Many Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) members may not realise that getting married can automatically invalidate the nomination they had filed for their retirement savings. Under the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme, 2026, any nomination made before marriage ceases to be valid once the member gets married.
This means the person named in your earlier nomination will no longer be legally entitled to receive your EPF proceeds unless you file a fresh nomination after marriage. To ensure your benefits go to the intended beneficiary, you must update your nomination.
The rule is laid out in Paragraph 44 of the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme, 2026, which was notified on June 29. It states that members must submit a fresh nomination after marriage, and that any nomination made before marriage will automatically become invalid.
Importantly, it is the act of getting marrie, not changing jobs or opening a new EPF account, that triggers the change. If you don't update your nomination after marriage, your earlier nomination will have no legal validity.
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How Does Marriage Affect The EPFO Nomination?
Marriage does not automatically mean an EPF member must nominate their spouse. Under the rules, the obligation is limited to filing a new nomination after marriage. Members are free to choose eligible nominees, including a spouse, parents or children, and may even allocate the benefits across multiple nominees by specifying the percentage due to each, subject to EPF norms.
Under the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), both employers and employees make monthly contributions towards a retirement corpus. Once the member retires, the accumulated amount and any applicable pension and insurance benefits become payable. In the event of the member's death, these benefits are transferred to eligible beneficiaries.
The nomination filed by an EPF member covers more than the retirement corpus. It also governs benefits payable under the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) and the Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) Scheme. The EDLI scheme provides insurance cover of up to ₹7 lakh to eligible family members without requiring an additional premium. An invalid nomination may lead to difficulties in processing claims under all three schemes.
Here's how to update EPF nomination details:
Sign in to the EPFO Unified Member Portal using the Universal Account Number (UAN).
Go to the 'Manage' section and select 'e-Nomination'.
Enter the nominee's details, specify the relationship and allocate the percentage share.
Verify the nomination using the Aadhaar-linked one-time password (OTP).
Submit the request. Employer approval is not needed.
Members should also make sure that:
Aadhaar is linked with the UAN.
Personal details, including the photograph, mobile number and address, are updated on the EPFO portal.
The nominee's Aadhaar details, bank account information and photograph are available.
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Where an EPF member has not registered a nominee, the rules provide for an equal distribution of benefits among eligible family members. If no such family members or legal heirs exist, the funds are released to the individual with a legal right to claim them.
Claims with all supporting documents are usually settled within seven days, though the process can be prolonged if no nominee has been registered. The organisation has also warned that accounts remaining unclaimed for three years are marked as inoperative.
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