Employees Provident Fund is a scheme launched by the Government of India in order to make sure that the salaried employees have an appropriate sum of money to support themselves during their retirement. EPF is monitored and regulated by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation. Equal distribution of the contribution takes place between the employer and the employee. Both the employer and employee individually contribute 12% of the basic salary of the employee to the scheme every month. This article will guide you through the step by step EPF Registration Procedure.
What is the Eligibility Criteria for EPF Registration?
It is mandatory for all businesses to register for EPF if:
- The factory is employing 20 or more than 20 people
- Any other establishment employing 20 or more than 20 people
It is also important to note that the organisation will have to register themselves within 1 month from the time they reach the strength, penalties will be charged provided that the registration is not done within the given one-month timeline. If there is an organisation where EPF is not compulsorily applicable, they can also register their organisation and apply to the Central PF Commissioner if the employer and majority of the employees agree to have an EPF registration.
EPF Registration Procedure Details
In order to make the entire process of registration smooth and hassle free, EPFO has started providing online facilities for registration, making contribution and for filing return. The following details are mandatory in order to register for EPF:
- Name and address of the establishment
- Details of head office and all branches
- Date of Incorporation of the establishment
- Details of your employees-total employee strength
- Define the legal status of the company i.e., private or a public company or partnership
- Business activities involved in i.e. service, production or manufacturing etc.
- Address and designation of the directors, partners or owners
- Bank details of the partners
- PAN details
- Total salary component of the employees
- Employees’ basic details like name, date of joining, salary etc.
EPF Registration Procedure
Follow the below-mentioned steps for EPF registration procedure:
- Open EPFO’s Website
Go to the website of Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation and click on ‘Establishment Registration’
- Click on ‘Download Menu’
You will now be taken to the home page of Shram Suvidha, click on ‘Download Manual’ and go through the manual before proceeding any further
- Click on ‘Sign Up’
Now as you are registering for the first time click on ‘Sign Up’
- Enter the required details
You will now be required to fill out details such as name, birth date, email address and mobile number. After filling out the details click on ‘sign up’ to open an account
- Click on ‘Registration for EPFO ESIC’
Now click on ‘Registration for EPFO ESIC’ and go to ‘Apply for New Registration’
- Enter Employers Details
You will now be directed to a page where you are required to add in the details related such as information about the owner of the establishment (name, address, email id etc.) and PAN card details of the employer
- Click on ‘Submit’
Review the details once again and Click on ‘Submit’
- DSC Registration
The Digital Signature Certificate registration is compulsory for first-time registrations so, the next step is employers DSC registration in order to authenticate the details submitted earlier
- Add Username
Once DSC registration is done. You have to select a username
- Mobile Verification
You will now receive an OTP on your registered mobile number for verification, enter the OTP and select the ‘I agree’ checkbox
- Email Verification
Lastly, verification on the registered email address will be sent to you and after confirmation of that the employer’s login will be activated
Documents for EPF Registration
Below is the list of all the documents that we require for establishments for PF reregistration online:
| Company/LLP | Partnership Firm | Society/Trust | Properiteryship Firm | Employees |
| Incorporation Certificate | Certificate of Registration Firms | Certificate of Incorporation | Applicant’s Name |
Name, Father’s Name, Date of joining |
| ID proof of Directors | Partnership deed | MOA and Bye-Laws | PAN Card Number | Date of Birth, Mobile Number, Postal Address |
| DSC of Director | Id proof of partners – Driving license/Passport/Voter Card | PAN Card Number | Id proof – Driving license/Passport/Voter Card | Name of Nominee, Grade, Salary |
| List of all directors with Address and ID Proof | List of all partners with Address and ID Proof | President & Members Address and ID Proof | Address proof for the premises | Designation, ID proof (Aadhaar Card/ PAN Card), Bank A/c number with IFSC code |
| MOA and AOA | Residential Address proof and Telephone number | Voluntary Application, Employee details, Signature, Date of Agreement |
Apart from the above-mentioned documents, all the establishments must also have the following documents.
- First sale invoice
- GST Certificate, if registered under GST
- Invoice of first inventory and machinery purchase
- Name and address of the partner bank
- Monthly employee strength record
- Salary and wages register, all vouchers, balance sheets from day one to the date of applying for registration
- Date of joining of the employees, along with their date of birth and father’s name
- Cancelled cheque
- Salary and EPF statement
FAQ’s
Yes, the employer has to register with EPFO for every establishment.
An employer can click on ‘Forgot Passward’ and reset it using the establishment ID, primary email ID and mobile number.
While registering the establishment the PAN which is in the establishment’s name has to be entered.
Yes, establishments that are employing less than 20 employees can voluntarily register under EPF. The rate of contribution for these type of organisations is 10% compared to the normal 12% contribution made by establishments with 20 or more employees.
