Now Reading: EPFO starts campaign to enrol left-out employees for PF, pension
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EPFO starts campaign to enrol left-out employees for PF, pension
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has launched the Employees' Enrolment Campaign 2026, allowing companies to enrol employees who missed social security coverage between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2026. Employers…
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has launched the Employees' Enrolment Campaign 2026, allowing companies to enrol employees who missed social security coverage between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2026. Employers have until 31 October 2026 to submit nominations under the scheme.
The campaign covers employees who were eligible for EPF coverage during that period but were not enrolled for any reason. A key condition is that the employee must be alive and actively working at the institution on the date of the announcement.
Employers get administrative relief: if the employee's contribution was not deducted earlier, a waiver may apply under scheme terms. The entire process is digital, requiring employers to use the UMANG app to create an Aadhaar-based Universal Account Number (UAN) for each eligible employee, then deposit statutory contributions via the Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) platform.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The campaign addresses a structural gap in India's social security net: employees in firms that failed to register with EPFO or underreported workers lose years of provident fund and pension accrual. Under the EPF Act, 1952, establishments with 20 or more employees must register, but enforcement has historically been uneven, especially among smaller units and contract workers. The 31 October 2026 deadline gives employers 16 months to audit old payrolls and correct omissions without penalty for past non-compliance, a significant incentive. The key test will be how many firms come forward voluntarily, as previous amnesty-style schemes have seen limited uptake when employers feared retrospective inspection or demands for back interest. The EPFO's next data release, likely in early 2027, will show the actual count of newly enrolled members and the total arrears collected.
Source: bazaar.businesstoday.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
