Several financial and administrative will come into effect across India from July 1, 2026, impacting EPF subscribers, Aadhaar holders, passport applicants and income taxpayers. The changes have been introduced through notifications and announcements issued by the respective government authorities.
EPFO online services resume after system upgrade
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has restored its online services after completing a scheduled system migration and database consolidation exercise between June 26 and June 30. During the five-day maintenance period, the EPFO member portal, employer portal and several online services remained unavailable. According to the organisation, the upgrade was carried out to improve processing efficiency, security and overall service delivery. Services resumed from 12 am on July 1.
Aadhaar email update now free for six months
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has made email address updates through the Aadhaar mobile application free of cost for six months. The fee waiver, announced through an official memorandum issued on June 19, will remain effective from July 1 to December 31, 2026. Earlier, users had to pay a prescribed fee to update their registered email address.
Passport application fees revised
The Ministry of External Affairs has revised passport application charges from July 1, marking the first major increase since 2012. Under the revised fee structure, the cost of a standard 36-page passport booklet has increased from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500, while the Tatkaal fee for the same booklet has been raised to Rs 5,000. The revised charges also apply to 60-page passport booklets, minor passports and police clearance certificates, both in India and at Indian missions abroad.
ITR filing deadline remains July 31
Individual taxpayers filing Income Tax Returns under ITR-1 and ITR-2 have until July 31, 2026, to submit their returns without attracting penalties. ITR-1 is generally meant for salaried individuals with limited additional income, while ITR-2 applies to taxpayers with capital gains, multiple house properties or annual income exceeding Rs 50 lakh. Tax experts have advised eligible taxpayers to complete the filing process well before the deadline to avoid last-minute issues.
LPG and PNG rule update
June 30 was the deadline for consumers having both LPG and PNG connections to switch entirely to PNG, and the rule may come into effect from July. However, there has been no official announcement regarding the discontinuation of LPG supply. Authorities have also clarified that consumers shifting to areas where PNG services are unavailable will be allowed to reactivate their previously surrendered LPG connection.