Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana: Part A - Support for First-Time Employees

What is PM-VBRY Part A?

The Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) is an employment-linked incentive scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, operated through the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). It was announced in the 2024-25 Union Budget as the "Employment Linked Incentive" scheme, part of the Prime Minister's Package for Employment and Skilling, and later named the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana. It came into effect on 1 August 2025, with a total outlay of Rs 99,446 crore.

The scheme has two parts. Part A supports first-time employees, and Part B supports employers who create additional jobs. This guide covers Part A; Support for First-Time Employees.

Under Part A, a first-time EPFO member receives one full month's EPF wage, capped at Rs 15,000. The amount is not paid in one go: it is released in two instalments, the first after the employee completes 6 months of continuous service and the second after 12 months of continuous service, once the employee has completed the prescribed financial literacy programme. The maximum benefit under Part A is therefore Rs 15,000 per eligible employee.

The core aim is to bring young, first-time workers into the formal, social-security net. By tying the incentive to EPFO membership and continuous service, the scheme encourages both formalisation of the workforce and retention in the first year of a job. On 19 June 2026, the Prime Minister disbursed around Rs 2,400 crore under PM-VBRY, an indication of the scale at which the scheme is now running.

Key features of PM-VBRY Part A

• A scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, operated through EPFO.
• One month's EPF wage, capped at Rs 15,000, for first-time employees.
• Paid in two instalments, after 6 months and after 12 months of service.
• Covers employees earning up to Rs 1 lakh a month who join between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2027.
• Delivered through EPFO by Direct Benefit Transfer; no separate application form for the employee.

Who is eligible for PM-VBRY Part A?

You can benefit if:

• You are a first-time EPFO member, you were not a member of EPFO or an exempted provident fund trust before 1 August 2025.
• You join an eligible establishment between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2027.
• You earn a gross monthly wage of up to Rs 1 lakh at the time of joining.
• You have an Aadhaar-authenticated UAN (Universal Account Number) generated through Face Authentication on the UMANG app.
• You complete at least 6 months of continuous service to become eligible for the first instalment.

You are not eligible if:

• You were already an EPFO member or a member of an exempted provident fund trust before 1 August 2025. You are then not a first-time employee.
• Your gross monthly wage exceeds Rs 1 lakh at the time of joining.
• You join outside the window of 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2027.

Because the benefit is tied to EPFO membership and continuous service, an employee who leaves before completing 6 months does not qualify for the first instalment, and one who does not complete 12 months (and the financial literacy programme) does not receive the second instalment.

How much does Part A pay, and when?

Part A pays one full month's EPF wage, capped at Rs 15,000, in two instalments:

• First instalment; payable after the employee completes 6 months of continuous service.
• Second instalment — payable after the employee completes 12 months of continuous employment, and only after the employee has completed the prescribed financial literacy programme.

The remaining eligible amount is released after the scheme conditions are met. The benefit is a one-time support for the first-time employee, and the entitlement runs for 2 years from the employee's date of registration. Payments are made by Direct Benefit Transfer into the employee's Aadhaar-seeded bank account.

What documents and prerequisites are required?

How to apply for PM-VBRY Part A

There is no separate application form for the employee under Part A. The benefit is delivered through EPFO on the basis of your employment and EPF contributions. The practical steps to make sure you receive it are:

1. Join an eligible establishment covered under the EPF & MP Act, 1952, between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2027, with a gross monthly wage of up to Rs 1 lakh.
2. Get enrolled with EPFO through your employer, so that EPF contributions begin and your Universal Account Number (UAN) is generated.
3. Complete Aadhaar authentication of your UAN using Face Authentication on the UMANG app, and make sure your bank account is Aadhaar-seeded for DBT.
4. Complete 6 months of continuous service to become eligible for the first instalment, which is credited automatically by EPFO.
5. Complete the prescribed financial literacy programme and finish 12 months of continuous service to receive the second instalment.

You can track scheme details and updates on the official portals at pmvbry.labour.gov.in and pmvbry.epfindia.gov.in.

How Part A fits with Part B

PM-VBRY is designed to work from both sides of the job. Part A rewards the first-time employee for entering and staying in formal employment, while Part B rewards the employer for creating net-new, additional jobs: up to Rs 3,000 per month per additional employee, based on wage slabs (Rs 1,000 for gross wage up to Rs 10,000, Rs 2,000 for Rs 10,001-20,000, and Rs 3,000 for Rs 20,001-1,00,000). For manufacturing, the employer benefit is extended over a longer period. An employee does not need to do anything to trigger Part B; it is claimed by the employer through EPFO.

Help and where to check details

Because PM-VBRY is delivered through EPFO, the first point of contact for an employee is their employer's HR or PF desk and the local EPFO office, which handle UAN generation, Aadhaar authentication and the crediting of instalments. The official scheme portals; pmvbry.labour.gov.in and pmvbry.epfindia.gov.in; carry the detailed guidelines, eligibility criteria and implementation process for both employees and employers. Since the benefit is paid automatically through EPFO, no agent or middleman is needed and no fee should ever be paid to "register" for the scheme.