The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has urged employers to leverage its own compliance and dispute resolution initiatives, including the Employee Enrollment Campaign (EEC-2026), Amnesty Scheme 2026, and Vishwaas Scheme 2026, while also leveraging digital services provided under EPFO 3.0 and the Centralized Information Technology Services (CITES) platform to simplify compliance and improve member services.
The new initiatives are aimed at expanding social security coverage, encouraging voluntary compliance and making provident fund services faster, more transparent and digitally accessible for both employers and employees, said I Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, Greater Noida, Vaibhav Singh.
Special schemes aim to improve compliance and resolve disputes
The EPFO said the Employee Enrollment Campaign (EEC-2026) is a voluntary compliance drive that enables employers to enroll eligible employees who should have been covered under the Employees Provident Fund Scheme earlier but were excluded for various reasons. The campaign seeks to bring more eligible workers into the social security net, promote voluntary compliance and enhance retirement security for employees.
The organization also highlighted the Vishwas Scheme 2026, which will remain operational from June 29 to December 28, 2026. The scheme has been introduced to facilitate speedy and amicable resolution of disputes relating to damages levied on overdue provident fund contributions. Eligible enterprises can benefit from compensation for damages according to the stipulated conditions, while disputes and pending cases can also be resolved through the program. The EPFO clarified that the scheme does not waive statutory provident fund contributions or interest liabilities and provides relief only in notified cases involving compensation.
The 2026 Amnesty Regime, which also applies between 29 June and 28 December 2026, is for eligible institutions that manage exempted provident funds without formal exemption notifications or where compliance is required by regulation. The scheme provides a one-off opportunity for regulation, simplifies the approval process, enables applications to be submitted digitally and seeks to improve governance and transparency between exempt trusts. Employers have been advised to complete the process before the notified deadline.
EPFO 3.0 expands digital services for members and employers
Singh said EPFO 3.0 has significantly modernized member and employer services by making them simpler, faster and fully digital. Through CITES, services across regional offices have become centralized and standardized, allowing members to submit physical claims at any EPFO office across the country while enabling faster and more transparent claims processing.
Under the updated system, members who change jobs or face unemployment can withdraw up to 75% of their provident fund balance while keeping the remaining 25% in the account. Eligible withdrawal amounts and other claim-related information are also visible on the EPFO portal before claims are submitted.
The revised EPF 2026 has also simplified advance claims provisions. Members who have completed 12 months of service can withdraw up to 100% of their eligible balance as an advance under specified conditions. The revised limits allow advance claims up to three times per fiscal year for medical treatment, up to ten times during membership for education, five times for marriage, five times for housing-related purposes such as purchase, construction, loan repayment or renovation, and twice per fiscal year under special circumstances without specifying a reason.
Sharing the performance of the Greater Noida Regional Office, Singh said annual account updates for 2025-26 have been completed for 25,08,235 eligible members across 6,000 institutions at an annual interest rate of 8.25% and interest has already been credited to the members’ provident fund accounts. Members can now access updated balances through the EPFO Member Portal and UMANG App.
He added that under EPFO 3.0, the automatic claims settlement limit has been increased from $1 lakh for $5 lakh. Eligible advance claims for illness, education, marriage and housing are now processed through an automated system, with payments generally completed within 72 hours. Interest on provident fund claims is also calculated up to the date of final approval, enabling members to earn higher interest than under the previous system.
Singh also said that the new EPF-2026 Scheme, EPS-2026 and EDLI Scheme-2026, notified on June 29 and effective from July 1, replace the previous 1952-era schemes with simplified and digitally enabled provisions. The reforms focus on online services, easier compliance, centralized service delivery, simplified advance claims rules and automated claims settlement.
Appealing to employers, Singh urged establishments to review their compliance status and avail the benefits offered under these special schemes within the stipulated timelines. Employers who need assistance can approach the EPFO Regional Office, Greater Noida, its facilitation center or the concerned enforcement officer or Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner, he said.
