You Just Got Married. 9 Money Things to Sort Before the Honeymoon Glow Fades

You updated your Instagram bio to “married.” Now update your PF nomination, health insurance, mutual fund nominees, and about 6 other things nobody mentions at the sangeet.

There’s plenty of advice about money conversations to have before the wedding. (We wrote that post too.) But this isn’t about conversations. This is about paperwork. The boring, unglamorous, absolutely essential stuff you need to do in the first 30 to 60 days after the wedding.

Why 30-60 days? Because some of these have hard deadlines. Miss them, and you’re looking at waiting periods, fresh applications, or worse, your spouse getting nothing if something happens to you.

Here are the 9 things. In order of urgency.

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1. Update Your EPF Nomination

Urgency: Do this first. Previous nominations become invalid after marriage.

This one surprises people. If you nominated your mother or father when you started your first job, that nomination is no longer valid once you get married. Not outdated. Invalid. By law, marriage is a “change in family” event that voids your existing EPF nomination.

If you die without a valid nomination, your spouse will need a succession certificate to claim your PF. That means courts, lawyers, and 6-12 months of waiting.

How to update:

• Go to EPFO Member e-Sewa Portal
• Navigate to Manage > E-Nomination
• Your UAN must be linked to Aadhaar
• Add your spouse (and children, if applicable)
• The new nomination overrides the existing one
• No employer approval needed

This takes 10 minutes. Do it today.

2. Add Your Spouse to Health Insurance

Urgency: You have a 30-60 day window for mid-term inclusion.

Most corporate group health insurance policies let you add a spouse mid-term, but only within 30-60 days of marriage. Miss this window and you’ll have to wait until the next policy renewal.

For corporate insurance: Contact your HR team. They’ll need a copy of the marriage certificate. Most group policies cover spouse addition at no extra premium.

For individual insurance: Consider switching from an individual plan to a family floater. A family floater for two costs roughly Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 per year depending on age and coverage.

The pregnancy factor: If you’re planning to start a family, this matters even more. Maternity cover comes with a 2-4 year waiting period on most policies. The clock starts when your spouse is added, not when you decide to have a baby. Add them now, even if parenthood is years away.

3. Update Bank Account Nominees

Urgency: Important but no hard deadline. Do it within 30 days.

New rules effective November 1, 2025 let you add up to 4 nominees per bank account. You now have two modes to choose from:

• Simultaneous: All nominees get a percentage you specify. Example: Spouse 50%, Mother 25%, Father 25%.
• Successive: Nominees are listed in order. If the first nominee is unavailable, the second one gets the claim.

Most banks let you do this through net banking now. No branch visit needed.

If your parents were your only nominees, consider adding your spouse. This isn’t about choosing between your parents and your partner. It’s about making sure the right people can access your money quickly.

4. Update Demat and Mutual Fund Nominees

Urgency: Within 30 days. SEBI rules have changed.

As of March 2025, SEBI allows up to 10 nominees for demat accounts and mutual fund holdings. You can specify the exact percentage each nominee receives. If you don’t specify, it’s divided equally.

Key details:

• Only the account holder can update nominees (not someone with Power of Attorney)
• Update through your broker or AMC portal
• You can set different nominees for different folios if needed

If you’ve been meaning to sort your investment nominations, marriage is the trigger. Here’s our detailed guide on the new nominee rules.

5. Change Your Term Insurance Beneficiary

Urgency: Within 30 days. Your spouse should be the primary beneficiary.

Your term insurance payout goes to whoever is listed as the nominee on the policy. If that’s still your parent from when you bought the policy at 25, your spouse has no direct claim to the payout.

How to update: Contact your insurer and request a Change of Nomination form. Most insurers let you do this online through their customer portal.

