Register for Provident Fund Online

Online PF Registration - An Overview

Employees’ Provident Fund is a social security scheme that helps employees save a small portion of their salary for future benefits.

Every company has to offer its employees an EPF online or Employees Provident Fund which is akin to a retirement fund. Provident fund registration online comes under the purview of the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. EPF registration process is mandatory for organizations with total employee strength more than 20. Such employers can opt for online PF registration from Vakilsearch. Companies can register for employee provident fund, in 3 easy steps:

• Free consultation and form filling
• Connect with a dedicated affiliate for data validation
• Receipt of PF online number

What Is the Meaning of Employee Under the Employee Provident Fund Registration?

According to section 2(f) of the Employees Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, a person who performs any task with the intention of obtaining compensation is considered an employee. This would also apply to everyone who is regarded as a worker and receives compensation, either directly or indirectly.

Below is a list of those who are regarded as employees:

Full-Time Workers

Any person with a history of consistent employment with the organisation qualifies as a full-time employee. Depending on the relationship that already exists between the employer and the employee, this will be decided. The appointment letter may be taken into account while confirming the employment guarantee.

Part-Time Workers

Any worker who does part-time labour for any establishment is categorised as a part-time worker and must register with the EPFO. Compared to a full-time employee, a part-time worker works less hours per week.

Work-From-Home Workers

The company may also consider registering any employee who works remotely for a set amount of time for the employee provident fund registration

Contractors

Contractors are specific personnel hired to carry out certain projects in accordance with the needs of the organisation.For organisations that hire independent contractors, provident fund registration is required.

Consultants

Consultants are people who are classified based on their level of experience. They are neither a contractor nor a part-time employee; instead, they are providing consulting services to an establishment for a set period of time.

Freelancers

The Government of India has added those who are freelancers to be regarded under the definition of an employee in the latest revision to the Social Security Code introduced in September 2020. The services offered under the provident fund registration online are also available to independent contractors.

Benefits of PF Apply Online

Pension Coverage

Besides the contribution of the employee to EPF, the employer adds an equal amount which is inclusive of Employee Pension Scheme (EPS). Therefore, EPF online saves you a robust pension.

Cover of Risk

In case of instances like illness, demise or retirement, Provident Fund registration helps the dependents of the employee by covering the financial risks they face in such situations.

Single Account/one EPF Account

The PF online account can be transferred while switching jobs. Universal Account Number(UAN) linked to the Aadhar will start to facilitate the linking of the previous accounts. It can be carried forward to the new employer instead of being closed down. This uniformity ensures that the rate of return is compounded over the years.

Emergency Fund

Emergencies are bound to happen at any point of time in life. EPF amount can be of great help during mishaps, illnesses, weddings and educational expenses. Employees can make claims online.

Employee Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme

Any person who has PF online account is eligible for this insurance scheme that requires only 0.5 % of the salary deduction as premium.

Extended Goals

The PF account can be extremely helpful for long-term goals like buying a property or setting up a fund for children.

Checking the EPF balance

The members who are registered under the UAN portal can get the details which are available at the Employee Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) by just giving a missed call to 011-22901406 from their registered mobile number. If the member’s UAN is linked with the bank’s account number, PAN card or Aadhar number, then the member can easily get the PF online application and previous contribution details Activated members of the UAN can get to know their previous EPFO balance and PF contribution by sending an SMS to 7738299899 from their registered mobile.

• Step 1: Employees can visit the official EPFO website at https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface to activate their UAN online
• Step 2: Fill up all the required fields, including UAN, Member ID, Aadhar number, PAN number, etc
• Step 3: Next, enter your information (name, address, and phone number) and complete the form by typing the captcha that appears on the screen
• Step 4: The employee will receive an OTP on his mobile device after filling up these credentials
• Step 5: Validate the OTP and activate the UAN.

Eligibility for Provident Fund Registration for Indian Employers

To be eligible for PF Registration, an organisation has to fulfil the following criteria:

• A factory with a total employee strength of 20 or more
• An establishment that employs more than 20 persons. Here, the Central Government defines the class of such firms
• An establishment that has less than 20 workers and has been notified of compulsory registration for not less than 2 months

Companies with less than 20 employees (Note: Such companies must issue a notice to the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization in 2 months or less than that)

The employer and the employees of an establishment must mutually agree to apply for PF to the Central PF Commissioner. A notification has to be sent to the Official Gazette from the date of the agreement.

Every employee is eligible for PF right from the beginning of his employment. The responsibility of PF contribution and deduction is the employer’s.

What Details Do I Need to Give for PF Registration?

• Name & address of your company
• Head office & branch details
• Date of company incorporation
• Total employee strength
• Type of business activity
• Nature of business
• Director/partners’ details
• Employee’s Basic details
• Employees’ salary details
• Bank account details of the company
• PAN card.

