EPFO enrolment campaign for workers left out of PF coverage: Will they lose interest on past contributions?

Eligible salaried workers outside the formal provident fund system can be enrolled now through EPFO's special one-time window. But does it mean they will lose interest on past contributions?

Salaried workers who were eligible for provident fund (PF) coverage but remained outside the formal system between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2026, can now be enrolled under a one-time special EPFO campaign.

The Employees’ Enrolment Campaign (EEC) 2026, open until October 31, 2026, allows employers to voluntarily bring eligible employees under the coverage of benefits such as PF, pension and insurance.

However, to avail of the relief, the employee must be alive and still employed with the establishment when the employer makes the declaration.

The campaign provides employers a simplified route to regularise past PF coverage by paying a nominal fee of and meeting other prescribed requirements, instead of facing potential higher costs and consequences later.

Who makes up for the lost PF contributions, interest?

A key relief under the campaign is that the employee’s share of EPF contributions will be waived if it was not deducted from wages at the time. This means employees who received their full salary without PF deductions in earlier years will not have to pay those contributions now.

The employer, however, will have to deposit its PF share from the employee’s declared date of joining, along with applicable interest for the past period, administrative charges, and a lump-sum damage of ₹100.

So, employees who were not covered by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) during the prescribed 17-year window will neither lose the contributions, nor the interest that would have accrued otherwise.