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The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has announced a final extension for employers to process and upload pending applications related to the Validation of Options/Joint Options for higher pension on wages. The Ministry of Labour & Employment stated that this decision comes in response to repeated requests from employers and their associations seeking additional time for submissions. The online facility for submitting these applications was initially launched on February 26 2023 in line with the Supreme Court’s order dated November 4 2022. The original deadline of May 3 2023 was first extended to June 26 2023 providing four months for eligible pensioners and members to file their applications. A further extension of 15 days was granted setting the final submission deadline as July 11 2023. By this date EPFO had received 17.49 lakh applications. However despite the multiple extensions over 3.1 lakh applications remain incomplete. Employers have encountered difficulties in uploading the required wage data leading to further appeals for an extended timeline. Responding to these challenges EPFO has now set January 31 2025 as the final deadline for employers to process and upload all remaining applications. Additionally EPFO has sought updates or clarifications in 4.66 lakh cases where further information is required. Employers are required to respond to these queries by January 15 2025 to ensure the smooth completion of the process. This final extension offers employers an opportunity to fulfill their responsibilities and comply with the Supreme Court’s directives ensuring all pending applications for higher pension validation are resolved.