The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has urged employers and establishments to make use of the Employees’ Enrolment Campaign 2026 (EEC 2026), a one-time initiative designed to bring eligible employees who remained outside the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) system under the statutory social security framework.
The campaign, which came into effect on June 29, 2026, will remain open until October 31, 2026.
The campaign covers eligible employees who were left outside EPF coverage during the period from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2026.
To qualify under the campaign, employees must:
- Have been eligible for EPF coverage during the specified period.
- Be alive when the declaration is made.
- Continue to be employed with the establishment on the date of declaration.
EPFO has encouraged employers to review their employment and wage records to identify workers who may have been missed during the prescribed period.
EEC 2026 provides specified compliance relaxations to help establishments regularise past EPF coverage.
One of the key provisions is a waiver of the employee’s share of EPF contributions where it was not deducted earlier, subject to the conditions applicable under the campaign.
The initiative is intended to make it easier for employers to correct past gaps while extending social security benefits to eligible workers.
Employers are required to complete the enrolment and contribution-remittance process through the prescribed online mechanism.
A Face Authentication-based Universal Account Number (UAN) must be generated for each declared employee through the UMANG App.
Employers must then remit the applicable contributions through the Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) system.
The digital process is intended to provide a structured mechanism for regularising eligible employees and bringing them into the EPF framework.
EPF coverage provides workers access to an important part of India’s statutory social security system. The broader framework also provides benefits related to provident fund, pension and insurance.
For employees who were previously outside the system despite being eligible, enrolment can therefore help bring them within these social security arrangements.
For employers, the campaign provides a defined opportunity to identify and regularise eligible employees from the specified period.
EPFO is conducting awareness and outreach activities to inform employers, employees, establishments, contractors and other stakeholders about EEC 2026.
Government ministries and departments, state governments and Union Territories, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies and other organisations have also been encouraged to promote the campaign among establishments and service providers under their administrative control.
The Employees’ Enrolment Campaign 2026 will close on October 31, 2026.
EPFO has urged eligible establishments not to wait until the final days and to review their employment records, identify eligible workers and complete the required enrolment and remittance procedures within the campaign period.
The initiative provides a one-time opportunity for establishments to address historical gaps in EPF coverage while helping more eligible workers enter the formal social security system.
