VISHWAS, 2026 — Damages Settlement Scheme
By Varun M
Buried in the same Annexure as the Enrolment Campaign is a second special scheme — VISHWAS, 2026 — aimed at employers with older, unresolved PF payment defaults.
EPF Scheme 2026 Withdrawal Calculator
See how the 25% lock rule applies once an employee's account is properly maintained.
The short answer
VISHWAS, 2026 is a time-limited settlement scheme, set out in the EPF Scheme, 2026's Annexure, letting employers resolve pre-14-June-2024 contribution defaults at reduced damages, using the Code's own tiered damages table rather than a harsher rate.
What it addresses
Employers who defaulted on PF contribution payments before 14 June 2024 — under the old Section 14B framework of the EPF & MP Act, 1952, now succeeded by the Code's own Section 128 — can use VISHWAS to settle those defaults at the Code's tiered damages rate (escalating by length of delay, up to roughly 1% per month) instead of facing a potentially harsher assessment under the older regime.
Why the exact dates matter, and what we're not asserting
Unlike the Employees' Enrolment Campaign's confirmed 31 October 2026 closing date, we haven't pinned down VISHWAS's own opening and closing dates with the same level of confidence from the primary text alone. If a specific default falls in your compliance history, confirm the scheme's exact window directly with EPFO rather than relying on an assumed date here.
Distinct from the Enrolment Campaign
VISHWAS addresses payment defaults — contributions that were due but not paid or paid late. The Employees' Enrolment Campaign, 2026 addresses a different problem — employees who were never enrolled in PF at all. They're separate schemes in the same Annexure, not two names for the same relief.
FAQ
A time-limited scheme in the EPF Scheme, 2026's Annexure letting employers settle pre-14-June-2024 PF contribution defaults at the Code's standard tiered damages rate rather than a harsher assessment.
VISHWAS addresses payment defaults — contributions due but not paid or paid late. The Enrolment Campaign addresses a different problem: employees who were never enrolled in PF at all.
We haven't independently confirmed VISHWAS's exact opening and closing dates with the same confidence as the Enrolment Campaign's confirmed 31 October 2026 deadline. Confirm directly with EPFO.
The Code's own tiered damages table — escalating by length of delay, up to roughly 1% per month of the amount due — rather than a potentially harsher rate under the older regime.
Employers with unresolved PF contribution payment defaults from before 14 June 2024. This is an employer-side compliance matter, not something individual members need to act on directly.
Last verified: 22 Aug 2026
Sources: Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 2026 (G.S.R. 525(E), notified 29 June 2026), Annexure (VISHWAS, 2026), read directly from the Gazette notification text. Exact scheme window dates not independently confirmed to the same standard as the Enrolment Campaign's.
This is general information, not compliance or legal advice. Confirm your establishment's specific default history and this scheme's exact terms and dates with EPFO or a qualified professional before relying on this for a compliance decision.