If you have employees who should have been in PF but never were, EPFO has opened a one-time door to fix it — at a much lower cost than an inspection would bring.
The Employees' Enrolment Campaign, 2026 was notified with effect from 29 June 2026, and the Ministry of Labour & Employment urged employers to use it in a press release on 22 August 2026. The campaign runs until 31 October 2026.
What the campaign covers
The campaign lets employers declare and enrol employees who were left out of EPF coverage between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2026.
Two conditions matter most:
- The employee must be alive and still working with you on the date you make the declaration.
- Contributions are paid through the normal Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR).
Why it is worth using
The main relief is on the employee's share. Where you did not deduct the employee's contribution at the time, it can be waived, subject to the campaign's conditions. Reports on the scheme also note a lump-sum damages amount of ₹100 per establishment, rather than the usual damages on each month of default.
Compare that with what happens when an inspection finds the same gap: arrears, interest and damages, all calculated month by month, sometimes going back years.
Who should look at this
PF gaps in small companies usually come from a few familiar places:
- Employees who joined on a "consultant" or "trainee" label but worked like regular staff
- Staff whose salary crossed the old ₹15,000 ceiling and who were wrongly treated as excluded
- Contract or outsourced workers where nobody checked the contractor's PF compliance
- Early hires in a startup, before anyone set up payroll properly
If any of these sound familiar, this campaign is meant for you.
How to do it, step by step
- List every current employee and check their PF membership and UAN status.
- Find the gaps: anyone who worked with you between April 2009 and March 2026 without PF cover, and is still employed.
- Generate a UAN for each person using Face Authentication through the UMANG app. This is mandatory for the campaign.
- Make the declaration on the EPFO employer portal under the campaign.
- Remit the contributions through the ECR as the campaign requires.
- Keep your working papers: who you identified, why they were missed, and what you paid.
A word of caution
The campaign is generous, but it is not an amnesty for everything. It covers employees who are still with you. Former employees who were missed are outside it, so take advice on those cases separately.
Also, do not wait until the last week of October. UAN generation through face authentication needs each employee's participation, and that takes time.
The bottom line
If your PF records are not perfect, 31 October 2026 is a real deadline worth planning around. Clean up now, at a known and limited cost, rather than waiting for an inspector to find the gap for you.
This article is for general information and is not legal advice. Check the current EPFO circulars and take professional advice for your situation.
HR Audit Checklist
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