New Delhi: The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has announced a final deadline extension for employers to upload pending pension applications related to higher wages. This extension will give employers until January 31, 2025, to complete the process of validating and submitting these applications.

The Ministry of Labour & Employment stated that the decision to extend the deadline comes after numerous requests from employers and their associations for additional time to finalize the necessary submissions. The online facility for submitting pension applications was first introduced on February 26, 2023, following a Supreme Court order from November 4, 2022.

Initially, the deadline for submitting applications was set for May 3, 2023. However, recognizing the challenges faced by employers, the deadline was first extended to June 26, 2023, and then a further grace period of 15 days was granted, pushing the final date for submissions to July 11, 2023, when EPFO had received over 17.49 lakh applications.

Despite these extensions, more than 3.1 lakh applications remain pending. Employers have encountered difficulties in uploading the necessary wage data, which has led to additional requests for more time. In response, EPFO has now provided a final opportunity for employers to process and upload the remaining applications by January 31, 2025.

Along with the extension, EPFO has also called on employers to address over 4.66 lakh cases where additional information is required. Employers are expected to provide updates by the next year, January 15 to ensure that the process aligns with the directives of the Supreme Court.

This is the final chance for employers to meet their obligations and ensure all pension validation applications are submitted and processed before the new deadline.

In addition to the extended deadline for submitting pending pension applications, employers have been urged to respond to EPFO's queries regarding over 4.66 lakh cases where further information or clarification is required. EPFO has identified these cases where additional details are necessary to complete the pension validation process. Employers are expected to provide the requested updates or clarifications by January 15, 2025. This step is crucial to ensure that all cases are resolved and in compliance with the Supreme Court's order, allowing for a smooth and efficient processing of pension applications. Failure to address these queries within the given timeframe may result in delays or complications in the final validation of pensions.