New Delhi: Employers have until October 31, 2026, to enrol eligible workers who were previously left outside the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) system under the Employees’ Enrolment Campaign, 2026. The initiative by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) provides establishments with a one-time opportunity to regularise certain past coverage gaps and extend social security benefits to eligible employees.

The campaign came into effect on June 29, 2026, and covers eligible workers who remained outside EPF coverage between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2026, subject to the conditions specified under the scheme.

The move is intended to encourage voluntary compliance among establishments while ensuring that eligible workers receive access to benefits associated with provident fund, pension and insurance.

October 31 deadline for employers

Under the Employees’ Enrolment Campaign, establishments can declare eligible employees who were not enrolled in EPF during the specified period.

The deadline for employers to make use of the campaign is October 31, 2026.

The initiative is particularly relevant for establishments that identify gaps in their historical EPF records and discover that eligible employees were not brought under the social security framework when they should have been.

The campaign gives employers an opportunity to review their records and take corrective action within the specified window.

However, enrolment is not automatically available to every former employee. The scheme lays down eligibility conditions that establishments must satisfy before making a declaration.

Workers must be actively employed

One of the important conditions is that employees declared under the campaign must be alive and actively employed with the establishment on the date of declaration.

This means employers cannot simply use the campaign to add workers who have already left the organisation.

Establishments therefore need to examine their employment records carefully before submitting declarations.

The requirement also highlights the importance of ensuring that the details provided to EPFO accurately reflect the current employment status of workers being enrolled.

What benefits can workers receive?

For eligible employees, being brought under EPF coverage can provide access to a broader social security framework.

EPF-related benefits can include retirement savings through provident fund contributions, while eligible members can also receive benefits under the pension and insurance components administered through the EPFO system.

For workers who may have spent several years outside formal social security coverage, correcting their records can therefore have significance beyond simply updating an employment database.

The campaign seeks to bring such eligible workers into the formal system while giving establishments a mechanism to address certain historical omissions.

Relief on employee contribution

The government has also introduced specified relaxations to encourage employers to participate in the campaign.

One significant provision concerns the employee’s share of EPF contribution in cases where it was not deducted earlier.

According to the Ministry of Labour & Employment, the campaign provides for waiver of the employee’s share under specified conditions where the contribution had not been deducted previously.

The relaxation is intended to reduce the administrative and financial difficulty that could otherwise discourage establishments from correcting historical coverage gaps.

Employers will still have to comply with the applicable conditions and deposit the required statutory contributions through the prescribed process.

How can employers enrol workers?

The enrolment process is digital.

Employers have been directed to generate a Universal Account Number (UAN) for employees being declared under the campaign using face authentication through the UMANG mobile application.

The UAN is an important component of the EPFO system because it allows a member’s provident fund accounts to be linked to a common identification number.

After completing the required UAN registration, establishments have to deposit statutory contributions through the Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) platform.

This means employers need to complete both the employee identification and contribution-related formalities within the campaign period.

Employers should review old records

EPFO has encouraged establishments to examine their employment and wage records to identify workers who may meet the eligibility criteria.

This review can help employers determine whether there were employees during the specified period who should have been covered but were not enrolled.

Businesses may need to examine historical employee records, wage details and existing EPF documentation before making declarations.

The campaign is therefore not simply a registration exercise. Employers have to establish that the workers being declared satisfy the conditions prescribed under the scheme.

Who is the campaign aimed at?

The Employees’ Enrolment Campaign is primarily intended for eligible workers who should have been covered under EPF but remained outside the system during the specified period.

The coverage period extends from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2026.

The campaign does not mean that every worker employed during those years can automatically be enrolled retrospectively. The employee and establishment must meet the applicable conditions, including the requirement concerning the employee’s status at the time of declaration.

Employers should therefore verify eligibility before submitting information to EPFO.

Why the campaign matters

Provident fund coverage is an important component of India’s formal social security system.

Employees covered under the EPFO framework can build retirement savings through contributions and may become eligible for benefits under associated pension and insurance schemes, depending on the applicable rules.

For establishments, maintaining accurate EPF records is also an important part of statutory compliance.

Past omissions can create complications for both workers and employers. A worker may lose access to benefits associated with formal coverage, while an establishment may have unresolved compliance issues relating to eligible employees.

The 2026 campaign provides a defined period during which qualifying establishments can address certain historical gaps.

EPFO conducting awareness programmes

EPFO is also undertaking awareness and outreach activities to ensure that establishments and workers understand the campaign.

The outreach involves employers, workers, contractors and other stakeholders.

Government ministries, central departments, state governments, Union Territories, public sector undertakings and autonomous bodies are also being encouraged to spread information about the initiative among establishments and service providers under their control.

The wider awareness exercise is aimed at increasing participation and helping establishments understand the requirements before the deadline.

Campaign offers limited window for compliance

The Employees’ Enrolment Campaign is designed as a one-time opportunity, making the October 31 deadline important for eligible establishments.

Companies that believe they have missed EPF coverage for eligible workers should not wait until the final days to examine their records.

The process involves identifying eligible employees, completing the required UAN registration through UMANG, making the necessary declarations and depositing statutory contributions through ECR.

Early verification can also help establishments identify documentation or employee-record issues that may need to be resolved before the declaration is submitted.

What employers should do before October 31

Establishments considering participation in the campaign should review their records and identify workers who meet the prescribed conditions.

They should then verify that the employees are alive and actively employed on the date of declaration, as required under the scheme.

Employers should also complete the face authentication-based UAN generation process through UMANG and ensure that contributions and returns are submitted through the designated EPFO systems.

Because the campaign has specific eligibility conditions and relaxations, establishments should rely on official EPFO and Ministry of Labour & Employment instructions when determining how individual cases should be handled.

Conclusion

The Employees’ Enrolment Campaign, 2026 gives eligible establishments a limited opportunity to address certain historical gaps in EPF coverage.

With the scheme covering eligible workers who remained outside EPF between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2026, employers have until October 31, 2026, to make declarations under the campaign.

The initiative offers specified relaxations, including provisions concerning the employee’s share where it was not deducted earlier, while requiring employers to follow the prescribed digital enrolment and contribution process.

For businesses with potential gaps in their EPF records, the immediate priority is to review employment records, verify eligibility and complete the required formalities before the deadline. For eligible workers, the campaign could help bring previously missed employment periods into the formal social security framework.