EPFO ₹15,000 first-job incentive: who qualifies under PM-VBRY and how it is paid

The “EPFO ₹15,000 incentive” has become a trending query as young people in their first salaried jobs try to find out whether they qualify for a one-time cash benefit from the Centre. The payout falls under Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY), which the Union Cabinet cleared in July 2025 as the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme.

The scheme applies to jobs created between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2027, according to the Press Information Bureau (PIB). Workers who joined in the scheme’s opening months have therefore now completed a year of service, the point at which the second part of the benefit can be claimed if the other conditions are met.

Who is eligible

The first component, Part A, targets first-timers, that is, people entering the workforce who are registered with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for the first time. Those earning a salary of up to ₹1 lakh a month can qualify. The benefit is equal to one month’s EPF wage, with a ceiling of ₹15,000, and it is paid only once, the EPFO’s FAQ on PM-VBRY states.

The worker’s Universal Account Number (UAN) must also be verified through Aadhaar-based Face Authentication Technology, which is offered on the UMANG app. Employees without an authenticated UAN cannot get the money.

How the money is paid

• The first instalment is released after six months of service.
• The second instalment follows after 12 months of service, once the employee finishes a mandatory online financial literacy course on the EPFO website covering savings, investments and personal finance.
• For the second instalment, the worker must complete 12 months with the same establishment, and the employer must file contribution returns (ECR) for each of those months.
• Money is sent by Direct Benefit Transfer to the employee’s Aadhaar-seeded bank account.

To promote saving, a part of the incentive is kept in a savings or deposit instrument for a fixed period and may be withdrawn later. Under the FAQ, a first-timer who leaves before six months gets neither instalment, while one who exits between the sixth and twelfth month loses the second.

What employers get

Part B rewards EPFO-registered establishments for extra hiring. Employers can get up to ₹3,000 a month for two years for each additional worker earning up to ₹1 lakh who stays for at least six months. Firms with fewer than 50 staff must add at least two workers, and bigger firms at least five. The amount is linked to the worker’s EPF wage: up to ₹1,000 for wages up to ₹10,000, ₹2,000 for wages between ₹10,000 and ₹20,000, and ₹3,000 beyond that. Manufacturing units also receive support in the third and fourth years.

Scale of the scheme

With an outlay of ₹99,446 crore, the government hopes to back over 3.5 crore jobs within two years, of which about 1.92 crore are expected to be first-timers, PIB said. In June, The Hitavada reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to release incentives worth about ₹2,400 crore via DBT at a PM-VBRY event at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on 19 June.

Employees unsure of their status can refer to the EPFO’s PM-VBRY portal and should check with their employer that monthly returns are being filed on time.

Sources: Press Information Bureau, EPFO (PM-VBRY FAQ), The Hitavada, Goodreturns