The Union Cabinet has approved the enhancement of the the wage ceiling for mandatory coverage under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to ₹25,000 per month from ₹15,000, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) during a press briefing.

In a press release, the Government said that this decision is expected to bring more than 51 lakh additional employees within the ambit of mandatory EPFO coverage.

The decision will also expand access to provident fund savings, pension protection under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) and insurance protection under the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme (EDLI), the statement further read

The annual Government outgo is estimated at about ₹11,339 crore, against the existing annual budgetary support of about ₹10,250 crore. The contributions of the employees and employers towards the EPS will also increase as per the new wage ceiling.