One exception: If your policy was issued under the Married Women’s Property (MWP) Act, the beneficiary CANNOT be changed after issuance. MWP Act policies are irrevocable trusts. The beneficiary named at the time of purchase stays. This is actually a feature, not a bug, because it protects the original beneficiary. But it means you can’t add your spouse to an MWP policy taken out before your marriage.

6. Update Your PPF Nominee

Urgency: Within 30 days. Previous nomination becomes void on marriage.

Like EPF, your PPF nomination becomes void when you get married. You need to submit Form F at your bank or post office to register a new nomination.

What you need:

• Form F (available at the bank or downloadable)
• Spouse’s details (name, address, relationship)
• Witness signature

This is a physical form at most banks. Some banks with online PPF management let you do it digitally, but check with yours.

7. Update Your NPS Nominee

Urgency: Within 30 days.

NPS allows up to 3 nominees with percentage allocation. You can update this online.

How to update:

• Log in to the CRA (Central Recordkeeping Agency) portal
• Go to Demographic Changes > Add/Update Nominee
• Specify up to 3 nominees with percentage split
• Submit with Aadhaar-based authentication

If your spouse isn’t your NPS nominee and something happens to you, they’ll need to go through a legal process to claim the funds. Save them that hassle.

8. Review Your Will (or Make One)

Urgency: Within 60 days. For some religions, this is critically urgent.

Here’s something most people don’t know: if you’re Christian, Parsi, or Jewish, your existing will is AUTOMATICALLY revoked by marriage. This isn’t a technicality. It’s Section 69 of the Indian Succession Act. The moment you get married, any will you made before is void.

If you’re Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, or Jain, marriage does NOT revoke your will under the Hindu Succession Act. But you should still update it to include your spouse.

Either way, if you don’t have a will, now is the time. You’ve just gained a legal heir who should probably be in it. Here’s how to write one.

And yes, you need a will even in your 20s or 30s. Especially now that you’re married.

9. Have the Joint Account and Home Loan Conversation

Urgency: No deadline, but discuss within 60 days.

This isn’t a form to fill. It’s a decision to make together.

Joint bank account: Many couples open one for shared expenses (rent, groceries, EMIs) while keeping individual accounts. If you open a joint account, choose “Either or Survivor” as the mode. This means either person can operate the account, and if one dies, the other gets automatic access. No claims process needed.

Joint home loan: If you’re planning to buy a home, a joint loan with your spouse as co-applicant has real tax advantages. Each co-owner can claim:

• Rs 1.5 lakh under Section 80C (principal repayment)
• Rs 2 lakh under Section 24(b) (interest)

Combined, that’s up to Rs 7 lakh in deductions per year. The property must be jointly owned and both must be co-borrowers.

This isn’t urgent like the other items. But it’s worth discussing while you’re already in “sorting out finances” mode.

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The Checklist

Here’s everything in one place:

#	Task	Where	Deadline
1	EPF nomination	EPFO e-Sewa Portal	Immediately
2	Health insurance (add spouse)	HR / Insurer	30-60 days
3	Bank account nominees	Net banking	30 days
4	Demat/MF nominees	Broker / AMC portal	30 days
5	Term insurance beneficiary	Insurer portal	30 days
6	PPF nominee	Bank (Form F)	30 days
7	NPS nominee	CRA portal	30 days
8	Will (review or create)	Lawyer / self	60 days
9	Joint account / home loan	Discussion with spouse	60 days

Print this. Stick it on the fridge. Check things off as you go. It’s not romantic, but it’s one of the most caring things you can do for the person you just married.

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Nine updates. Most of them free. Most of them online. All of them the kind of thing you’ll never regret doing.

Marriage changes your legal and financial identity in ways nobody covers at the reception. The wedding was about celebration. This is about protection. Your spouse deserves both.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Rules regarding EPF, NPS, health insurance, and tax deductions may change based on government notifications. Specific processes may vary by institution. Always verify current rules with EPFO, SEBI, IRDAI, and relevant authorities. For specific cases, consult a qualified legal or financial professional.