Fifth Schedule explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
The Fifth Schedule lists the matters on which the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme, the Employees' Pension Scheme and the Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme may make provisions. It is the checklist behind section 15(2): the Central Government frames the schemes, and the Schedule says what those schemes may cover.
The Schedule is headed "" and has three Parts: Part A for the Provident Fund Scheme, Part B for the Pension Scheme and Part C for the Employees' Deposit-Linked Insurance Scheme. It does not fix any contribution rate or pension amount; it only lists the subjects the schemes may deal with. Under s.152(1) the Central Government may add to or delete from the Schedule by notification.
What the Schedule is and where it connects
Section 15(1) lets the Central Government, by notification, frame the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme (clause (a)), the Employees' Pension Scheme (clause (b)), the Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme (clause (c)) and other schemes for self-employed workers or other classes of persons (clause (d)), and modify any of them (clause (e)). Section 15(2) then says the schemes in clauses (a), (b) and (c) "may provide for all or any of the matters respectively specified in Part A, Part B and Part C of the Fifth Schedule". Under s.15(3) a scheme may take effect prospectively or retrospectively.
For an employer, this matters because the everyday mechanics of provident fund compliance, such as when contributions are paid, what records are kept and what returns are filed, come from the scheme and not from the Code. The Schedule is the source of authority for those details. If your establishment is covered by Chapter III, our labour law compliance team can help you map the scheme requirements to your payroll. Note that s.164(2)(b) keeps the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme, 1952, the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995 and the Employees' Deposit-Linked Insurance Scheme, 1976 alive, to the extent they are not inconsistent with the Code, for one year from commencement.
| Provision | What it does |
|---|---|
| s.15(1) | Central Government frames the PF, Pension, EDLI and other schemes |
| s.15(2) | Schemes may cover matters in Parts A, B and C of the Fifth Schedule |
| s.15(3) | Scheme provisions may take effect prospectively or retrospectively |
| s.152(1) | Central Government may add to or delete from the Fifth Schedule by notification |
| s.164(2)(b) | Old schemes continue for one year from commencement, to the extent not inconsistent |
Part A: Provident Fund Scheme
Part A lists the matters the Provident Fund Scheme may cover. The serial numbers in the gazette scan are partly garbled, so the groups below follow the text rather than the printed numbers. In the scan Part A has 19 entries.
- Who joins: the employees or class of employees who shall join the Fund, and when an employee may be exempted from joining or from contributing.
- Contributions: the time and manner of contributions by employers and by or on behalf of employees (whether employed directly or through a contractor), voluntary contributions under section 16, and how they may be recovered. A separate entry covers how contractors recover employees' contributions from employees employed through them.
- Administration cost: payment by the employer of the sums needed to meet the cost of administering the Fund, and the rate and manner of payment.
- Governance: committees to assist any board of trustees, and regional and other offices of a board of trustees.
- Accounts and investment: how accounts are kept, investment of the Fund as directed by the Central Government, the budget, audit and reports to the Central Government or a specified State Government.
- Withdrawals: conditions for withdrawals, and any deduction or forfeiture and its maximum amount.
- Interest: fixation by the Central Government, in consultation with the boards of trustees, of the rate of interest payable to members.
- Member particulars: the form in which an employee furnishes particulars about himself and his family; nomination of a person to receive the credit after death and its cancellation or variation.
- Records and identity: registers and records, employer and contractor returns, and identity cards, tokens or discs.
- Fees: fees to be levied for any purpose in the Schedule.
- Offences and powers: the contraventions or defaults punishable under section 135, and further powers of Inspector-cum-Facilitators.
- Transfers and insurance: how accumulations in an existing provident fund are transferred and valued, and conditions under which a member may pay life insurance premia from the Fund.
- Residual: any other matter needed to implement the Scheme.
Part B: Pension Scheme
Part B has 12 entries in the scan. It covers: the employees or class of employees to whom the Pension Scheme applies; the portion of the employer's provident fund contribution credited to the Pension Fund and how; how periods of service without contribution are regulated; protection of employees' interest against an employer's default in contribution; accounts and investment of the Pension Fund (subject to a pattern of investment determined by the Central Government); the form of member particulars; forms, registers and records; the scale of pension and pensionary benefits and their conditions; how exempted establishments pay contribution towards the Pension Scheme and file returns; mode of disbursement through specified agencies; how administration expenses are met from the Pension Fund's income; and any other necessary matter.
Section 15(1)(b) describes the pension the Scheme is for: superannuation, retiring or permanent total disablement pension; widow or widower's, children and orphan pension; and nominee pension. For background on the old scheme, see our post on EPS 1995.
Part C: Deposit-Linked Insurance Scheme
Part C has 8 entries: who is covered; accounts and investment of the Insurance Fund (pattern determined by order of the Central Government); the form of member particulars; nomination of a person to receive the insurance amount after death, and its cancellation or variation; registers, records and identity cards for the employee, nominee or family member; scales of insurance benefits and conditions; the manner of payment to the nominee or family member, including a provision that the amount is paid only as a deposit in a savings bank account in the name of the nominee or family member in a corresponding new bank under the First Schedule to the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970; and any other necessary matter.
A practical reading
Suppose an employer asks whether a particular PF withdrawal condition or nomination form is found in the Code. It is not; the Code only authorises the scheme to provide for it under the Fifth Schedule. The employer should read the scheme currently in force, and, for the period described in s.164(2)(b), the old schemes as continued. Where a scheme, once notified, varies these details, the scheme governs, not the Schedule.
Need help with provident fund scheme compliance?
If you are unsure which scheme requirements apply to your payroll, our labour law compliance practice can review your registers, nominations and returns against the scheme in force and flag gaps before an inspection does.
Key takeaways
- The Fifth Schedule is the checklist of matters the PF, Pension and EDLI schemes may provide for (s.15(2)).
- Part A covers the PF Scheme, Part B the Pension Scheme, Part C the EDLI Scheme.
- It fixes no rates or amounts; those come from the Code, the schemes and notifications.
- The Central Government may add or delete entries by notification (s.152(1)).
- The old schemes continue for one year from commencement to the extent not inconsistent (s.164(2)(b)).
Read next
- Sections 15 and 16: Employees' Provident Fund schemes and funds
- First Schedule: Applicability of Chapters
- Sixth and Seventh Schedules: compensation factors and aggregators
- EPF Scheme 1952: how your PF accumulates
Disclaimer: Based on the Code on Social Security, 2020 (as enacted) and, where noted, the Code on Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 344(E), 8 May 2026), as on 30 September 2026. The Code is in force from 21 November 2025; some provisions may be notified later, and State Governments make their own rules for establishments where the State is the appropriate Government. Verify the current position before acting.