EPF Registration Process for Employer – Apply Online

November 14, 2022

6 min read

What is EPF?

EPF or Employees’ Provident Fund is a savings fund that gets accumulated during the employment tenure of an employee. EPFO or the Employee Provident Fund Organization is the regulatory authority for EPF.

An equal contribution is made by both the employee and the employer towards EPF accumulation.
EPFO or the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization regulates the EPF scheme to provide retirement benefits and social security to eligible employees.
EPF is mandatory for employees with a monthly CTC of INR 15000 and above.
EPF is released when an employee retires from service.
The employer is responsible for deducting employee contribution and transferring it to the employee PF account.
Equal contribution is mandatory, wherein both the employer and the employee contributes and equal 12%.
If the organization employs less than 10 employees, the employer may contribute only 10%.

Relevance of Employer registration for EPF

An organization/employer must obtain EPF registration if:

The organization employs more than 20 workers.
The organization employs less than 20 employees, and the employer and employee mutually agree to make EPF contributions, the organization can obtain voluntary registration.
When the provisions of the EPF act is compulsorily applied on the discretion of the Central PF Commissioner by giving two months’ notice.

Eligibility for Employer EPF registration

Penalty charges will apply for late registration.
When a company’s total employee strength increases to 20, the company must register with EPFO within 2 months, after reaching the strength of 20 employees.
Apart from companies, co-operative societies and registered organizations must mandatorily register with EPFO. Co-operative societies must register with EPFO after their total employee strength reaches 50 or above.
EPFO regulations and provisions are applicable for registered organizations regardless of employee strength.

Benefits of EPF:

EPF benefits employees in the form of social and financial security, post-retirement.

Liquid savings: The accumulated fund in PF account may be used by the employee in adverse situations like health crises or lay-off. PF is therefore a liquid source of funds accessible for the employee with a UAN number via the EPFO portal. If the employee shifts to another job, he/she may easily transfer his PF account to his/her current employer.
Tax-free: Income Tax regulations are not applicable on EPF, either on the deposit amount or on its interest.

How to register

The registration process for employers is easy and can be done in a few clicks.

Log onto www.epfindia.gov.in
Click on the link named ‘Establishment Registration
Follow the instructions accordingly, to successfully complete registration.

Both online and offline registrations are acceptable. However, the pandemic situation suggests online registrations. The registration form for employers may be downloaded from https://registration.shramsuvidha.gov.in/user/register.

Required documents at the time of registration

Online registration of EPF is an easy process provided you have the following documents ready at hand prior to the process. Digital Signature Certificate or DSC is mandatory and is therefore advisable to process DSC before beginning the application process.

For proprietorship firms:

Name of applicant/Employer
PAN card details
Identity proof
Address proof (Official)
Address proof (Residential)
Contact number

For Co-operative societies (Trust/Societies):

Certificate of Incorporation
Memorandum of Association
Articles of Association
PAN card details
Details of the president and members
Address proof

For partnership firms:

Copy of the partnership deed
Address proof, and identity proof for all partners
Certificate of registration
Details of all partners

For Limited Liability Partnership firms/Companies:

Certificate of Incorporation
Identity proof of Director
Digital Signature Certificate of Director
Details of all directors
Address proof and ID proof of all directors
Memorandum of Association
Articles of Association

Other business entities:

First sale bill
First purchase bill of machinery
Bank name, branch, account number, IFSC, address
Monthly strength of employees recorded
Details of salary
Details of PF
Cross cancelled cheque

Additional documents that may be necessary:

Utility bills not prior to two months
GST certificate
Proforma for Coverage form
Form 5A with Annexure 1

Submit the following details for EPF registration procedure

Name of the company and the official address
Details of branch and head office
Date of company registration
Total employee strength and employee details (Aadhaar, PAN, bank account details, contact details, date of birth and designation for UAN allotment)
Industry of the company
Legal status of the company
Details of all authorized signatories (including additional), designation and address
Details of the total salary disbursed in a month
Details of the partner bank
PAN Card details
Digital Signature Certificate registration (DSC)

EPF – Recent updates

Freelancers have been added to the umbrella term of employees who are eligible for provisions of EPF, as of September 2020.
The interest rate has been reduced to 8.5%, as of March 2020.

EPF Registration FAQs:

1. Forgotten user ID and password?

Click on the link ‘Forgot password’. Enter establishment ID, primary email address and mobile number. Reset password.

2. Error message ‘your establishment is already registered’ when clicking on ‘Get Details’?

Confirm if EPFO office selected is correct. Confirm if the extension number and code number entered is correct. If these details have been entered correctly, send a mail to ecrhelpdesk@epfindia.gov.in with subject line ‘Reset registration’.

3. If you are an authorized signatory/employer of more than 1 establishment, is it a one-time registration for all establishments under you?

No. Each establishment must be registered separately.

4. Will it be the same user id for all establishments under 1 employer?

No. Each establishment will have separate user IDs.

5. Which PAN must be entered at the time of registration?

The PAN number issued in the name of the business, by the Income Tax Department must be entered. Name to be entered as per PAN.

6. Already registered. How to log in?

You can log in to the portal with UAN and your password.

7. Completed sign-up. What is the next step?

Click on ‘Registration for EPFO-ESIC’, and apply for new registration.

8. Is DSC (Digital Signature certificate) required at the time registration?

It is advisable to complete the DSC process first, before beginning the registration procedure, as DSC is mandatory for employer EPF registration.

9. Is EPF registration mandatory for employer/establishments which are running in loss?

Yes. All eligible establishments must register with EPFO.

10. What small-scale industries/establishments must mandatorily contribute to EPF?

Brick, beedi, Jute and cottage industries must make 10% contribution to EPF.

11. What are the penalty charges for not registering with EPFO, for establishments/employers?

5% per annum – 2 months delay 10% per annum – 2 to 4 months delay 15% per annum – 4 to 6 months delay 25% per annum – more than 6 months delay

12. As an employer, can I reduce the salary for paying employees’ PF?

No. According to section 12 of Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952, an employer cannot reduce salary for making PF deductions.

13. Is Income Tax applicable to EPF?

EPF is free from income tax provisions.