Home / Start / ESI / PF Registration

ESI & PF Registration for Employers

Register for ESI and PF in 7–15 days. Mandatory above 10 employees (ESI) and 20 employees (PF). End-to-end filing on ESIC and EPFO portals handled by chartered accountants.

Talk to a CA
Response within 30 mins during business hours

Required Documents & Deliverables

A clean handoff. You send us a list of documents, we handle the rest.

Required Documents

For sole proprietorships with employees. The proprietor signs as the employer.

Documents for Sole Proprietorship
PAN card of Proprietor
Aadhaar of Proprietor
Passport-size photograph of Proprietor
Email and mobile number (linked to Aadhaar for OTP)
Proof of business address (electricity bill, rent agreement, NOC)
Trade licence or Shop & Establishment certificate
List of all employees with salary details, joining dates, Aadhaar, and bank details
Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) of Proprietor (optional)

What Is ESI & PF Registration?

Employees' State Insurance (ESI) and Employees' Provident Fund (PF) are India's two foundational statutory benefits for salaried workers. ESI provides health insurance, medical care, and cash benefits during sickness, maternity, or workplace injury. PF builds a retirement corpus through monthly employer and employee contributions. Both are administered by separate central bodies: ESI by the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under the Ministry of Labour, and PF by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

Registration with both is the employer's responsibility, not the employee's. Once an establishment crosses the threshold employee count, registration becomes mandatory and back-dated penalties apply if delayed. The registrations are paid for and processed separately, but most employers register for both at the same time to simplify HR setup. Filings are recurring (monthly) and require contribution remittance by fixed deadlines.

Who must register

ESI registration is mandatory for any establishment employing 10 or more employees earning up to ₹21,000 per month (gross wages). PF registration is mandatory for any establishment with 20 or more employees, regardless of salary level, with the wage ceiling for PF contributions set at ₹15,000 per month (employers can contribute on actual wages voluntarily). Once registered, the establishment retains coverage even if employee count later falls below the threshold.

Coverage and contributions

ESI contributions total 4% of gross wages: 3.25% from the employer and 0.75% from the employee. PF contributions total 24% of basic wages: 12% each from employer and employee, with 8.33% of the employer's share routed to the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) up to a salary ceiling. Both contributions are deducted at source and remitted by the employer each month, along with the corresponding returns.

What changes after registration

Once registered, the employer is on a recurring monthly compliance schedule. ESI contributions are due by the 15th of the next month; PF contributions are due by the 15th of the next month as well. Both registrations issue digital codes used on every monthly return. Missing returns triggers interest (12% per annum) plus damages (5-25% of dues), and persistent default can lead to prosecution under the respective Acts.

Benefits Unlocked by ESI & PF Registration.

What ESI & PF registration brings to your business, beyond meeting the legal requirement.

Healthcare for employees
ESI covers your employees and their dependents at any of 1,500+ ESIC dispensaries and hospitals across India. Full medical care during sickness, maternity, or injury.
Retirement corpus building
PF builds a tax-free retirement fund for your employees, with employer contribution treated as a deductible business expense.
Talent retention signal
Statutory benefits are the baseline for serious candidates. ESI and PF on the offer letter signals you are a real employer, not a project-shop.
Government tender eligibility
Most public sector and government tenders explicitly require ESIC and EPFO registration as a vendor onboarding requirement.
Workplace injury cover
ESI covers temporary and permanent disablement, dependant's benefit on workplace death, and funeral expenses. Reduces employer liability under the Employee Compensation Act.
Enterprise vendor access
Large enterprise procurement teams audit statutory compliance during vendor onboarding. Missing ESI & PF blocks several enterprise contracts.

Do You Need ESI & PF Registration?

Mandatory if you cross either employee threshold. Once required, registration is legally enforced and back-dated penalties apply for delay.