UAN is short for Universal Account Number which is allotted by Employees Fund Organisation (EPFO). It can be issued to the individuals who have a valid PF number. UAN acts as an umbrella which links multiple Member Identification Numbers issued to a single member under single Universal Account Number. When members switch organisations, they are allotted different IDs. Through UAN, a member will be able to view details of all his IDs linked to it.
If a member is already allotted Universal Account Number (UAN) then he / she is required to provide the same upon joining a new establishment. This will enable the employer to mark the new allotted Member Identification Number (Member Id) to the already allotted Universal Identification Number (UAN).
Yes, an employer can modify details post the registration process in either of the following ways:
Via Email Address: Log in to the Employer Portal. Under the ‘Profile’ section, click on ‘Confirm primary email’. The employer needs to enter a new email id replacing the id that appears and then click on the ‘Send Verification Link’. An email message will go to the registered email id. The employer must go to the email account and click the link in the message received. The verified email id will be recorded in the system and in the future, all emails will be received on the new id.
Via Mobile Number: The employer must log in to the Employer Portal. Under the ‘Profile’ section, click on “Edit primary mobile number” link. The employer must enter the new mobile number and then the employer may receive an SMS with a PIN on the new mobile number. Enter the PIN and then press ‘Change Primary Mobile.’ Confirmation SMS will be sent to the latest mobile phone number, which is also the primary number.
If ‘your establishment is already registered’ appears, the employer needs to check the extension number, code number and make sure that the EPFO Office added is correct. If the details are correct, the employer must send an email to ecrhelpdesk@epfindia.gov.in and with subject as ‘Rest Registration’.
Hey @sushil_verma
There are a wide range of deductions that you can claim. Apart from Section 80C tax deductions, you could claim deductions up to INR 25,000 (INR 50,000 for Senior Citizens) buying Mediclaim u/s 80D. You can claim a deduction of INR 50,000 on home loan interest under Section 80EE.
Hey @Dia_malhotra , there are many deductions that you can avail of. Your salary package may include different allowances like House Rent Allowance (HRA), conveyance, transport allowance, medical reimbursement, etc. Additionally, some of these allowances are exempt up to a certain limit under section 10 of the Income Tax Act.
For eg,
Tax on employment and entertainment allowance will also be allowed as a deduction from the salary income. Employment tax is deducted from your salary by your employer and then it is deposited to the state government.
The benefit Section 80EEB can be claimed by individuals only. An individual taxpayer can claim interest on loan of an electric vehicle of up to INR 1.5 lacs u/s 80EEB. However, if the electric vehicle is used for the purpose of business, the vehicle should be reported as an asset, loan should be reported as a liability and the interest on loan can be claimed as a business expense irrespective of the amount. (We have updated the article with the changes).
Thus, if you have a proprietorship business, you should claim interest amount as a business expense only if the vehicle is used for business purpose. However, if it is used for personal purpose, you can claim deduction of interest u/s 80EEB in your ITR since you would be reporting both personal and business income in the ITR (under your PAN).
As per the Income Tax Act, the deduction under Section 80EEB is applicable from 1st April 2020 i.e. FY 2020-21.
Hey @Sharath_thomas , we have updated the content according to the appropriate assessment year. Thanks for the feedback.
No issues. You’re welcome!
Hey @shindeonkar95
In case of capital gain income (LTCG/STCG), transfer expenses are allowed as deduction, except STT.
However, in case of business income (F&O, intraday), all expenses incurred for the business (including STT) are eligible to claim deduction in ITR.
Hope, it helps!
Hello,
Is it possible to claim deductions under S. 80CCF for Infra bonds bought in the secondary market and held to maturity?
There were a number of 10 year infra bonds issued in the 2010- 2013 period, which will start maturing soon. These are all listed on the exchanges (although hardly any liquidity or transactions in them). If I were to buy some of these bonds in the open markets and hold them in my demat to maturity (<3 years), is it possible to claim tax deductions (upto 20k per year) under 80CCF for buying?
I couldn’t find anything on this. Any help is appreciated.
Hello @Veejayy,
Yes you can claim deduction under 80CCF for investment made in specified infrastructure and other tax saving bonds bought in the secondary market and held to maturity.
Deduction under Section 80CCF can be availed only through investment in certain tax saving bonds, issued by banks or corporations after gaining permission from the government which shall be restricted upto 10,000 per year.
These bonds are generally long term bonds, having tenure of more than 5 years with a lock in period of 5 years in most of the cases. These bonds can be sold after the lock in period!
Also, interest earned on these bonds will be taxable.
Hope this helps!
Hi, I need to file my income tax for FY21, I am using Quicko platform for filing, I wanted to confirm if the ELSS investment amount for the FY21 is to be added in the section 80C, since I already the amount of Rs30,072 , should I add my ELSS amount to this existing amount and submit the total
Hey @Sheirsh_Saxena, yes, the investment amount needs to be added under 80C.