When changing jobs, many people have a big worry – about the time between leaving the old job and joining the new job. Especially if the days in between are Saturdays or Sundays, or there is a government holiday, will the continuity of service or ‘continuous service’ be lost? This fear was not unfounded until now. Because, if the continuity of service was not maintained, there would be complications in getting the benefits of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) insurance or EDLI scheme. But now, EPFO has put an end to that worry. The organization has brought some comforting news for ordinary employees through a major amendment to the 1952 Act.
What exactly does the new guideline say?
According to an EPFO guideline issued on December 17, 2025, from now on, if a weekly holiday (such as Saturday and Sunday), a national holiday, or a gazetted holiday falls between leaving one job and joining another, it will no longer be considered as a ‘break in service’ or ‘break in service’.
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Previous problem: Earlier, if an employee left his job on Friday and joined a new job on Monday, the intervening Saturday and Sunday were considered as a ‘break’. Unfortunately, if the employee died during that time, his family would face legal complications while claiming EDLI or insurance money.
Current advantage: Under the new rules, these holidays will be considered as an integral part of the job. That is, in terms of books and records, the employee will be considered as being on leave at that time and the family will not have to face any obstacles in claiming insurance.
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Benefits will be available even if there is a gap of up to 60 days
Not only weekly or government holidays, EPFO has also given another big concession for the convenience of employees. The guidelines state that in the case of employees working in multiple organizations, even if there is a gap of up to 60 days between two jobs, it will still be considered as ‘continuous service’. In simple terms, if you leave a job and sit at home for 2 months and then join a new job, your job continuity will still be maintained and if any incident happens during this period, your family will get insurance benefits.