Every establishment employing 20 or more people must register for the Employees' Provident Fund within 15 days of crossing that threshold. Smaller firms can register voluntarily. Registration is online through the EPFO's Shram Suvidha portal and is free.
EPF applies once you employ 20 or more persons, counting contract and casual workers. Some notified establishments are covered below 20. Once covered, you stay covered even if headcount later falls.
Keep the PAN of the establishment, proof of incorporation, address proof, a cancelled cheque, the list of employees with joining dates and wages, and the digital signature of the authorised signatory ready.
Create an account on the Shram Suvidha portal, select EPFO registration, fill the establishment details, add the employee count and activity code, and attach the documents.
Sign the application with the authorised signatory's digital signature certificate and submit. The EPFO allots a unique establishment code, usually within a few working days.
Generate a Universal Account Number for each eligible employee, then file the monthly Electronic Challan cum Return (ECR) and deposit contributions by the 15th of the following month.
It is mandatory at 20 or more employees. Below that it is voluntary, though some notified classes of establishment are covered at a lower threshold.
The employee contributes 12% of basic plus dearness allowance and the employer contributes 12%, of which 8.33% goes to the pension fund up to the wage ceiling.
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