The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on December 01, 2025, notified regarding the discontinuation of Extension of Timeline for Mandatory Aadhaar Seeding with UAN for Filing of ECR in respect of Establishments in the North East Region and Certain Classes of Establishments.
The mandatory requirement for filing Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) only for members whose Aadhaar is seeded and verified with their Universal Account Number (UAN), introduced from June 01, 2021, had been periodically relaxed due to implementation difficulties faced by employers and employees. These relaxations applied to:
• North East Region (NER): Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
• Specific Industries: Beedi-making, Building & Construction, and Plantation sectors including Tea, Coffee, Cardamom, Pepper, Jute, Rubber, Cinchona, Cashewnuts, etc.
The latest extension, issued via Ministry of Labour & Employment communication dated October 28, 2025, allowed these categories time up to October 31, 2025.
Over the past four years, employers have had adequate opportunity to complete Aadhaar-UAN seeding and verification, with current pendency being minimal and steadily reducing. To avoid continued reliance on extensions, no further extension will be granted.
Accordingly, the timeline for Aadhaar seeding and verification with UAN will not be extended beyond October 31, 2025. All Zonal and Regional Offices must immediately launch intensive sensitisation and awareness campaigns to ensure employers are fully informed that ECR filing for the wage month of November 2025 onwards will be allowed only for members with Aadhaar-seeded and verified UANs, without exception.
[Notification No. Compliance/BKG-27/5/2021-BKG/6-38791/14066]
