Key Reforms Under the EPF Scheme, 2026: EEC, VISHWAS and AMNESTY

With the implementation of the new labour codes, the Government is progressively operationalizing them through various notifications of rules and schemes. As part of this transition, the Government notified the Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme 2026, the Employees’ Pension Scheme 2026, and the Employees’ Deposit-Linked Insurance Scheme 2026, on 29 June 2026, replacing the earlier schemes. Alongside the EPF special initiatives 2026, three special initiatives were introduced: the Employees’ Enrolment Campaign 2026 (EEC), VISHWAS 2026, and AMNESTY 2026.

These EPF special initiatives 2026 are intended to promote voluntary compliance, expand provident fund coverage, resolve legacy disputes, and regularize exempted establishments.

The EEC 2026 campaign is valid until 31 October 2026. VISHWAS 2026, and AMNESTY 2026 will remain open for six months, subject to the applicable eligibility and procedural requirements.

Key features of special initiatives

Employees’ Enrolment Campaign 2026 (EEC) – A One-Time Regularization Window

• Facilitates one-time voluntary enrolment of eligible employees who were previously excluded from provident fund coverage.
• Employers may apply for coverage and enrol employees who joined the establishment between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2026, provided such employees continue to remain in employment on the date of the declaration and were not previously enrolled under the Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme, 1952.
• Employers are required to deposit provident fund contributions from the respective date of joining of each declared employee together with applicable interest and administrative charges. However, where the employee’s share of contribution was never deducted and retained by the employer, such contribution stands waived for the period between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2026, and the employer is required to deposit only its own statutory contribution along with the applicable interest and administrative charges.
• The EEC will significantly reduce the financial consequences of past non-compliance by restricting damages to a notional amount of INR 100, in place of the damages that would otherwise be leviable under the statutory framework.
• Employers may submit multiple declarations during the validity of the EEC, thereby enabling phased compliance where necessary.
• Where an employer furnishes the prescribed undertaking confirming that all existing eligible employees have been declared and that no employee’s contributions deducted from wages remain unpaid, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will not initiate proceedings in respect of employees who had already ceased employment before the date of declaration.

VISHWAS, 2026 – Amicable resolution of disputes

• It is a one-time dispute resolution initiative to facilitate the settlement of disputes relating to damages imposed for delayed remittance of provident fund contributions and to encourage voluntary closure of legacy proceedings.
• It applies to defaults relating to provident fund contributions for periods before 14 June 2024.
• It covers cases where damages have been determined and are under challenge before any judicial or appellate forum, where recovery proceedings are pending, where notices have been issued but final orders are yet to be passed, and even cases where notices are yet to be issued.
• The initiative prescribes a structured mechanism for treatment of partially recovered damages and statutory pre-deposits made for filing appeals. Where only part of the damages has been recovered, the employer is required to pay only the differential amount, if any, determined under the initiative. Conversely, where the amount already recovered or deposited exceeds the damages payable under this initiative, the excess is adjusted in the manner prescribed, thereby ensuring appropriate credit for payments already made.

AMNESTY, 2026 – Opportunity for regularization of exemption status

• It is a one-time regularization initiative to address long-standing compliance issues relating to exempted provident fund trusts.
• It applies to establishments that have operated provident fund trusts recognized under the Income-tax Act, 1961 but have not obtained the statutory exemption required under the provident fund framework.
• The initiative covers two categories of establishments: (i) those seeking retrospective regularization while transitioning to the un-exempted regime; and (ii) those seeking retrospective regularization while continuing as exempted establishments under the Code on Social Security.
• Where participating establishments have provided provident fund benefits and interest that are at least equivalent to the statutory benefits, they are protected from proceedings relating to assessment of provident fund dues, damages, and interest arising solely on account of the absence of formal exemption.
• This initiative provides a framework for retrospective recognition of eligible pension membership, transfer of provident fund accumulations, and orderly transition of trust corpus where establishments opt to move to the un-exempted regime.