The Employees' Enrolment Campaign (EEC) 2026 provides a one-time opportunity for employees who were eligible for provident fund coverage but were left out between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2026. According to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the campaign was notified on June 29 and remains open until October 31, 2026. The initiative allows employers to voluntarily correct past compliance gaps and bring eligible employees under the EPF system, with the Labour Ministry describing it as a special one-time opportunity to enrol eligible workers who remained outside EPF coverage during the prescribed period. As per All India Radio, the campaign specifically targets salaried employees who were left out by their employers from EPF enrolment during this specified period.
The scheme is specifically designed for employees who were left outside EPF coverage during the specified period of April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2026. However, there are important conditions that must be met. As reported by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the employee must be alive and continuing to work with the establishment on the date when the employer makes the declaration. According to All India Radio, there are two main conditions for eligible salaried employees: the company must agree to cover their share of the employee's EPF contribution with interest as specified, and the employee must have been left out by their employer from EPF enrolment during the specified period. The ministry emphasizes that the objective is to extend provident fund, pension and insurance benefits to workers who qualify for coverage but were previously left out. However, EEC 2026 does not apply to individuals who were not required to be enrolled under the EPF Act, such as 'excluded employees' under the Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 1952. Additionally, EEC 2026 does not expand the scope of EPF Act coverage or create any new category of eligible employees - only those employees who were otherwise eligible under the EPF Act during the specified period can be covered. Importantly, the special campaign is intended to regularise past EPF coverage gaps for eligible employees who are still working with the establishment. It does not allow former employees to claim PF coverage retrospectively after they have left the organisation.
One of the most significant aspects for employees is the treatment of their past contribution under EEC 2026. According to the ministry, the campaign provides specified relaxations for regularising earlier compliance, including waiver of the employee's share where it was not deducted earlier, subject to the conditions applicable under the campaign. As per All India Radio, in cases where the employees' share of provident fund contributions were not deducted from their salary for the relevant period, such contributions stand waived. This is particularly important because an employee who was never enrolled may otherwise face questions about how historical employee contribution would be recovered. The relaxation allows employers to regularise eligible employees without automatically requiring workers to make up the employee contribution that was not deducted from their wages earlier, though eligibility and other conditions under EEC 2026 continue to apply. Employers are not required to collect or remit the past employee contributions for the PF during the specified period to regularise any defaults from that period. Under the scheme, employers will have to pay the employer's share of contribution, along with applicable interest and administrative charges, while a nominal lump-sum penal damage of ₹100 per establishment is also applicable.
For employers to regularise any defaults from the specified period, they must complete specific digital requirements. According to Mint, employers are required to generate a face authentication-based Universal Account Number (UAN) through the UMANG mobile application for every declared employee. Once the registration is done, the statutory contributions must be remitted through the Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) platform. As part of the process, establishments have been asked to conduct internal audits of their employment and wage records to identify individuals who qualify under the eligibility criteria. The fully digital process for registrations and payments seeks to ensure transparency and avoid any hassle, with employers required to carry out all formalities through the designated online portal only. EEC 2026 does not provide a mechanism enabling an employee to independently enrol or require an employer to enrol for coverage under EPF Act, and employers are not required to collect or remit the past employee contributions for the PF during the specified period.
Employees who believe they should have been covered by EPF but were not enrolled should first approach their employer or HR department to verify their eligibility. According to the ministry, they should check whether their establishment was covered by EPF provisions, whether they were employed during the April 1, 2009-March 31, 2026 period, whether they were eligible for EPF but remained outside coverage, whether they are still employed with the establishment, and whether the employer has initiated enrolment under EEC 2026. The ministry is conducting awareness and outreach activities among employers, employees, establishments, contractors and other stakeholders to explain the campaign. Employees who believe they were wrongly left outside EPF coverage should raise the issue with their employer well before the October 31, 2026 deadline. Importantly, EEC 2026 provides a window to employers to regularise historical defaults, but does not take away an employee's right to separately approach the EPFO to raise a claim regarding provident fund coverage, or any other remedies that may otherwise be available to them under applicable laws. Where employees were already covered under a recognised provident fund or an exempted provident fund, it may be argued that such employees were not required to be enrolled for provident fund coverage during the specified period and therefore, may not fall within the scope of EEC 2026. Employees or members of the public who know about an eligible employee being left outside EPF coverage can report the matter to the concerned EPFO office for verification and action till October 31.
