EPF scheme launches EEC 2026: If you missed EPF enrolment, find out whether you can enrol before the October 31 deadline

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has launched a new campaign called Employees’ Enrolment Campaign (EEC, 2026). Under this campaign, eligible salaried employees who were left out by their employers from enrolling in the EPF scheme can now be enrolled in the EPF scheme if certain conditions are satisfied.

There are two main conditions for eligible salaried employees:

1. Date of joining and employment conditions
2. The company must agree to cover their share of the employee’s EPF contribution with interest as specified.

So if you find yourself in this situation, make sure to ask your employer to participate in the EEC campaign and get you enrolled in the EPF. This scheme won’t cost employees anything since the EPFO has waived off employee’s contribution criteria for the period they missed out. However, employers are still responsible for paying the employer contribution plus interest, if they wish to enrol these overlooked employees in the EPF scheme.


As reported by All India Radio, the Ministry of Labour and Employment has announced that EEC 2026 will stay open until 31st October of this year.

This article discusses as well as the recognised provident fund (RPF) employees.

Which employees are eligible for this campaign?

Sonakshi Das, Partner at JSA Advocates & Solicitors, explained to ET Wealth Online that the EEC 2026 campaign is intended to cover employees who were required to be covered under the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 (EPF Act) between April 1, 2009 to 31 March 2026, but were not enrolled by their employers despite being eligible for coverage.

EEC 2026 however, 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.

Das also says that EEC 2026 does not expand the scope of EPF Act coverage or create any new category of eligible employees. Hence, only those employees who were otherwise eligible under the EPF Act during the specified period can be covered.

Also read: EPFO launches VISHWAS 2026 scheme: Six-month window offers relief in delayed PF dispute cases; check eligibility

What do employers need to do to enroll their employees for EPF?

Under the EPF scheme, employees and employers both contribute a specified percentage of salary for the EPF fund and the government announces a particular rate of interest for this fund.

Under the EEC 2026, in the cases where the employees’ share of provident fund contributions were not deducted from their salary for the relevant period, such contributions stand waived.

So, if you were a salaried worker who got left out of EPF by your company and they now want to enrol you, they only have to cover their part of the contribution; you don’t need to chip in with yours. This means there’s pretty much no financial hit for the employees.

Das says that 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, an employer is required to:

• (a)remit the employer’s provident fund contribution with respect to the covered employee for the relevant period;
• (b)pay interest on such contribution as per the Code on Social Security, 2020;
• (c)pay the applicable administrative charges; and
• (d)pay a nominal lump-sum damages of Rs 100.

Das says: “EEC 2026 therefore provides employers with a one-time opportunity to regularise historical non-compliances with respect to eligible employees.”

Also read: Higher EPS pension for EPF members allowed by Punjab & Haryana High Court for pre-2014 retired employees with these three conditions

Is this voluntary for employers or can employees make the employer opt for this campaign and regularise them?

EEC 2026 is structured as a voluntary compliance scheme for employers under which they are required to generate a UAN for covered employees, submit declarations and remit applicable dues through electronic challans.

Das says: “EEC 2026 does not provide a mechanism enabling an employee to independently enrol or require an employer to enrol for coverage under EPF Act.”

Also, 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.

What about recognised provident fund employees?

EEC 2026 is intended to facilitate enrolment of eligible employees who were required to be covered under the EPF Act during the period from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2026, but were not enrolled.

So Das says that 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.

Das says: “The Amnesty 2026 scheme (notified on 29 June 2026) separately requires exempted establishments to regularise historical non-compliances.”