The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has launched the Employees' Enrolment Campaign 2026, providing employers with a voluntary opportunity to enrol eligible employees who were previously excluded from EPF coverage. According to EPFO communications, the campaign will remain open from June 29, 2026, to October 31, 2026, offering a limited window for compliance regularisation. The initiative specifically covers employees who were left out of EPF coverage during the period from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2026. As per the latest reports, the campaign was notified on June 29, 2026 and started operating on July 1, 2026, giving employers a final 4-month route to correct eligible EPF omissions. EPFO has highlighted the campaign's importance through a recent tweet on August 29, 2026, emphasizing its focus on widening social security coverage, regularising past compliance, and formalising the workforce. The Labour and Employment Ministry has confirmed that the campaign creates a dedicated window for establishments across sectors to regularise their past records and provides a structured mechanism to bring unregistered staff into the fold.
EPFO has identified around 800 establishments in Gautam Buddh Nagar where employees are yet to be enrolled for PF coverage. According to the government's press release, the department has issued notices to these companies, directing them to complete employees' PF enrolment by October 31. Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-I, Suyash Pandey, confirmed that EPFO is running a campaign to make companies and employees aware of PF rules and their rights. The identified establishments include restaurants, manpower suppliers, building contractors, transport companies and other firms across the city, all given until October 31 to complete the enrolment process. The campaign represents a focused and broader effort to strengthen social-security coverage and formalise employment, as highlighted by EPFO in its recent communications. The Employees' Enrolment Campaign 2026 serves a dual purpose for the corporate and labour sectors by providing a structured mechanism for bringing eligible employees within the statutory social security framework.
As reported by EPFO, all establishments are eligible to participate in the campaign, irrespective of their existing EPF coverage status. The campaign covers establishments facing inquiries under Section 7A of the EPF and MP Act, 1952, or Section 125 of the Code on Social Security (CoSS). The initiative extends to establishments facing proceedings under the relevant provisions of the EPF Scheme, 1952, the EPF Scheme, 2026, the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995, and the EPS 2026. According to the latest data, the campaign specifically targets workers who were alive and working for the same establishment on the declaration date before October 31, 2026. The EPFO has started awareness and outreach programmes to inform employers, workers, contractors, and other industry stakeholders about the operational rules. Various Ministries, Central Departments, State Governments, Union Territories, Public Sector Undertakings, and Autonomous Bodies are coordinating to ensure wider dissemination across establishments and service providers operating under their administrative oversight.
According to EPFO, one of the key benefits offered under the campaign is the waiver of the employee share for the declared period where the amount was not deducted from the employee. The organisation has also allowed multiple declarations under the campaign framework. Employers will have to pay a nominal EPF damage amount of ₹100 for each defaulting establishment. Employers participating in the campaign must generate Universal Account Numbers (UANs) for declared employees through the UMANG app using Face Authentication Technology and remit contributions through the Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) system. As per the latest guidance, face authentication only creates or verifies identity - it does not confirm that historical contributions reached EPFO, making it crucial for workers to compare monthly entries with EPF passbooks rather than relying solely on salary slips. The Campaign provides specified relaxations to facilitate regularisation of past compliance, including waiver of the employee's share where it was not deducted earlier, subject to the conditions of the Campaign. The ministry has mandated an entirely digital process for registrations and payments to ensure transparency and speed, with employers required to carry out all formalities through the Umang app.
According to recent reports, the campaign faces implementation challenges as old wage registers, contractor bills, appointment letters and deduction entries may not match. EPFO officials have advised employers to begin early because UAN generation, face authentication, contribution calculations and challan payment can all fail when personal or payroll details differ. The practical solution requires a worker-by-worker audit where employers should first separate serving staff from former employees, then identify workers with existing UANs, people who never received one, and cases where PF appeared on salary slips but not in the passbook. Contractor attendance, wage sheets and bank credits should be checked together for establishments operating across multiple branches. EPFO will assess compliance by the identified companies after October 31 - if directions are still not followed after the deadline, action will be initiated against the establishments. The campaign excludes former employees who had left before the declaration - employees who had left before the declaration were excluded, as confirmed by EPFO's Kolkata office on August 13, 2026. All pending declarations and complete remittances must be finalised before the compliance window closes on October 31, 2026.
