Provident fund (EPF) is the mandatory retirement-savings scheme run by the EPFO for establishments with 20 or more employees. Employee and employer each contribute 12% of basic wages plus dearness allowance; coverage is compulsory for employees earning up to ₹15,000 a month in such wages — a ceiling reaffirmed under the Social Security Code in May 2026 — with higher earners coverable by choice.
Once you cross 20 employees you register the establishment, obtain a code, and generate a UAN for each employee. Every month you deduct the employee's 12%, add the employer's 12% (part of which routes to the pension scheme), file the ECR return and deposit the total by the 15th of the following month. Employees track their balance and carry it between jobs through the UAN.
The labour codes in force since 21 November 2025 changed the arithmetic: 'wages' must now be at least half of total pay, so structures that kept basic artificially low to shrink PF outgo need reworking — expect employer cost and employee take-home to shift. Get salary structures reviewed once, at payroll setup, rather than firefighting later; sort new joiners' UANs and KYC in their first payroll cycle.
The expensive mistake is depositing late. The employee's share deducted from salary must reach EPFO by the due date — deposit it late and the income-tax deduction for that amount is lost permanently, a position the Supreme Court has settled. Interest and damages on late employer contributions come on top. Automate the payment date; this is not a deadline to manage manually.
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Reviewed to the law in force in FY 2026-27. General information, not advice — confirm the position for your facts before acting.