Starting May 8, 2026, major gig economy platforms in India, including Swiggy, Zomato, and Ola, are mandated to register their gig workers on a government portal in real time and report worker exits, under the newly notified Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026.
- Platforms must report new and exiting gig workers to a central government portal in real time.
- Social security contributions by aggregators are based on turnover or worker payments, excluding taxes.
- Workers must complete at least 90 days with one platform, or 120 days across platforms, to qualify for benefits.
What happened
India’s Ministry of Labour and Employment published the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026, giving practical effect to the Social Security Code enacted in 2020. These rules legally require aggregators such as Swiggy, Zomato, and Ola to register every gig and platform worker on a government-managed portal immediately upon engagement and to report their exit in real time as well.
The rules also define how contributions to social security must be calculated, offering platforms a choice between a percentage of their annual turnover—excluding taxes—or 5% of payments made to gig workers. Additionally, a National Social Security Board for gig and platform workers is mandated to oversee implementation and governance.
Why it matters
By enforcing real-time registration and exit reporting, the government aims to build a comprehensive, Aadhaar-linked database of gig workers, potentially improving social security coverage and transparency. However, without an operational data protection framework, sensitive worker information such as income and identity could be vulnerable to misuse, raising privacy concerns.
A significant eligibility condition requires workers to have completed a minimum of 90 days with a single aggregator or 120 days across multiple platforms within a financial year to qualify for social security benefits. Given that many gig workers are seasonal or part-time with fewer active days, this threshold may exclude a large share of the workforce the new rules intend to protect.
What to watch next
Stakeholders will need to monitor how aggregators handle compliance with real-time reporting and contribution payments, especially in light of the new requirement that companies cannot shift obligations through subsidiaries or intermediaries. The government’s ability to process contribution refund claims within 90 days will also be critical.
Separately, the rollout of a legal digital personal data protection framework will be important to watch, as it will influence worker privacy and data security in this centralized, Aadhaar-linked system. Additionally, the impact of the day-count eligibility criteria on workers’ access to social security benefits remains a key concern for policy evaluators and worker advocates.