Documents Required for PF Registration Online

Any business that wishes to apply for PF needs to submit the following mandatory documents:

• PAN card of establishment
• Certificate of incorporation
• Cross cancelled cheque of establishment
• Address proof that is in the name of the establishment. It can be:
• Rent agreement
• Water
• Electricity
• Telephone bill
• Specimen signature of directors and authorised signatories
• Digital signature registration of the authorised applicant
• In case of voluntary registration, consent of the majority of employees

In some entities the underlying may also be needed:

• First sale bill
• First purchase bill of raw material and machinery
• GST registration certificate
• Bankers details
• Record of a monthly employee strength
• Register of salary and wages

You just need to collect the mandatory documents and send a copy of each document to us. The rest will be handled by the efficient team at Vakilsearch. From filing the form to verification processes and legal formalities, we handle it all!

UAN (Universal Account Number) - EPF Registration

The organisation updates the KYC documents of its personnel once it has registered in the EPFO portal by creating a Universal Account Number (UAN). Each employee's UAN number can be used to transfer PF money electronically to a bank account, claim PF benefits, and other things. The following process must be used to activate UAN as the only mandatory step for an employee to take:

How to Apply PF Online?

The Provident Fund can be a great support, safety and assurance for employees as it offers a sense of financial security to the employees. It is regulated by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), which is also one of the most well known and biggest Social Security Organisation in India. They handle huge amounts of financial transactions on a daily basis. The process of applying for the provident fund is also not a difficult task as long as you have a professional to help you sort things out.

At Vakilsearch, we guarantee that you do not have to go through the legal complexities of registering for PF online. Once we get the required information and the documents, our experts fill the forms accurately and submit them on time. Our team takes the responsibility of follow-ups and delivers you the PF number at the earliest time as possible.

EPF Online Registration Process for Employers

• Collect relevant employee data and documents
• Establishment Registered with EPFO online Registration
• Register DSC (digital signature certificate) of the employer
• Fill the application with all employer details
• Submit verified form
• Get PF registration certificate & Universal Account Number [UAN]

Our expert will be your advisors and consultants for EPF registration online and help get the PF number in 5 to 10 business days (not factoring processing time). On the very first consultation, which is free of any charge, you will get the gist of our PF process. When we work on your behalf, we ensure that the PF application is submitted for the organisation in the prescribed format without any errors. We pledge easy working at the most economical prices.

The EPFO members will be able to keep a tab of their UAN status using online methods. All you need to do is to provide the EPF number and select your state. You will automatically get the UAN status.

All the individuals will have to activate their UAN if they need access to all the direct/online facilities given by the Employee Provident Fund.

What Is the PF Number Format?

The first two letters of the PF account number are the region code, the following three letters are the office code, the next seven digits are the establishment registration code, the next three zeroes are the establishment extension, and the final seven digits are the PF member id of the employee. So, PF account number is a 22 digit number.

Mandatory Compliances - PF Registration

• Once the establishment has registered with EPFO, it must follow certain lawful requirements on a monthly or annual basis
• Monthly returns are submitted electronically by uploading the ECR sheet using the establishment login
• Online returns are submitted by the 15th of the following month
• Every employee registered with the establishment during the month for which the return is filed is listed by name and UAN on the ECR sheet, which is available for download through EPFO in an XML format
• A file must be created from an XML sheet before it can be uploaded for return filing
• By adding online payment gateways, finish filling the return.

Contribution Rate - EPF Registration

Rate of contribution is the amount of contribution varies according to how many employees are working in the establishment:

• For establishment employing personnel aged 20 or over:
  A maximum of 12% of the employee's salary (basic wages plus overtime pay) may be contributed by both the employer and the employee of such an establishment.
• For establishments hiring less than 20 workers:
  These establishments shall contribute at the rate of 10% of the employee's basic salary, up to a maximum of 12%
• A business with up to 10 employees that registers voluntarily with EPFO
• Any business that lost money the previous year
• Other businesses, including a brick factory, a jute plant, a beedi factory, etc.

Who are all Exempted from the Registration Under EPF Scheme?

Any business or establishment with fewer than twenty employees is exempt from the EPF Act's requirement that they register. Such businesses can still register under the EPF programme if they so choose. The process will subsequently be known as voluntary provident fund registration.

How Much Penalty Is Prescribed for the Employer’s Delay?

Why Vakilsearch for Provident Fund Registration?

• If you've got all the documents and the authorisation letter signed, it will take us three working days to file the application with the Registrar of Copyright in Delhi
• We make your interaction with the government as smooth as is possible by doing all the paperwork for you. We will also give you absolute clarity on the process to set realistic expectations
• Our team of experienced business advisors are a phone call away, should you have any queries about the process. But we'll try to ensure that your doubts are cleared before they even arise.