Is It Legally Required to Update Office Records for a Staff Member's New Surname After Marriage?

Dear Seniors, We have a small establishment not covered under the EPF/ESIC act. One of our female staff members recently got married. Is it now necessary, legally, to introduce changes in office records for her new surname after marriage? These changes in records would include the attendance register, salary sheet, salary slip, bio attendance punching machine, confirmation letter, etc., from now onwards. We are seeking valuable inputs on this matter.

Thank you

Dear Seniors, We have a small establishment not covered under the EPF/ESIC Act. One of our female staff members recently got married. Is it now necessary, legally, to introduce changes in office records for her new surname after marriage? Changes in records such as the attendance register, salary sheet, salary slip, biometric attendance punching machine, confirmation letter, etc., will need to be updated from now onwards. I am requesting valuable inputs on this matter.

Thank you.

It is a general practice to make the changes after getting a copy of the marriage certificate for your reference. If the employee does not want you to change the records, she must give a letter to you specifying the same. I do not think there is any specific legislation in this regard.

Surname Changes After Marriage

It is not necessary to make changes in office records regarding her surname based on her marital status. Always follow the name as stated on her academic certificate.

However, it is a protocol for the company to update her marital status to maintain evidence of the employee's marital status for the benefit of the employee's nominee as a dependent, claimant, etc.

It is important to understand whether the employee's spouse belongs to the same company or group company, as this could potentially lead to inflated appraisals.

If the spouse works for a competitor's company, there is a risk that the employee might share confidential information, such as formulas, with the spouse's company.