At a Glance

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has rolled out its biggest reform in over seven decades: the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme, 2026, notified by the Ministry of Labour & Employment and published in the Gazette of India on 29 June 2026, replacing the EPF Scheme, 1952 under the Code on Social Security, 2020, and covering nearly eight crore active subscribers. Mandatory contributions stay unchanged at 12% of wages each from employer and employee, capped at ₹1,800 a month on the statutory ₹15,000 wage ceiling regardless of actual salary, though employees can now voluntarily contribute more. The earlier 13 partial-withdrawal categories have been merged into three — essential needs (illness, education, marriage), housing, and special circumstances — with members able to withdraw up to 100% of the eligible balance as long as at least 25% of total contributions stays in the account. The linked Employees' Pension Scheme, 2026 keeps the existing pension formula unchanged, and the government has separately notified the 8.25% EPF interest rate for FY 2025-26, with crediting to member accounts now underway. New and existing members should verify their Aadhaar, PAN and bank KYC are linked, complete e-nomination, and activate any fresh UAN through the UMANG app's face-authentication route; note that EPFO's member and employer portals were under extended maintenance and were scheduled to fully reopen only from 3 July 2026, so confirm current portal status before filing any claim. Official Resources
https://www.epfindia.gov.in/
https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/
EPFO helpline: 14470 (toll-free) | Balance-check missed call: 011-22901406