New Delhi, Sept. 2 -- For eligible members covered under the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) 2026, the salary and increments they earn during the final five years of service can have a greater bearing on their pension than the salary earned during much of their earlier career.

This is primarily because EPS does not calculate pensionable wages using an employee's entire career average. In fact, it looks at the average monthly wages over the 60 months immediately preceding a member's leaving the scheme. This aspect makes the final five years particularly important for pension calculation and planning.

For example, if pensionable wages are Rs.15,000 and pensionable service is 30 years, the monthly pension would be about Rs.6,429. With 15 y...