India: Retirement, Superannuation & Pensions

The notification of the Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 2026 (‘2026 Scheme’) with effect from 1 July 2026, was anticipated to settle and provide clarity on the regulatory framework governing international workers under the Code on Social Security, 2020.

India’s gig economy is expanding rapidly, but gig workers do not automatically receive the same provident fund protection as traditional employees. With the Code on Social Security, 2020 now in force and the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 notified, has India finally addressed the social-security gap or has it simply created a new, scheme-based framework that still falls short of EPF protection?

For years, Indian professionals on temporary assignments in the UK faced a quiet but costly problem: paying into two social security systems for the same job, with no additional pension benefit to show for it. That changed on 15 July 2026, when the India-UK Double Contributions Convention (DCC) came into force alongside the broader Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), finally addressing what officials on both sides had long acknowledged as a sunk cost for mobile talent.

Labour Codes continue to evolve across Indian states with new draft rules and clarifications emerging in March and April 2026. Significant developments include expanded corporate criminal liability in the UK...

This comprehensive update examines significant regulatory reforms and landmark judicial decisions reshaping India's employment law landscape in early 2026. From Delhi's expanded working hour thresholds and Karnataka's gig worker welfare framework to Supreme Court rulings on maternity benefits and the constitutional definition of 'industry', these developments signal a transformative period for workplace rights, gender equity, and labour relations across public and private sectors.

Disputes relating to compassionate appointments and pensionary benefits frequently arise when multiple family members claim entitlement after the death of an employee.

Ever since the central government announced terms of reference and appointed the chairman and members of the 8th CPC early in November, employees and pensioners have been keen to know about their payout rise.

Barely a week after the Ministry of Labour & Employment notified the coming-into-force of the Code on Social Security, 2020 (CoSS) vide Gazette Notification No. 5143 dated 21 November 2025...

EPF (Amendment) Scheme, 2025: Special enrolment window to streamline employee enrolment, contributions, and employees' provident fund benefits.