Rayon Dsouza

Introduction With the Government notifying major parts of the Social Security Code, 2020 on 21st November 2025, one question is trending everywhere: “Will I get gratuity after completing one year?” Social media and WhatsApp messages claim that every employee will now receive gratuity after just one year of service. But is this actually true? This blog gives you the correct, legal and simplified explanation based on the new Code. ⭐ Short Answer You will get gratuity after one year ONLY if you belong to certain specific categories of employees. For all regular employees, the five-year rule still applies. - Who Is Eligible for Gratuity After One Year? Under Section 53 of the Social Security Code, 2020, the 1-year gratuity rule applies to the following groups: 1. Fixed-Term Employees (Major Change) A fixed-term employee is someone hired on a contract with a fixed start and end date. Under the new Code: ✔ They become eligible for gratuity after 1 year. ✔ They do not nee...

The Ministry of Labour and Employment has announced the Employees’ Enrolment Campaign (EEC) 2025, a major initiative to expand the reach of India’s social security system. This campaign, operational from 1st   November 2025, to 30 April  2026, encourages employers to voluntarily register and declare employees under the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) who may have been left out earlier. 🏛️ Purpose of EEC 2025 The Employees’ Enrolment Campaign 2025 aims to  - Bring more workers under organized social security coverage through EPFO - Allow employers to regularize past non-enrolments without heavy penalties. - Promote ease of doing business by simplifying compliance. This initiative follows the success of a similar campaign in 2017, which helped lakhs of employees get formal social security benefits. 👷‍♀️ Who Can Be Enrolled Employers can declare and enroll employees who: Joined between 1st July 2017, and 31st October 2025, Are still employed a...

What’s New in EPFO Reforms (2025) 1. Simplified Partial Withdrawal System - Earlier: 13 separate withdrawal types. - Now: Merged into 3 simple categories — faster and easier processing. 2. Shorter Partial Withdrawal Eligibility Period - Earlier: Minimum service period for withdrawal was up to 7 years. - Now: Only 1 year of service required for all withdrawal types. 3. Higher Partial Withdrawal Limit. - Earlier: Could withdraw only employee share + interest (50–100%). - Now: Can withdraw 75% of total amount (including employer share + employee share + interest). 4. Protection of Retirement Corpus. - Must retain 25% in account to build minimum savings for retirement and benefit from compounding (8.25% interest). 5.  EPF Final Withdrawal in case of Unemployment. - Earlier: Full PF accumulation withdrawal after 2 months of unemployment. - Now:  75% can be withdrawn anytime without documentation. Remaining 25% can be withdrawn after One year of Unemployment. - F...

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has officially launched its Re-Engineered Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) system starting from the September 2025 wage month . This marks one of the biggest overhauls in EPF return filing in recent years, aimed at improving accuracy, transparency, and speed in monthly compliance. The change is not just technical it reshapes how employers file, validate, and pay their provident fund contributions. 🔹 What Has Changed in the New System The earlier ECR system combined data filing and payment in a single step. In the re-engineered version, these are handled separately giving employers better control but also stricter compliance checks. Key upgrades include: Separate Stages for Filing and Payment Employers now upload and validate the return first. Once it’s approved, a Temporary Return Reference Number (TRRN) is generated for challan payment. This allows errors to be fixed before money is transferred. Three Ty...

📜 Maharashtra Government Gazette Update: ESI Act Provisions Extended to Educational & Medical Institutions Date: July 29, 2025 Published by: Government of Maharashtra, Public Health Department Gazette Notification No.: PHD-12016/3/2025-PHD (R.K.V.2) Effective Date of Proposed Change: August 28, 2025 ✦ " Satyamev Jayate – Truth Alone Triumphs" The Maharashtra Government, through an extraordinary notification published in its official Gazette, has proposed a significant extension of the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 (ESI Act) . This new draft notification brings certain categories of institutions under the ambit of the ESI Act, expanding social security coverage to more workers in the state. 🔍 What’s the New Proposal? The state government has proposed to extend the provisions of the ESI Act to: Educational Institutions Including public, private, aided, or partially aided institutions run by individuals, trusts, societies, ...

In a major push towards boosting employment and securing the future of India’s youth, the Union Cabinet has approved the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme. With a total outlay of ₹99,446 Crore, the ELI Scheme is designed to generate over 3.5 Crore jobs over the next two years. This initiative is part of a broader ₹2 Lakh Crore package announced in Budget 2024–25, aiming to empower 4.1 Crore youth through employment, skill development, and economic opportunity. Key Highlights of the ELI Scheme 🧑‍💼 Part A: Incentive to First-Time Employees Designed to support 1.92 Crore first-time employees , Part A focuses on youth entering the workforce for the first time and encourages long-term savings and financial discipline . 🎯 Eligibility : First-time EPFO-registered employees with a monthly salary up to ₹1,00,000 & Must be hired between 1st August 2025 and 31st July 2027 💰 Incentive : One-month EPF wage up to ₹15,000 paid in two instalments : 1st Instalment : After 6 m...