The Double Contribution Convention (DCC) is a type of Social Security Agreement (SSA), which is an international concept and a bilateral treaty between two countries, specifically agreed upon by the United Kingdom and the Republic of India. The DCC was signed on February 10, 2026, as part of wider Free Trade Agreement discussions, and is set to come into force on July 15, 2026. It was created to solve the problem of double social security contributions for employees and their employers during temporary cross-border assignments between the two nations.
The core mechanism of the DCC is the principle that an individual is subject to the social security legislation of only one country at a time, with the default rule being the "pay where you work" principle (lex loci laboris). The key provision is the detached worker rule, which allows employees temporarily working in the other country to continue paying solely into their home country's social security scheme. This prevents the fragmentation of their social security record. Initially, the exemption period for detached workers was set for up to 36 months, but this was later extended to 60 months reciprocally for both UK and Indian detached workers. For Indian workers, this means they can continue contributing to the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) in India while temporarily working in the UK. The DCC does not cover access to social security benefits like the State Pension, nor does it change any rules on access to benefits. It is closely connected to the UK-India Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), which it will come into force alongside.