EPFO Launches One-Time Employees’ Enrolment Scheme 2025 to Expand EPF Coverage

To ensure wide participation, EPFO has rolled out a nationwide awareness campaign, informing employers about the scheme’s benefits and provisions.

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has launched the Employees' Enrolment Scheme (EES)–2025, a special one-time facilitation initiative designed to expand Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) coverage and help employers regularise past instances of non-compliance in a simplified and employer-friendly manner.

To ensure wide participation, EPFO has rolled out a nationwide awareness campaign, informing employers about the scheme's benefits and provisions. Simultaneously, the organisation has taken up the matter with various government departments and authorities to enable the enrolment of contractual and casual employees under the EPF framework, ensuring broader access to social security.

The scheme offers a six-month special compliance window, effective from November 2025, during which employers may voluntarily enrol eligible employees who were left out of EPF coverage between 1 July 2017 and 31 October 2025. Establishments not yet covered under the EPF Act may apply for coverage during this period and declare and enrol such employees without facing the usual penalties.

Under EES–2025, if employees' contributions were not deducted earlier, the employer will only be required to deposit their share of contributions, along with interest under Section 7Q, applicable administrative charges, and a nominal penal damages amount of ₹100. This amount will be treated as full compliance under all three EPFO-administered schemes, making the process significantly easier for employers.

The scheme also extends eligibility to establishments facing ongoing assessment inquiries, allowing them to resolve outstanding issues through the one-time window. Additionally, organisations availing benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana (PMVBY) may also participate, subject to applicable terms and conditions.

EPFO has urged all employers to make full use of this time-bound opportunity, noting that participation will strengthen the national vision of "Social Security for All." To support this, EPFO will reach out to identified defaulting establishments through SMS and email, encouraging them to utilise the scheme to regularise their past defaults.