DIMAPUR, JULY 12 (MExN): The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has invited applications from eligible establishments to avail the Amnesty Scheme, 2026, which provides a six-month window for provident fund (PF) trusts to regularise their status under the Employees' Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.
A press release informed that the scheme was notified by the Central Government on June 29, 2026, following amendments introduced through the Finance Act, 2026. The amendments align the Income Tax framework governing recognised provident funds with the statutory and administrative provisions of the EPF Act.
The release stated that recognition under the Income Tax Act will now be available only to provident funds that have obtained exemption under Section 17 of the EPF and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.
Under the Amnesty Scheme, eligible establishments will be granted retrospective exemption under Section 17 of the EPF Act and Section 143 of the Code on Social Security, 2020.
The scheme applies to establishments operating provident fund trusts recognised under the Income Tax Act, 1961, but which do not possess a formal exemption notification from the appropriate government.
Eligible establishments have been classified into two categories. The first includes those seeking retrospective trust regularisation while already complying, or intending to comply, as un-exempted establishments. The second covers establishments seeking retrospective regularisation while continuing to operate as exempted establishments under the Code on Social Security, 2020.
Among the key benefits offered under the scheme are retrospective regularisation of trust recognition from the inception of the trust up to the notified cut-off date, waiver of certain eligibility requirements under the Code on Social Security, 2020, and withdrawal of pending legal proceedings relating to dues, damages and interest, subject to prescribed conditions. The release stated that past finalised orders would also be treated as void from the outset if specified conditions are met.
To avail the scheme, eligible employers are required to submit a formal application to the Central Government through the concerned EPFO Regional Office. Establishments may also submit an expression of interest via email to rc.exemption@epfindia.gov.in.
Financial accounts must be audited by a Chartered Accountant, while any special or compliance audits directed by EPF authorities must be completed within three months of submitting the application.
The EPFO advised employers to refer to Part C of the Annexure to the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme, 2026, notified through Gazette Notification GSR 525(E) dated June 29, 2026, as well as the detailed circulars and standard operating procedures available on the EPFO website. It added that the respective Regional Offices will provide guidance and process applications during the six-month amnesty period.
.jpg)
