The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has decided not to extend the deadline further for certain employers for linking Aadhaar with the Universal Account Number (UAN) of their employees.
In a fresh order dated December 1, 2025, the EPFO has made it clear that no further extensions will be granted for Aadhaar–UAN seeding beyond 31 October 2025, the deadline that had already been extended several times.
“Considering the implementation challenges initially faced by employers and employees, several extensions were provided through the cited circulars and Ministry of Labour & Employment communications,” the EPFO said.
This change will directly impact establishments in the North East region and certain labour-intensive industries that have been enjoying relaxed timelines due to implementation challenges.
Why Aadhaar–UAN seeding matters
Since June 1, 2021, the EPFO has made Aadhaar verification mandatory for filing the Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) – the monthly filing through which employers deposit provident fund (PF) contributions. In simple terms, employers can only file PF returns and deposit contributions for workers whose Aadhaar is linked and verified with their UAN.
This rule was introduced to reduce errors in PF accounts, prevent duplicate or fake UANs, and ensure smooth claim settlement for employees.
However, several regions and industries struggled to meet the requirement, prompting EPFO to offer staggered extensions.
Who received the extension so far?
1. North East Region (NER)
Employers in the seven NE states — Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura — were given extra time due to digital connectivity issues and administrative challenges.
2. Select labour-intensive industries
Sectors that rely heavily on informal labour were also provided relaxations, including beedi-making, building and construction, plantations (tea, coffee, rubber, jute, pepper, cardamom, cinchona, cashewnuts, etc.)
These sectors typically employ migrant or seasonal workers, making Aadhaar collection and verification more difficult.
EPFO says “enough time already given”
According to the circular, EPFO believes that employers have now had over four years to complete Aadhaar–UAN seeding. Pendency levels are now “marginal and steadily declining”, indicating that most establishments have complied.
To avoid repeated postponements, EPFO has decided that no new extension will be provided beyond 31 October 2025.
This marks a firm end to the extended relief that these sectors have been receiving since 2021.
What happens now?
Starting with the wage month of November 2025, employers will be allowed to file ECR only for those employees whose Aadhaar is fully seeded and verified with UAN.
There will be no exceptions for any category or region.
To ensure compliance, EPFO has asked all zonal and regional offices to launch intensive awareness drives, directly inform employers of the mandatory requirement, and prevent last-minute delays or disruptions in ECR filing.
If employers fail to seed Aadhaar with UAN in time, they will not be able to deposit PF contributions, potentially affecting employees’ PF credits.
Summing up…
The EPFO’s latest order signals a clear shift: the phase of leniency is over. Employers in the North East and select unorganised-sector industries now have a hard deadline — 31 October 2025 — after which Aadhaar–UAN linking becomes strictly mandatory for PF filing.
For workers, it means ensuring their Aadhaar is correct, updated and linked to their UAN to avoid any disruption in PF contributions.