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Home › Personal Finance › EPF & PF Published 29 July 2026  |  10 min read  |  Utkarsh Garg, Editor Quick Answer The EPF Scheme 2026 (G.S.R. 525(E), dated 29 June 2026) replaces the 1952 Scheme under the Code on Social Security, 2020, with effect from 1 July 2026. The 12% contribution rate is unchanged — but mandatory contributions are now explicitly capped at ₹1,800 per month (12% of the ₹15,000 wage ceiling); anything above is voluntary. The 13 advance withdrawal categories are consolidated into three. After a job loss you can take up to 75% of your balance soon after leaving; the remaining 25% can be withdrawn as final settlement only after 12 months of unemployment — up from the old 2-month full-settlement rule. What Is the EPF Scheme 2026? The Ministry of Labour & Employment notified the Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 2026 vide Gazette Notification No. G.S.R. 525(E), ...

Home › Personal Finance › Banking › RBI Bans Forced Insurance Bundling With Bank Loans Personal Finance › Banking Quick Answer From 1 January 2027 , banks cannot force you to buy insurance or any other third-party product as a condition for getting a home loan, car loan, or personal loan. If a bank requires insurance as a risk mitigant, you must be given the choice to buy it from any provider . If a product was mis-sold, you are entitled to a full refund . These rules come from the RBI’s Second Amendment Directions to its Responsible Business Conduct framework, issued 15 June 2026. The Draft vs the Final: Get the Date Right Date Confusion — Read This First The press widely reported the effective date of this circular as 1 July 2026 . That was the date proposed in the draft directions (open for comment until 6 April 2026). The final directions, issued 15 Ju...

Home › Personal Finance › Banking › Online Bank Fraud: New RBI Rules on Customer Liability Personal Finance › Banking Quick Answer From 1 January 2027 , if money is stolen from your bank account through an unauthorised electronic transaction, your liability depends on who was at fault. If the bank was negligent, you owe nothing and the transaction is reversed — regardless of when you report. If the fault lay with a third-party intermediary, you owe nothing provided you report to your bank within 5 calendar days (and you should also file on Cyber Crime Helpline 1930). Only if the fraud resulted from your own negligence do you bear the loss — with a limited small-value compensation available. Why the 2017 Framework Is Being Replaced India's existing rules on customer liability in unauthorised electronic banking transactions date to 2017. That framework introduced the con...

Home › Tax & Investing › Income Tax Guide 2026 Income Tax Tax & Investing  |  Pillar Guide  |  Updated 8 Jul 2026 Start Here This is FinEstate's complete income-tax guide for salaried Indians in 2026. It links every core explainer you need for AY 2026-27 in the order you actually meet them: choose your regime, file the right ITR, handle capital gains and the Section 87A trap, manage advance tax and department notices, and understand ESOP and scrutiny rules. Every linked article is verified against the primary source — CBDT circulars, the Income-tax Act, and official notifications. Start Here: Pick Your Regime and File Editor’s Analysis The most expensive thing I have learned about tax, I learned in my first year of working. I did not plan for it. I treated the deduction on the payslip as the whole of the story, and when the actual liability landed it took a single month’s in-ha...