EPFO extends September 2026 filing deadline and urges amnesty participation

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has extended the deadline for filing the Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) and remitting statutory provident fund contributions for the September 2026 wage month. The due date has moved from 15 October 2026 to 31 October 2026.

This extension follows a mid-month increase in the EPF wage ceiling from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000, effective 17 September 2026. The EPFO granted the extension to allow employers to manage payroll updates and technical difficulties resulting from the revised ceiling.

Separately, the EPFO is urging eligible establishments to utilize an amnesty window for the retrospective regularisation of exempt status for Provident Fund (PF) Trusts. This amnesty period, introduced under the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) Scheme 2026, is set to expire on 28 December 2026. The scheme offers waivers for certain statutory requirements, such as minimum employee headcount and corpus size, to assist trusts that lack formal exemption orders.