EPFO Plans to Set New Benchmarks for EPF, EPS, and EDLI Returns

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is introducing separate benchmarks for the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS), and Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI), as per the news reports. 

The aim is to improve transparency and align investments with the actuarial liabilities of each scheme, following a recommendation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

RBI’s Push for Scheme-Specific Evaluation

The RBI has advised the Labour and Employment Ministry to end EPFO’s practice of pooling funds from all three schemes into a single ₹25 trillion corpus and instead adopt scheme-wise benchmarks. Currently, EPFO invests 45–65% in government securities, 20–45% in debt instruments, 5–15% in equities, and up to 5% in short-term debt.

Doorstep Delivery of Digital Life Certificates

The EPFO’s Central Board of Trustees, chaired by Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, is also set to approve doorstep delivery of Digital Life Certificates (DLCs) for about 8 million pensioners under the Employees’ Pension Scheme. The service will be launched in partnership with the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), enabling pensioners to submit certificates at post offices or from home.

The doorstep charge will be reduced from ₹70 to ₹50, with EPFO reimbursing costs to IPPB through its Centralised Pension Payment and Reconciliation Centre (CPPRC). The partnership will run for two to three years, during which pensioners will be trained to use face authentication for self-submission.

Read More: EPFO Launches New Features to Improve Member Services!

Conclusion

EPFO’s initiative to establish scheme-specific benchmarks and offer doorstep pension services marks a major step toward greater accountability, inclusion, and digital accessibility in India’s social security ecosystem.

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