Left Before 10 Years? EPS Withdrawal Now Has a 36-Month Wait

You left a job after five years, did not join another PF-covered employer, and want the pension part of your PF money back. Until recently you could claim it with your PF settlement soon after leaving. Under the Employees' Pension Scheme, 2026, a member who leaves with less than ten years of eligible service gets the EPS withdrawal benefit only 36 months after the last contribution fell due, or on reaching superannuation age if that comes first.

The PF part of your money (your share and the employer's 3.67%) follows its own rules. This post is about the pension part, the 8.33% of your employer's contribution that goes to EPS.

What the rule says

EPS 2026 was notified on 29 June 2026 as G.S.R. 527(E) under the Code on Social Security, 2020. It replaces EPS 1995 and the 1971 family pension scheme. Paragraph 13 deals with members who leave before qualifying for a pension:

• If you have less than ten years of eligible service on the date you exit (or on reaching superannuation, if earlier), you are entitled to a withdrawal benefit worked out from Table IV, or you can opt for a scheme certificate instead.
• If you exit before superannuation, you become eligible for the withdrawal benefit "only after the lapse of thirty-six months from the date on which the last contribution became due or on attaining the age of superannuation, whichever is earlier".

EPFO's summary of the Central Board of Trustees meeting of 13 October 2025, where this was decided, describes it as moving final pension withdrawal "from 2 months to 36 months". The same meeting moved premature final settlement of PF from 2 months to 12 months.

Who is affected and who isn't

Most job-switchers never need the withdrawal benefit. EPFO's FAQ explains that pension money isn't moved between accounts on a job change; your service history moves, and your pension depends on service and wages, not on the balance in the pension account.

The people this rule hits are those who leave PF-covered work for longer: to start a business, study, care for family, or take up work that isn't covered by EPF.

How eligible service is counted

Paragraph 9 counts contributory service and rounds it to the nearest year. Six months or more counts as a full year, and less than six months is ignored. So 9 years and 7 months of contributions counts as 10 years, which makes you eligible for a pension rather than a withdrawal benefit. If you are close to the line, check your service in the passbook before deciding anything.

How much the withdrawal benefit is

Table IV in EPS 2026 gives a multiple of your "wages at exit" for each month of service. Some values:

"Wages at exit" are the EPS wages, which are capped at the wage ceiling. Paragraph 13 adds that they are the weighted average of wages at the end of every wage ceiling period. That matters now because the ceiling went up from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 a month on 17 September 2026. Most people's service so far sits entirely in the ₹15,000 period.

Worked example

Rohan contributed to EPS for 60 months, all on wages above ₹15,000, so his EPS wage was capped at ₹15,000 throughout. He leaves in July 2026, after EPS 2026 came into force, to start a business.

• Withdrawal benefit: ₹15,000 × 5.02 = ₹75,300.
• His last contribution, for the July 2026 wage month, fell due by mid-August 2026 (employers file the monthly return by the 15th of the next month).
• Under paragraph 13, the withdrawal benefit becomes available roughly 36 months after that, around August 2029, unless he reaches superannuation first.

His PF balance is separate. Under the EPF Scheme 2026 he can take it in full after 12 continuous months without covered employment, and he can make partial withdrawals before that. See what the EPF Scheme 2026 changed and how much PF you can withdraw.

The other route: a scheme certificate

Under paragraph 12(10) of EPS 2026, a member who leaves before superannuation can be issued a scheme certificate showing pensionable service, pensionable wages and the pension due on the exit date. If you later join an establishment covered by the scheme, the service on the certificate is added to your new service (paragraph 12(11)).

EPFO's FAQ lists the two advantages. The certificate helps your pension service move when you change employment, and if the holder dies, the family gets family pension. For a member with less than 10 years, taking a certificate is optional.

The scheme also protects your family during the waiting period. If you die before superannuation and before 36 months have passed without contributions, paragraph 12(12) converts the contributions into a widow's or children's pension. After the 36 months, your family gets the withdrawal benefit under paragraph 13 instead.

Which to choose

• You expect to return to PF-covered work in the next few years: taking the withdrawal benefit resets your pension service. Keeping the service, through the certificate or simply by not claiming, lets it count towards the ten years you need for a monthly pension.
• You are sure you won't return: the withdrawal benefit is a one-time payment, now three years away. Diarise the date.
• You are close to 10 years: rounding may already make you eligible for a pension; check before claiming.

This is a general explanation, not advice on your case. If a lot rides on it, speak to your EPFO office or a professional.

How to claim when the time comes

1. Log in to the EPFO Member Portal with your UAN.
2. Check that your exit date is marked in the service history and that your KYC (Aadhaar, bank account) is verified.
3. File the online claim for the pension withdrawal benefit. Under the 1995 scheme this was Form 10C, which EPFO allowed members to file without employer attestation once UAN and KYC were in order; use the option the portal shows for EPS withdrawal.
4. Track the claim in the portal. If it is returned, see PF claim rejected: reasons and fixes.

If you left before EPS 2026 started and haven't claimed yet, the scheme keeps "things done or omitted to be done" before 29 June 2026 under the old rules, but it doesn't say in plain terms how a pending, unfiled claim is treated. Ask your EPFO office or raise a query on EPFiGMS before assuming either way.

FAQ

When does the 36-month wait start?

From the date on which your last EPS contribution became due, not from your last working day. If your last contribution was for the March wage month, it fell due by the 15th of April.

Does the 36-month wait apply if I join a new job?

There is nothing to wait for. Your pension service continues under your UAN, and no withdrawal benefit is due while you are an active member.

Can I withdraw my PF and leave the EPS part for later?

Yes. The PF balance and the EPS withdrawal benefit follow separate rules. PF can be fully withdrawn after 12 months without covered employment; the EPS withdrawal benefit waits 36 months.

How is the EPS withdrawal benefit calculated?

Months of service times the Table IV multiple, applied to your EPS wages at exit. Sixty months at a ₹15,000 EPS wage gives ₹15,000 × 5.02 = ₹75,300.

I have 9 years and 8 months of service. Do I get a pension or a withdrawal benefit?

Paragraph 9 rounds six months or more up to a full year, so your service counts as 10 years. That makes you eligible for a pension rather than the withdrawal benefit. Confirm the count in your passbook.

Sources

• Gazette of India: Employees' Pension Scheme, 2026, G.S.R. 527(E), paragraphs 9, 12, 13 and Table IV
• Gazette of India: Employees' Provident Fund Scheme, 2026, G.S.R. 525(E)
• EPFO/PIB, 13 October 2025: 238th CBT meeting, pension withdrawal period from 2 to 36 months
• PIB, 16 September 2026: EPFO wage ceiling raised to ₹25,000 from 17 September 2026
• EPFO FAQs: scheme certificate, pension on job change, claims without attestation
• EPFO Member Portal