Opening
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has issued Special Advertisement No. 52/2026 for recruitment to the post of Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner (APFC) in the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Ministry of Labour and Employment. The pen-and-paper Recruitment Test (RT) is scheduled for 20/12/2026. The e-Admit Card will be made available on the UPSC website before the Recruitment Test for eligible candidates.
Post Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Organization | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Post Name | Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner |
| Department | Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation, Ministry of Labour and Employment |
| Total Vacancies | 80 |
| Qualification | Degree from a recognised University or equivalent |
| Category | Admit Card |
| Recruitment Test Date | 20/12/2026 |
| Admit Card Status | To be issued before the Recruitment Test |
| Application Mode | Online |
| Official Website | https://upsc.gov.in/ |
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Online Application Start Date | 22/08/2026 |
| Last Date to Apply | 11/09/2026 up to 18:00 hrs |
| Recruitment Test Date | 20/12/2026 |
| Interview Date | To be intimated separately to shortlisted candidates |
| Admit Card | To be released before the Recruitment Test |
Vacancy Details
| Category | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Unreserved | 29 |
| Economically Weaker Section | 08 |
| Other Backward Classes | 18 |
| Scheduled Caste | 15 |
| Scheduled Tribe | 10 |
| Persons with Benchmark Disability | 03 |
| Total | 80 |
Three vacancies are reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities having 40% or more disability. The identified suitable categories include blindness and low vision, deafness and hard of hearing, specified locomotor disabilities, leprosy-cured persons, dwarfism, acid attack victims, muscular dystrophy, spinal deformity, spinal injury and certain other identified disabilities as specified in the notification.
Eligibility and Pay Scale
- Educational Qualification: Degree from a recognised University or equivalent.
- Desirable Qualification: Diploma in Company Law, Labour Laws or Public Administration.
- Age Limit: 35 years for UR/EWS candidates, 38 years for OBC candidates and 40 years for SC/ST candidates.
- PwBD Relaxation: Up to 10 years, subject to the maximum age limit of 56 years.
- Other Relaxations: Age relaxation is available as per applicable Government of India rules for Ex-Servicemen, Central/UT Government employees, EPFO employees and other eligible categories.
- Pay Scale: Level 10 in the Pay Matrix as per the 7th Central Pay Commission.
- Service Liability: The post has All India Service liability, and selected officers may be required to serve anywhere in India.
- Probation: One year.
- Headquarters: New Delhi.
Admit Card Details
The eligible candidates will be issued an e-Admit Card before the Recruitment Test. Candidates must download it from the UPSC website because the Commission will not send the Admit Card by post or email.
Candidates should:
- Regularly check the UPSC website before the Recruitment Test.
- Download and print the e-Admit Card after it is released.
- Verify the name, roll number, examination centre, date, time and other details printed on the Admit Card.
- Carry the printed Admit Card and the same Photo ID Card whose details were provided in the Universal Registration profile.
- Reach the examination venue well in advance for face authentication, identity verification and frisking.
- Follow all instructions printed on the e-Admit Card and the examination notice.
Documents to Carry
Candidates appearing for the Recruitment Test should carry:
- Printed copy of the UPSC e-Admit Card.
- Original valid Photo ID Card, such as Aadhaar Card, Voter ID, PAN Card, Passport, Driving Licence or another Photo ID issued by the Central or State Government.
- Required stationery, including a good-quality black ball pen.
- Eligible PwBD candidates requiring a scribe or compensatory time must carry the prescribed medical certificate and undertaking, wherever applicable.
Recruitment Test Pattern
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Test Mode | Pen-and-paper based Recruitment Test |
| Question Type | Objective type multiple-choice questions |
| Duration | 2 hours |
| Maximum Marks | 300 |
| Medium | English and Hindi |
| Negative Marking | One-third of the marks assigned to a question for every wrong answer |
| Unattempted Question | No penalty |
All questions carry equal marks. Marking more than one answer will be treated as a wrong answer and will attract the applicable penalty.
Recruitment Test Syllabus
The Recruitment Test broadly covers the following subjects:
- General English, including understanding of the English language and effective use of words.
- Indian Culture, Heritage and Freedom Movements.
- Developmental Issues and Current Trends in the Indian Economy.
- Governance and Constitution of India.
- General Science and Basic Knowledge of Computer Applications.
- Elementary Mathematics, Statistics and General Mental Ability.
- Industrial Relations, Labour Codes and Social Security in India.
- Principles of Accountancy, Auditing and Insurance.
- Current Events of National and International Importance.
Selection Process
The selection process consists of the following stages:
- Recruitment Test conducted by UPSC.
- Shortlisting of candidates for interview on the basis of the online application details and Recruitment Test performance.
- Document verification and scrutiny of eligibility documents.
- Interview or Personality Test.
- Final selection based on the prescribed Recruitment Test and interview weightage.
The Recruitment Test carries 300 marks and the interview carries 100 marks. The prescribed weightage is 75:25 for the Recruitment Test and interview respectively. The minimum interview suitability standard is 50 marks for General/EWS candidates, 45 marks for OBC candidates and 40 marks for SC/ST/PwBD candidates.
Examination Instructions
- Candidates must use only a black ball pen for writing and marking answers on the OMR sheet.
- Pencil, ink pen and pens of other colours are not permitted.
- Candidates must carefully fill in the roll number, test booklet series code and other details on the OMR answer sheet.
- Mobile phones, pagers, Bluetooth devices, smart watches, cameras, electronic equipment, storage media and other communication devices are strictly prohibited in the examination hall.
- No arrangement will be made for safe custody of banned or valuable items at the examination venue.
- Face authentication will be mandatory at the examination venue.
- Unfair means, impersonation, submission of false documents or misconduct may lead to cancellation of candidature and debarment from future examinations or government employment.
PwBD Scribe and Compensatory Time Facility
Eligible candidates with blindness, locomotor disability involving both arms and cerebral palsy may avail the facility of a scribe. Candidates with other specified disabilities may receive a scribe after submitting the prescribed certificate confirming physical limitation in writing. Candidates may bring their own scribe or request the Commission to provide one.
Eligible candidates may also receive 20 minutes of compensatory time per hour of the Recruitment Test, subject to the conditions and certificates prescribed by UPSC.
Recruitment Test Centres
The Recruitment Test is proposed to be conducted at the following 84 centres:
Agartala, Agra, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Ajmer, Aligarh, Almora, Alwar, Ananthapuramu, Bareilly, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Bilaspur, Chandigarh, Chennai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Coimbatore, Cuttack, Dehradun, Delhi, Dharamshala, Dharwad, Dispur, Faridabad, Gangtok, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Gaya, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Gurugram, Gwalior, Hanumakonda (Warangal Urban), Hisar, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Itanagar, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jammu, Jodhpur, Jorhat, Kannur, Kanpur, Kochi (Cochin), Kohima, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Madurai, Mandi, Meerut, Mumbai, Mysuru, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Panaji (Goa), Patna, Port Blair, Prayagraj, Puducherry, Pune, Raipur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Sambalpur, Shillong, Shimla, Siliguri, Srinagar, Srinagar (Uttarakhand), Surat, Thane, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirapalli, Tirupati, Udaipur, Varanasi, Vellore, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.
Centre allotment, except for Chennai, Dispur, Kolkata and Nagpur, will be made on a first-apply-first-allot basis subject to capacity. Centres may be changed by UPSC, and no request for a change of centre will be entertained.
Helpline
For assistance related to the application process, fee payment, document uploading or recruitment details, candidates may contact UPSC at 011-24041001 or 011-40303444, or email upscsoap@nic.in. The helpline operates from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM on working days during the application window.