growing corpus in your EPF passbook. Very few of us bother to check the passbook for EPS contributions. This is where problems take root. If mistakes creep into your EPS records, you may not only be frozen out of your pension or get a reduced pension, but it may also scuttle your future EPF payout.


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EPS records are maintained by your employer and updated at the payroll level. The employer updates records monthly on the EPFO Employer Portal, covering service history, salary particulars, etc. The monthly EPS deductions are visible in the passbook provided by the EPFO. However, exempted establishments maintain separate records. Here is where employers can go wrong. The employer may enter salary details incorrectly, resulting in an EPS contribution that is higher or lower than the employee is eligible for. The organisation may incorrectly skip EPS contributions entirely for eligible employees, or make contributions when the employee is not eligible. Sometimes, the employer may not update the correct joining date.

EPS discrepancies Achilles heel for your EPF
If ignored, erroneous EPS records can scuttle your PF, pension.
Most EPS errors are fixable

Note: EPF is Employees’ Provident Fund. EPS is Employees’ Pension Scheme. ECR is Electronic Challan cum Return. UAN is Universal Account Number.

Why monitoring EPS is important

1.Every month, 8.33% of employer contribution to EPF goes to EPS, subject to wage ceiling
2.EPFO checks both EPF and EPS records before approving PF withdrawal or transfer
3.EPS records are maintained at the payroll level by employer
4.This covers service history, salary particulars, contributions
5.Wrong or missing entry may result in higher or lower EPS contribution than eligible for
6.If records are inaccurate, you may get locked out of pension and entire PF corpus

Corrective actions

If you spot any of these discrepancies, you must immediately bring them to your Human Resources’ (HR) attention, insists Kunal Kabra, Founder and CEO, Kustodian.Life, a platform that helps fix provident fund claim rejections, among other things. You can only fix issues once the financial year is over and the books are settled, so mistakes of March 2026 can be fixed by June 2026. Be careful with April 2026 filings which will be done in first week of May. If you make a mistake there, it won’t be fixable until June 2027. “Fixing it now is far easier than dealing with it later when errors accumulate,” he adds.

First, check if the EPS deductions column in your EPFO passbook has consistent entries for eligible months. If you spot errors, ask your employer to verify the contributions against actual salary for the relevant time periods.

You cannot approach EPFO directly to rectify the error. It is the employer who files the EPS records and makes the contribution. “The payroll team must initiate the changes in case of erroneous EPS contributions by filing a revised ECR. The EPFO field office will verify the records before approving the changes,” says Vikash Jain, Co-founder and CEO at Share Samadhan, a platform that helps retrieve money stuck across assets.

In December last year, the EPFO issued fresh guidelines to field offices for fixing errors related to wrong EPS contributions. For contributions allowed to ineligible employees, the amount, along with interest, must be identified and thereafter transferred from Account 10 (EPS) to Account 1 (EPF) by the EPFO. The corresponding erroneous pension service record is deleted in the member’s account by EPFO. For exempted establishments, the EPFO will transfer the amount with interest from Account 10 (EPS) to the concerned PF Trust, and the incorrect pension service details will be removed.

Similarly, if the employee was erroneously excluded from EPS despite being eligible, the employer must revise the ECR, after which the relevant EPS contributions, along with interest, will be transferred from Account 1 (EPF) to Account 10 (EPS). The EPFO will also add the employee’s pension service period, including any eligible non-contributory period. For exempted establishments, the corresponding amount, including interest, is transferred from the PF Trust to Account 10 (EPS), after which EPFO will update the pension service records. On the same lines, any incorrect EPS contributions (for a higher or lower amount) must be fixed by the employer by submitting a revised ECR. The corresponding amount will then be shifted to the relevant account.

Sometimes, your service record may not be correctly reflected against your Universal Account Number (UAN). This means your employment for that period is not properly mapped to the EPS section. Have your employer correct the joining date in the portal and provide a joint declaration.

Beyond this, employees must also verify service records with past employers. Confirm that the total pensionable service matches your actual tenure, ensuring there are no gaps, overlaps or missing exit dates with past employers. If entries are missing or erroneous, contact your past HR or payroll and request an immediate update via the EPFO portal.

Most EPS errors are fixable, with support from the employer. But if the employer is unresponsive or slow to fix records, you must raise a complaint on the EPFiGMS grievance portal. If this also fails, you can file an RTI (Right to Information) application with the regional EPFO office to identify the reason for delay.