Employees’ Enrolment Campaign 2025 Launches from November 1
New Delhi: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has extended the deadline for filing the revamped Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) for the wage month of September 2025 to 22 October, following feedback from employers adapting to the new system. The updated ECR, applicable from September 2025, aims to simplify and enhance the user experience of return filing for employers through the EPFO employer portal. To facilitate a smooth transition, EPFO has conducted extensive awareness programs at both central and regional levels, engaging with major industry bodies such as the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), and the Employer Federation of India (EFI), as well as through zonal and regional workshops, providing hands-on support to establishments.
At the 238th meeting of the Central Board of Trustees (CBT) held in New Delhi, chaired by Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, the board approved several measures aimed at easing compliance, expanding social security coverage, and enhancing member convenience. Simplification and liberalisation of EPF partial withdrawal provisions were a key outcome. The 13 previous provisions governing withdrawals have been consolidated into three broad categories: Essential Needs, Housing Needs, and Special Circumstances. Members can now withdraw up to 100 per cent of their eligible balance, including both employee and employer contributions. Withdrawal limits for education have been increased to 10 times and for marriage to five times, compared with the earlier limit of three combined withdrawals for marriage and education. The minimum service period for withdrawals has been standardised at 12 months. Under the revised Special Circumstances category, members can now request withdrawals without specifying reasons such as natural calamity, epidemic, lockouts, or continuous unemployment. To ensure retirement security, a minimum balance of 25 per cent of contributions must be maintained in the member account, allowing continued accrual of interest at 8.25 per cent per annum.
The CBT also launched the ‘Vishwas Scheme’ to rationalise penal damages and reduce litigation. Outstanding penal damages as of May 2025 amounted to Rs. 2,406 crores, with over 6,000 cases pending in various forums and an additional 21,000 potential cases on EPFO’s e-proceedings portal. Historical rates of penal damages ranged from 5–25 per cent per annum for recent defaults and 17–37 per cent for delays prior to 2008. The Vishwas Scheme sets a flat penal rate of 1 per cent per month, with graded rates of 0.25 per cent for defaults up to two months and 0.5 per cent for defaults up to four months. The scheme, effective for six months with possible extension, covers ongoing litigation under Section 14B, finalised but unpaid orders, and pre-adjudication cases, with abatement contingent on compliance.
EPFO also signed a memorandum of understanding with India Post Payments Bank to provide doorstep digital life certificate services to EPS’95 pensioners at a nominal fee of Rs. 50 per certificate, fully borne by EPFO. This initiative enables pensioners, particularly in rural areas, to submit life certificates from home, ensuring timely pension payments and family pension initiation.
As part of EPFO 3.0, the CBT approved a comprehensive member-centric digital transformation framework, integrating a Core Banking Solution with cloud-native, API-first microservices for account management, compliance, and customer services. This includes the re-engineered return filing module with a four-step workflow—upload, validate/approve, generate challan, and payment—designed to reduce errors, enable real-time validation, and ensure accurate crediting of contributions. The re-engineered user management module, upgraded e-Office (version 7), and SPARROW (Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window) for APAR management are also part of the transformation, intended to improve efficiency, security, and transparency in service delivery.
The Board approved the selection of four fund managers to oversee the debt portfolio for five years, ensuring diversification and prudential management of EPFO investments. Updates were provided on social security expansion, including the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY), which launched on 15 August 2025 with an allocation of Rs. 99,446 crore to generate over 3.5 crore jobs by July 2027. As of August 2025, approximately 79,098 establishments and six lakh first-time employees were registered, and over 16.78 lakh Universal Account Numbers (UANs) were issued using Face Authentication Technology.
India’s global recognition in social security was highlighted, including the award for outstanding achievements at the World Social Security Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and EPFO’s first-time membership in the International Social Security Association (ISSA) Bureau, granting India maximum voting rights in the General Assembly. The India–UK Double Contribution Convention agreement was noted for allowing employees on short-term deputation to contribute PF in their home country for up to 36 months, reducing costs for both employers and employees.
The Ministry also announced the Employees’ Enrolment Campaign 2025, operational from 1 November 2025 to 30 April 2026, to encourage voluntary declaration and enrollment of eligible employees under the EPF scheme who were not previously registered. Employees’ contributions for the back period (July 2017 to October 2025) will be waived if not deducted from wages, while employers must pay their share and a nominal penal damage of Rs. 100. No suo-moto compliance action will be initiated against participating establishments for employees who have already left. Enrollment under this campaign also makes employers eligible for benefits under the PM-VBRY scheme.
These developments represent a wide-ranging set of measures affecting employers, employees, and pensioners, encompassing digital modernisation, simplification of compliance, liberalisation of withdrawal provisions, expansion of social security coverage, reduction of litigation, and improved service delivery for over 30 crore EPFO members.
– global bihari bureau
