Just married? Is it mandatory to nominate your spouse under EPF Scheme 2026?

However, the new rules do not categorically make it mandatory to declare one's spouse as a nominee.

"... a fresh nomination shall be made by the member upon marriage and any nomination made before such marriage shall be deemed to be invalid," EPF Scheme 2026 says.

The previous EPF Scheme of 1952 also didn't make it mandatory to declare your spouse as a nominee after marriage. However, it did ask for a fresh nomination after marriage.

Who can be nominated?

As per Paragraph 44 (3) of the EPF Scheme 2026, an EPF member can nominate one or more members of the family if s/he has a family at the time of making the nomination.

"Where a member has a family at the time of making a nomination, the nomination shall be in favour of one or more persons belonging to the family, and any nomination made by such member in favour of a person not belonging to his family shall be invalid," the EPF Scheme 2026 says.

Any nomination made under the EPF Scheme 1952 will be void if it's inconsistent with the provisions of the EPF Scheme 2026.

Unlike the EPF Scheme 1952, the EPF Scheme 2026 does not provide a separate definition of family. Instead, it adopts the definition of family under the Code on Social Security 2020. Accordingly, a family includes all or any of the following relatives of an employee:

1)A spouse;

2)A minor legitimate or adopted child

3)A child who is wholly dependent on the earnings of the employee, and who is

• receiving education, till he attains the age of 21 years; and

• an unmarried daughter;

4)A child, who is infirm, and is wholly dependent on the earnings of the employee, so long as the infirmity continues

5)Dependent parents (including father-in-law and mother-in-law of a woman employee), whose income from all sources does not exceed such income as may be prescribed by the Central Government;

6)In case the employee is unmarried and his parents are not alive, a minor brother or sister wholly dependent upon his/her earnings

What is nomination under EPF 2026?

As per the EPF Scheme 2026, an EPF member must declare his/her nominee on the EPFO portal.

The nomination confers the right to receive the amount that may stand to the credit of the member's account, in the event of his/her death:

• before the amount in the EPF account has become payable, or

• before the payment is made, after the EPF amount becomes payable

In case of more than one nominee, the EPF member can declare the share of each nominee from the amount standing to the credit in the fund.

What if an EPF member has no family?

If a member has no family at the time of making a nomination, s/he can make the nomination in favour of any person. However, s/he must make a fresh nomination in favour of family members after acquiring a family.