Mandatory if
  • You employ 10 or more workers earning up to ₹21,000/month. ESI registration becomes mandatory the day you cross 10 covered employees.
  • You employ 20 or more workers. PF registration becomes mandatory regardless of wage levels.
  • You're a factory under the Factories Act. ESI is mandatory regardless of headcount for factories using power, employing 10+ workers (or 20+ without power).
  • You're notified under specific establishment categories. Shops, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, transport, newspapers, and other notified establishments fall under ESI & PF coverage at the threshold counts.
  • You operate across multiple states. ESI and PF are central legislations: thresholds are applied at the establishment level, not just per location.
Consider voluntarily if
  • You're hiring senior talent. PF is a real signal of professional employer credibility. Senior candidates increasingly ask for it before accepting offers.
  • You expect to cross the threshold soon. Registering early avoids the rush, the back-dated contributions, and the penalty exposure when you do cross.
  • You bid for government tenders. Many central and state tenders explicitly require ESIC and EPFO registration as bidding criteria, regardless of headcount.
  • Your customers are large enterprises. Enterprise vendor onboarding often requires statutory compliance proof; ESI & PF certificates are part of standard checklists.

How ESI & PF Registration Works.

Three steps. We handle two of them. Total timeline: 7–15 working days for both registrations.

1
We Collect
Send us your incorporation documents, signatory details, and the employee roster (names, salaries, joining dates). We verify each one and structure the application correctly for both portals.
Day 1–2
2
We Process
File the ESI application on the ESIC portal and the PF application on Shram Suvidha (EPFO). Both run in parallel. Respond to any queries from the assigned officers.
Day 3–10
3
We Deliver
ESIC Code Number and PF Establishment Code delivered. We set up your monthly contribution calendar, run through your first remittance, and onboard you to the relevant portals for ongoing filings.
Day 11–15

ESI & PF Contribution Rates.

Contribution rates split by employer and employee, with applicability ceilings.

Scheme
Employer
Employee
Total
Applicable on
ESI (Employees' State Insurance)
3.25%
0.75%
4%
Gross wages up to ₹21,000/month
PF (Provident Fund)
12%
12%
24%
Basic wages up to ₹15,000/month (or higher voluntarily)
EPS (Employees' Pension Scheme, part of PF)
8.33%
0%
8.33%
From employer's 12% PF share, up to ₹15,000 ceiling
EDLI (Deposit Linked Insurance, part of PF)
0.50%
0%
0.50%
Employer contribution on PF wages
PF Admin charges
0.50%
0%
0.50%
Employer share, on PF wages
Rates reflect EPFO and ESIC notifications current as of 2026. Rates and ceilings are revised periodically by the respective central bodies; your CA team should verify the latest notifications before any salary structure change.

After Registration What's Next?

Getting your ESIC and EPFO codes is the start. From the date of registration, you are on a recurring monthly compliance cycle. Missed contributions trigger interest and damages, and persistent default can lead to prosecution under the respective Acts.

1
Onboard employees to ESIC and EPFO portals

Every employee must be onboarded onto both portals with their UAN (Universal Account Number) for PF and IP (Insured Person) number for ESI. Existing employees retain their UAN across employers; new employees who never held a UAN are issued one during onboarding. We typically run founders through the onboarding flow during the handover call and set up a standard new-hire onboarding script.

2
Monthly contribution rhythm

Your company already has its PAN and TAN. If your turnover is expected to exceed the GST threshold (₹40 lakh for goods, ₹20 lakh for services in most states), or if you operate across state lines or sell through e-commerce, GST registration is required. We can handle this either as a follow-on service or bundled into your incorporation engagement.

3
Annual returns and audit readiness

Beyond the monthly remittances, the year has two more compliance layers worth knowing about.

  • File annual ESI returns and PF annual returns (consolidated by the portals from monthly filings, but require sign-off)
  • Respond to any inspector notices within the timelines specified, typically 15–30 days
  • Maintain the statutory registers (wage register, attendance register, accident register) for inspection
  • Update employee data on changes in salary, joining, or exit through the portals within 15 days
  • Reconcile monthly contributions against salary registers each quarter to catch errors early

Interest on missed contributions runs at 12% per annum from the due date. Damages range from 5% to 25% of the dues depending on how long the default persists. Most growing businesses outsource the entire ESI/PF compliance to a compliance firm or payroll vendor within the first year, both for the time saving and to keep the employer liability cleanly managed.

