India's EPFO extends portal shutdown, launches EPF Scheme 2026

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has extended the temporary shutdown of its Member and Employer portals, as well as the UMANG app, to 2 July 2026 (originally slated for 1 July). The outage, which began on 26 June for a system‑migration and digital‑infrastructure upgrade, halted services such as PF balance checks, new claim applications, UAN linking, and employer filings, affecting millions of contributors across the country.

The upgrade is described as a step toward the forthcoming EPFO 3.0 platform, which is expected to introduce faster claim settlement, UPI and ATM withdrawal options, face‑authentication and other digital features, although no official launch date has been announced.

Separately, the Ministry of Labour and Employment has notified the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) Scheme 2026, superseding the 1952 scheme. Contributions remain capped at 12 % of wages, coverage is unchanged, and new governance, digital compliance and voluntary contribution provisions are added. The notification also allows international workers from countries with social‑security agreements, such as the UK, to join.

The Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) 2026 was also introduced, retaining the existing pension formula and contribution rates while imposing a 20‑day deadline for claim processing and a 12 % annual interest penalty for unjustified delays. Together, these measures aim to modernise India’s largest retirement‑fund system and improve service reliability for its vast member base.