EOBI pension in Pakistan: eligibility, the Rs 11,500 minimum, old-age grant and how to apply

By Bilal Naeem · Updated: 15 October 2026 · 5 min read

In short

EOBI pays a monthly pension at 60 (55 for women) after 15 years of contributions, at least Rs 11,500. Check your record online, see the formula and apply.

Work it out with the EOBI pension calculator →

EOBI (the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution) runs Pakistan’s compulsory pension scheme for private-sector employees. The money does not come from the government budget: it comes from monthly contributions by your employer and by you. The minimum pension has been Rs 11,500 a month since January 2025. This guide covers who is covered, how to check your record online, how the pension is worked out, and what is paid if you fall short of 15 years or the insured person dies. For civil servants’ pensions, see our government pension guide.

Who is covered and what is paid in

Employers: the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Act 1976 applies to every industry or establishment that employs 10 or more people, directly or through someone else, or did so on any day in the previous 12 months. It keeps applying even if the headcount later drops. Smaller employers can join voluntarily.
Registration: within 30 days of the Act applying, the employer must register the establishment (form PR-01) and every employee (form PE-01), and give each employee the receipt. An employee can also send their own details to EOBI.
Contributions: EOBI says employers pay 5% and employees 1% of the minimum wage. On a wage of Rs 40,000 that would be Rs 2,000 from the employer and Rs 400 from you each month. The employer may not deduct its own share from your pay. Contributions stop once you reach pension age or start drawing the pension.

Because contributions are worked out on the minimum wage, the pension follows the minimum wage too, not your actual salary. Someone on a high salary gets about the same EOBI pension as someone on a low one if they have the same number of years.

How to check your EOBI record online

Open the Insured Person Details page on EOBI’s Facilitation System.
Enter your EOBI number, or your new or old CNIC number.
Check that your name, date of birth and employer are right. If an employer you worked for is missing, raise it with that employer now rather than at retirement.
Once you have applied, track it on the Pension Claim Status page with your claim form number or CNIC.

EOBI says these pages are available Monday to Friday, 9 am to 7 pm. If something is wrong, call the free helpline 0800-03624 (office hours) or the helpdesk on 021-34328037.

Who qualifies for the old-age pension

Age: 60 for men, 55 for women. It is five years lower for someone who worked in mining for at least 10 years just before retiring.
Contributions: paid for at least 15 years. Six months or more counts as a full year.
Early retirement: if your employer has a set retirement age below 60 (55 for women) and certifies that you retired at it, you can take a reduced pension from 55 (50 for women). It is cut by 0.5% for every month short of 60 (or 55), and the cut is for life.
Invalidity pension: for permanent invalidity, if contributions were paid for at least 5 years, including at least 3 of the 5 years before the invalidity.

How the pension is calculated

The Schedule to the Act sets the formula: (average monthly wages × years of insurable employment) ÷ 50. The average is taken over the 12 calendar months just before you meet the conditions. If the result is below the minimum pension, you get the minimum. Here is how it works out on an average wage of Rs 40,000:

Years	Formula gives	Monthly pension
15	Rs 12,000	Rs 12,000
20	Rs 16,000	Rs 16,000
25	Rs 20,000	Rs 20,000
30	Rs 24,000	Rs 24,000

With an average of Rs 37,000 and 15 years, the formula gives Rs 11,100, which is below the minimum, so you are paid Rs 11,500. Someone with 25 years who retires 2 years early at the employer’s retirement age loses 24 × 0.5%, leaving about Rs 17,600.

Increases: section 21 of the Act says no benefit can be changed without an actuarial valuation of the fund. EOBI’s website gives the minimum as Rs 11,500 from January 2025, and as of October 2026 it shows no later increase.

Less than 15 years: the old-age grant

If you retire at pension age with at least 2 but fewer than 15 years of contributions, you get a one-time old-age grant instead: one month’s average wages for each completed year, with any part year over six months counted as a year. With 10 years on an average of Rs 40,000, that is Rs 400,000. Below 2 years there is nothing, so when you change jobs, check that the new employer is registered with EOBI so your years keep adding up.

Survivor’s pension

If an insured person dies while employed, after at least 36 months of insurable employment, the surviving spouse gets the minimum pension for life.
If they die after leaving insurable employment but had completed 5 years, the spouse also gets the minimum pension.
If they die while drawing an old-age or invalidity pension, the spouse gets the same pension, provided the marriage took place before the deceased reached pension age.
After the spouse, the pension passes in equal shares to minor children: sons until 18, daughters until 18 or marriage, whichever is earlier. If the spouse dies within five years leaving no minor children, the deceased’s parents get it for five years.

How to apply

Download the old-age/invalidity pension form or the survivor’s pension form from EOBI’s website. It is an application to the Regional Head asking for your name, CNIC, EOBI registration number, the dates you joined the scheme and left employment, and your employers’ names.
Get the employer’s certificate on the form confirming that your contributions were deposited, and sign the affidavit.
Attach what the form’s checklist asks for: three attested copies of both sides of your CNIC, an attested copy of your spouse’s CNIC, four attested photographs, a service certificate and an age certificate from the employer, your original EOBI registration card, and a statement of your last 12 months’ wages. If the establishment has closed, give other proof such as your appointment letter, resignation, final settlement or service book.
Submit everything at your EOBI regional office and keep the claim number.

Do not wait: under the Act, arrears are paid for at most six months before the month you apply. If you are more than a year late, the form also asks you to request condonation of the delay. Complaints can also go to the Pakistan Citizen Portal or the Federal Ombudsman. Any gratuity from your employer is a separate right; work it out on the gratuity calculator.

Frequently asked questions

My employer has fewer than 10 workers. Am I covered?

Not automatically. The EOB Act applies compulsorily to an establishment that employs 10 or more people (or did so on any day in the previous 12 months), and keeps applying even if numbers later fall. A smaller employer can apply to join voluntarily, and the Act then covers it from the date of the application.

EOBI was deducted from my pay but my name is not in the record. What can I do?

Keep your payslips and appointment letter, ask your employer for your registration receipt (the PE-01 receipt) or EOBI number, and take them to your EOBI regional office. The Act protects you here: if your own 1% contribution was paid regularly, your right to benefits is not affected by your employer failing to pay its share.

I worked 12 years. Do I get anything?

Yes, but as a one-time old-age grant, not a monthly pension. With at least 2 and under 15 years of contributions you get one month’s average wages for every completed year. On an average of Rs 40,000, 12 years would mean Rs 480,000.

Does the EOBI pension go up every year?

No. There is no automatic yearly increase. Section 21 of the Act says no change in contributions or benefits can be made without an actuarial valuation of the fund, so rises come as one-off decisions. The last one lifted the minimum to Rs 11,500 from January 2025.

Is the EOBI pension the same as a government pension?

No. EOBI covers private-sector and other employees insured under the EOB Act, funded by employer and employee contributions. Federal and provincial civil servants get a pension under their own rules, explained in our government pension guide.

Calculators for this guide

Sources

This guide explains the rules for general information. It is not official, legal or tax advice. Rules change, so check the official source or a qualified professional before acting. See how we check our information.