Ministry of Labour & Employment allows one-time EPF enrolment of left-out employees with waiver of employee contribution and nominal damages under Employees’ Enrolment Campaign, 2025

the Ministry of Labour & Employment has announced the Employees’ Enrolment Campaign-2025, providing a one-time opportunity for employers to voluntarily enroll eligible employees who were left out of Employees’ Provident Fund (“EPF”) coverage between 1^st July 2017 and 31^st October 2025, and to regularize past non-compliance under the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 (“Act”).

The scheme applies to employees who joined the establishment during the specified period, are alive, and are currently working with the concerned establishment. The campaign is operational for a period of six months, from 1^st November 2025 to 30^th April 2026.

Key Highlights:

1. The Employees’ Enrolment Campaign-2025 enables employers to declare and enroll eligible left-out employees through an online portal, with verification undertaken using Face Authentication Technology (“FAT”) to ensure transparency and accuracy.
2. The scheme provides relief by waiving the employee’s share of EPF contributions, where such share was not deducted from the employee’s salary at the relevant time.
3. Employers are required to remit the employer’s share of contributions, interest on arrears, applicable administrative charges and a lump-sum penal damage of ₹100 per establishment.
4. Establishments against whom inquiries are pending under Section 7A of the Act, Paragraph 26B of the EPF Scheme, 1952 or Paragraph 8 of the Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995, are also eligible to avail the benefit of the scheme. In such cases, while penal damages are capped at ₹100 per establishment, employers must pay all other statutory dues, including the employer’s and employee’s shares, administrative charges, and interest on arrears.
5. The initiative seeks to enhance transparency, promote formalization of employment, and expand social security coverage by bringing eligible employees within the EPF framework.
6. This information was provided by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

Source: Press Information Bureau