Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Supreme Court Sets Four-Month Deadline for Centre on EPFO Wage Ceiling Review

The order forces executive reconsideration after years of inaction on recommendations to update the Rs 15,000 cap.

Overview

  • A bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.S. Chandurkar directed the petitioner to file a representation within two weeks and told the Union government to decide on revising the ceiling within four months.
  • The Employees’ Provident Fund wage cap remains Rs 15,000 per month, a level unchanged for about 11 years that excludes higher-earning workers from mandatory coverage.
  • A 2022 EPFO sub-committee proposed expanding coverage and raising the ceiling, and the Central Board approved those recommendations in July 2022, but the Centre has not implemented them.
  • The petition cited constitutional grounds under Articles 14 and 21, arguing that irregular, non-indexed revisions erode statutory social-security protections.
  • Government officials are weighing a higher threshold in the Rs 25,000–30,000 range, according to reporting, but no decision has been announced.