Frequently Asked Questions.

ESI is medical insurance and cash benefit cover for employees, run by the ESIC. It covers sickness, maternity, workplace injury, and dependants. PF is a retirement savings scheme run by EPFO, where both employer and employee contribute monthly and the corpus is withdrawn at retirement or job change. Both are statutory, both are employer-administered, but they serve different purposes.
ESI registration is mandatory once an establishment crosses 10 employees (in most states) earning up to ₹21,000 per month (gross wages). Some states have a 20-employee threshold for non-factory establishments. Factories under the Factories Act are mandated at 10 employees with power or 20 employees without power, regardless of salary level.
PF registration is mandatory once an establishment crosses 20 employees, regardless of salary levels. Once registered, the establishment retains coverage even if the headcount later falls below 20. The wage ceiling for mandatory PF contributions is ₹15,000 per month basic wages, but employers can contribute on higher actual wages voluntarily.
Typically 7–15 working days for both, applied in parallel. ESI is usually faster (5–10 days); PF can take longer if the EPFO officer raises queries on the establishment classification or wage structure. Aadhaar-linked authentication speeds up both processes. Our role is to anticipate the queries and structure the application to minimise back-and-forth.
ESI is 4% total: 3.25% from the employer and 0.75% from the employee, on gross wages up to ₹21,000/month. PF is 24% total: 12% from each side on basic wages up to ₹15,000/month, plus 0.5% EDLI and 0.5% admin charges from the employer. From the employer's 12% PF share, 8.33% is routed to the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) up to the ₹15,000 ceiling, and the rest goes to the PF account.
Yes, both can be opted into voluntarily. ESIC allows voluntary registration under specific conditions (signed consent from majority employees). EPFO allows voluntary coverage by application. Voluntary registration is common for startups hiring senior talent that expects PF, or for businesses pitching to enterprise clients that audit statutory compliance during vendor onboarding.
UAN (Universal Account Number) is the 12-digit ID assigned to every PF subscriber by EPFO. It stays with the employee for life and consolidates PF accounts across all employers. When an employee joins your company, you must link their existing UAN to your PF establishment (or create a new UAN if they're a first-time PF subscriber). Every monthly contribution is mapped to the UAN.
Interest at 12% per annum accrues from the due date. Damages range from 5% to 25% of the dues depending on the period of default (5% for less than 2 months, 25% for over 6 months). Persistent default can result in prosecution under the ESI Act or EPF Act, with prosecution being personal against directors and partners, not just the establishment.
Yes, in most cases. ESI and PF coverage extends to contract workers, casual workers, daily-wage workers, and part-timers if their wages fall within the applicable limits. The legal employer (principal employer) is responsible for contribution compliance even if the worker is on a contractor's rolls. Many disputes arise here, so we recommend clear contracts and contribution responsibility allocation up front.
Yes. ESI covers the insured employee plus the employee's spouse, children up to age 25 (longer for unmarried daughters or disabled children), and dependent parents. Coverage includes medical care, hospitalisation, maternity benefits, and a pension for the surviving spouse on death. The dependant cover is a major differentiator vs. private health insurance, where dependants are usually charged separately.
Government registration fees for both schemes are zero. The cost is in the professional fees for end-to-end handling (document preparation, application filing across both portals, query response, onboarding the first set of employees, setting up the contribution calendar). Typical fees range from ₹5,000 to ₹15,000 depending on company size and complexity. Reach out for an exact quote.
Once registered, both are sticky. ESIC and EPFO require an establishment to surrender registration only if it ceases operations or no longer employs anyone covered. Even if your headcount falls below the threshold, the registration continues, and the contribution liability for remaining covered employees continues. Closure requires a formal application and clearance of all dues.

You Might Also Need.

Ready to Register for ESI & PF?

Talk to a CA in 15 minutes. Response within 30 mins during business hours.