Section 55: Nomination
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Section 55 — Governs nomination and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) Each employee, who has completed one year of service, shall make, a nomination within such time, in such form and in such manner, as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government.
The Code was commenced in stages: section 142 had earlier commencement, S.O. 5319(E) brought the specified provisions into force from 21 November 2025, and later commencement instruments must be read with the current India Code footnotes for the remaining clauses.
Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗
Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does
Operative clauses
- (1) Each employee, who has completed one year of service, shall make, a nomination within such time, in such form and in such manner, as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government.
- (2) An employee may, in his nomination, distribute the amount of gratuity payable to him under this Chapter amongst more than one nominee.
- (3) If an employee has a family at the time of making a nomination, the nomination shall be made in favour of one or more members of his family, and any nomination made by such employee in favour of a person who is not a member of his family shall be void.
- (4) If at the time of making a nomination the employee has no family, the nomination may be made in favour of any person or persons but if the employee subsequently acquires a family, such nomination shall forthwith become invalid and the employee shall make, within such time as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government, a fresh nomination in favour of one or more members of his family.
- (5) A nomination may, subject to the provisions of sub-sections (3) and (4), be modified by an employee at any time, after giving to his employer a written intimation in such form and in such manner as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government, of his intention to do so.
Provisos, explanations & qualifications
- No proviso/explanation was separately extracted from this section text.
Thresholds and timelines in the text
- Nomination.—(1) Each employee, who has completed one year of service, shall make, a nomination within such time, in such form and in such manner, as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government.
Actors expressly appearing in the text
Employer, Employee / worker, Appropriate Government
Full statutory text — Section 55
55. Nomination.—(1) Each employee, who has completed one year of service, shall make, a
nomination within such time, in such form and in such manner, as may be prescribed by the appropriate
Government.
(2) An employee may, in his nomination, distribute the amount of gratuity payable to him under this
Chapter amongst more than one nominee.
(3) If an employee has a family at the time of making a nomination, the nomination shall be made in
favour of one or more members of his family, and any nomination made by such employee in favour of a
person who is not a member of his family shall be void.
(4) If at the time of making a nomination the employee has no family, the nomination may be made in
favour of any person or persons but if the employee subsequently acquires a family, such nomination shall
forthwith become invalid and the employee shall make, within such time as may be prescribed by the
appropriate Government, a fresh nomination in favour of one or more members of his family.
(5) A nomination may, subject to the provisions of sub-sections (3) and (4), be modified by an employee
at any time, after giving to his employer a written intimation in such form and in such manner as may be
prescribed by the appropriate Government, of his intention to do so.
(6) If a nominee predeceases the employee, the interest of the nominee shall revert to the employee
who shall make a fresh nomination, in the form prescribed by the appropriate Government, in respect of
such interest.
(7) Every nomination, fresh nomination or alteration of nomination, as the case may be, shall be sent
by the employee to his employer, who shall keep the same in his safe custody.How to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — (1) Each employee, who has completed one year of service, shall make, a nomination within such time, in such form and in such manner, as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government.
- Additional operative limb — (2) An employee may, in his nomination, distribute the amount of gratuity payable to him under this Chapter amongst more than one nominee.
- Numerical or timing control — Nomination.—(1) Each employee, who has completed one year of service, shall make, a nomination within such time, in such form and in such manner, as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government.
- Central Rule mapping — 31, 32. Read the mapped provision together with this text rather than treating the concordance as a substitute for it.
- Prescribed-form link recorded in the corpus — III. Confirm the current notified form/version before filing.
- Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Employer, Employee / worker, Appropriate Government.
Rules, forms and cross-references
Forms mapped
III
Other sections cited in this text
Related Labour Hub resources
A direct concordance is not exhaustive. Central/State jurisdiction, schemes, authority appointments, saved instruments and later notifications may change the practical route without changing the section wording.
Worked example
For a worker/member seeking a benefit connected with nomination, the file should show coverage, service/contribution facts, the rule/scheme and prescribed form, and the calculation/payment. One statutory point to test is: “Nomination.—(1) Each employee, who has completed one year of service, shall make, a nomination within such time, in such form and in such manner, as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government.” Read the mapped Central Rule(s) 31, 32. Use the current notified III where the process requires it.
Illustration only; it is not statutory text or a substitute for applying the actual facts, jurisdiction, current rule/scheme and official instrument.
Q&A — Section 55
What does Section 55 of the Social Security Code cover?
Section 55 — Governs nomination and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) Each employee, who has completed one year of service, shall make, a nomination within such time, in such form and in such manner, as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government.
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 55?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(1) Each employee, who has completed one year of service, shall make, a nomination within such time, in such form and in such manner, as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government.” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 55 contain a proviso or explanation?
No standalone proviso or explanation was extracted from this section text. Check the full text below for clause-level qualifications.
What time limit, percentage or amount appears in Section 55?
The provision contains this numerical/time expression: “Nomination.—(1) Each employee, who has completed one year of service, shall make, a nomination within such time, in such form and in such manner, as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government.” Apply it only in the clause and context in which it appears.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 55?
The current concordance maps Section 55 to Central Rule(s) 31, 32.
Is a prescribed form mapped to Section 55?
The current corpus records: III. Confirm the current notified version before filing or service.
Is Section 55 currently operative?
The Code was commenced in stages: section 142 had earlier commencement, S.O. 5319(E) brought the specified provisions into force from 21 November 2025, and later commencement instruments must be read with the current India Code footnotes for the remaining clauses.
Source & verification trail
Act: Code on Social Security, 2020 — official India Code PDF ↗
Central Rules: Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 — G.S.R. 344(E), 8 May 2026 ↗
Official library: Ministry of Labour & Employment — Labour Codes ↗
Source check: 20 August 2026. Individual professional interpretation should be re-reviewed when the section, rules, notification, scheme, State overlay or controlling judgment changes.