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Employees Provident Fund (EPF) is a scheme that is regulated by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and it was introduced due to the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. The work culture today depends on the welfare of employees, with employers scrambling to ensure their employees are entitled to the best care and benefits. An Employee Provident Fund is an initiative designed to offer social security benefits to employees of a particular organization, building stronger employee-employer bonds. In order to enjoy these benefits to the hilt, employers need to follow a set of rules and guidelines laid out, with registration forming the first step.
Companies which grow to a strength of 20 members are expected to register themselves within one month from the time of attaining this strength, with penalties applicable for delays in registration. Co-operative societies are expected to register if their employee strength increases to 50 or more and registered organizations continue to be under the purview of the rules and regulations of the Act even if their employee strength falls below the minimum specified number.
Provident fund is a social security system that was introduced for the purpose of encouraging savings among employees, so as to benefit them during the course of their retirement. Contributions are made by the employer and the employee on a monthly basis. PF contributions can only be withdrawn by the employee at the time of his/her retirement, barring a few exceptions. All employers having PF registration are responsible to file returns on a monthly basis. The filing of returns must be completed by the 25th of each month. This article deals with the filing of provident fund returns, and the various forms through which the purpose must be fulfilled