The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), on December 17, 2025, issued an urgent clarification regarding regulation of claims under Para 22(3) of the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) Scheme, 1976, particularly on the treatment of weekends and closed holidays while determining continuous service for EDLI death claims. The clarification follows amendments notified vide G.S.R. 299(E) dated April 29, 2021 and G.S.R. 476(E) dated July 18, 2025, aimed at rationalising minimum assurance benefits and removing anomalies in determining continuous service.
EPFO highlighted that EDLI claims were being incorrectly denied or settled for reduced amounts due to treating minor gaps between employments as breaks in service, even where members had rendered qualifying service across multiple EPF-covered establishments. The amendments clarify that (i) the minimum EDLI benefit has been enhanced to ₹50,000 for members with less than 12 months’ continuous service and average PF balance below ₹50,000, (ii) EDLI benefits are payable if a member dies within six months of last contribution, provided they were on the employer’s rolls, and (iii) gaps up to 60 days between two EPF-covered employments shall be ignored and treated as continuous service.
It is expressly clarified that Saturdays, Sundays, weekly offs, national holidays, gazetted holidays, state holidays, and restricted holidays falling between the date of exit from one establishment and joining another EPF-covered establishment shall not be treated as break in service, provided the separation is only due to such holidays. All Regional Provident Fund Commissioners have been directed to strictly follow this clarification while processing EDLI claims, and the IS Division has been instructed to update the EDLI processing module accordingly to ensure uniform compliance.
[File No. 791942/EDLI/Continuous/Service/Clarification/2024]
