ESIC Raises Funeral Expenses from ₹15,000 to ₹20,000

The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has raised the funeral expenses payable on the death of an insured person to ₹20,000, from ₹15,000.

Date of notification: 16 October 2026

Date of Applicability: 8 May 2026

Notification details

• Notification: ESIC Notification No. N-12011/1/2023-P&D, New Delhi, dated 7 October 2026, signed by Uttam Prakash, Insurance Commissioner (P&D).
• Gazette: Gazette of India (Extraordinary), Part III—Section 4, No. 633, dated 16 October 2026 (CG-DL-E-17102026-277269).
• Legal basis: Rule 21 of the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026, read with Section 32(1)(f) of the Code on Social Security, 2020.
• Effective date: 8 May 2026. That is the date of the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 344(E)), so the higher amount runs from the day those Rules were notified.

Who can claim and how

Funeral expenses go to the eldest surviving member of the deceased insured person’s family. If the insured person had no family, or was not living with the family at the time of death, they go to the person who actually paid for the funeral.

• Claim form: Form 22, filed at the ESIC Branch Office with the death certificate, the insurance number and proof of the claimant’s entitlement.
• Time limit: under the old ESI Act, claims had to be made within three months of death, extendable by ESIC. The notification is silent on the time limit, and public summaries have not confirmed the position under the Code.

Please find attached the official notification:

ESI Notification Funeral Expenses from 15k to 20k