EPFO Employees’ Enrolment Scheme 2025: EPF Coverage For Left-Out Workers

In a big step to make "Social Security for All" a reality, Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya launched the Employees’ Enrolment Scheme - 2025 on Saturday, during the EPFO’s 73rd Foundation Day event. 

The move is meant to help millions of workers who were earlier left out of the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), India’s key retirement and social safety net, join the system with ease, giving ordinary employees a stronger shot at a secure future.

According to the Ministry of Labour & Employment’s press note, the scheme works “to promote voluntary compliance and extend social security coverage to all eligible employees.”

For workers who may have slipped through the cracks of formal EPF enrollment, this could mean retroactive access to pension benefits, provident fund contributions and insurance, that too all without the usual heavy penalties.

What is the EPFO Employees’ Enrolment Scheme 2025?

At its core, the Employees’ Enrolment Scheme - 2025 is a six-month amnesty window for employers to correct past oversights in EPF compliance. Launched under the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, the law that governs EPF contributions for salaried workers.

It targets employees who joined jobs between July 1, 2017 and October 31, 2025, but weren't enrolled in EPF due to administrative lapses.

Think of EPF as your personal safety net: a mandatory savings scheme where both you (the employee) and your employer contribute 12% of your basic salary each month.

Half of the employer's share goes towards the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) for retirement benefits, while the rest builds your corpus for withdrawal at age 58 or earlier in cases of need.

This new scheme simplifies bringing "missed" workers into this system, fostering transparency and universal inclusion, as highlighted in the Ministry's announcement.

The enrollment period runs from November 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026, giving employers ample time to act without fear of aggressive enforcement.

Who Benefits? A Lifeline for Overlooked Workers

This scheme is a boon for the average Indian worker, from factory hands in manufacturing hubs to office staff in startups, who might have been denied EPF benefits simply because their employer delayed paperwork.

Any establishment, regardless of whether it's already compliant with EPF rules, can now declare and enroll such employees via the user-friendly EPFO portal.

Crucially, even companies under scrutiny like those facing inquiries under Section 7A , Para 26B, or Para 8 of EPS-1995 also can participate.

The press release notes that "no suo-motu compliance action shall be taken by the EPFO," meaning no surprise audits or penalties from the fund's side during this period.

For employees, the real win? Their share of contributions (the 12% deducted from salary) stands waived for the declared period if it wasn't already taken.

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This ensures workers aren't out of pocket, while employers handle a streamlined payment: just their share, plus interest under Section 7Q, administrative fees and a flat Rs 100 penal damage per employee.

Across the three EPF pillars i.e. provident fund, pension and insurance, a single Rs 100 lump-sum penalty per establishment seals the deal.

Key Waivers and Simplified Compliance: Easing the Burden on Employers

Employers, often bogged down by compliance hurdles, get a clear path forward. Instead of facing escalating fines or legal battles, they can regularise past gaps with minimal costs. The Ministry emphasises that this "simplifies the process of past regularisation," turning a potential headache into a straightforward online submission.

Damages are capped at a notional Rs 100 for establishments in inquiry, removing the sting of prolonged disputes.

As Dr. Mandaviya put it during the launch, this is "a giant leap towards strengthening the goal of ‘Social Security for All’ and ensuring that every worker is part of India’s organised social safety network."