EPF Form 5 - What It Is, Eligibility, And How To Apply?

EPF Form 5 is the return form submitted by the employers to the Employee Provident Fund Organisation to provide details of the new employees eligible to become its members for the first time. The objective of Form 5 is to enrol the new employees who are not members of EPFO with the EPFO. After the Form 5 gets processed, EPFO will allot a Unique Identification Number (UAN) to the new members. Against the allotted UAN, the employee and the employer can make their contribution towards PF account.

What is Form 5?

Form 5 is to be submitted by employers to the EPF Commissioner’s office on a monthly basis. Employers must mention the details of the newly joined employees eligible for EPF benefits during the previous month. The employer files returns of employees who qualify for EPF, Employees’ Pension Scheme and Employees’ Deposit Link Insurance Fund for the first time during a month. Upon submission, a Universal Account Number will be allotted to each employee. Further, the contributions of employee and employer will get deposited to the respective EPF accounts.

Who Fills Form 5?

The employer submits Form 5 to the Employees Provident Fund Organisation, giving details of the new employers who were not members of EPFO earlier for the last month. Form 5 must be submitted by the employer every month. Even if there were no new employers in the previous month, the employer should fill Form 5 with ‘NIL’ entry under the employee’s details to inform the EPFO that no new joining occurred last month.

Due Date of Submitting Form 5

Form 5 is submitted to the EPF commissioner’s office every month. The due date for submitting Form 5 is the 25th of the month following the month in which new employees joined the organisation. Employers must provide the details of the new employees eligible for EPF. 

Points to Consider Before Filling Out Form 5

• Form 5 must be filled out only for new employees not enrolled with EPFO. The employers should not submit the details of new employees transferring their PF accounts.
• Form 5 must be submitted with EPF Form 2. EPF Form 2 is a declaration form to be filled by a new employee upon joining. This form contains the basic details of the employee, like name, date of birth, Father/ Husband’s name, address, account number, date of joining, and details of the nominees—their names, relationship with the employee, percentage of EPF share, and addresses. Also, employees need to fill out details about their family members who may be eligible for pension benefits.
• Employers should ensure that all the mandatory details in Form 5 are complete and accurate. Incorrect or incomplete information can delay UAN generation.
• While filling out a physical copy of Form 15, the employers should use legible handwriting to avoid errors in data entry by the EPFO.
• Avoid overwriting while filling out EPF Form 5. If corrections are required in the physical copy, fill out a fresh form and get it attested by the employer.

Criteria to Submit Form 5

• The employer must refer to the details mentioned in Form 2 and Form 11 for basic EPF details and nomination while filling out Form 5. Form 11 is a declaration form filled by employees upon joining, stating that they are new members of EPFO.
• The details of new employees who joined in the previous month must be submitted to the EPF Commissioner’s office before the 25th of the month.

Details in Form 5

The employer must provide the following details while filling up Form 5:

• Name and address of the establishment/factory
• Code number of the factory/establishment
• Employee details table
  • Account number
  • Name of the employee
  • Father/husband’s name
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • Date of joining the fund
  • Total period of the previous service as on the date of joining the fund (Enclose Scheme Certificate as applicable)
  • Remarks
• Employer’s signature or any other authorised officer of the factory/establishment
• Stamp of the factory/establishment
• Date of the form submission
• Date of filing the form

How to Obtain Form 5?

Employers can download Form 5 from the official website of EPFO, or can collect it from the regional EPF commissioner’s office.

How to Make Corrections in EPF Form 5?

The following steps can make the corrections in EPF Form 5:

• The employee should contact the employer to make corrections, including the name.
• Documents such as the Aadhar Card, PAN Card, Driving License, Voter ID, School certifications, and Passport should be submitted to the employer.
• Download the rectification form online and take a printout of it.
• Fill out the form providing accurate details
• Get the form signed and stamped by an authorised signatory.
• The self-attested copies of the required documents have to be attached.

Declarations In Form 5

The employer must provide the following details while filling up Form 5:

• Name and address of the establishment/factory
• Code number of the factory/establishment
• Employee details table
  • Account number
  • Name of the employee
  • Father/husband’s name
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • Date of joining the fund
  • Total period of the previous service as on the date of joining the fund (Enclose Scheme Certificate as applicable)
  • Remarks
• Employer’s signature or any other authorised officer of the factory/establishment
• Stamp of the factory/establishment
• Date of the form submission
• Date of filing the form

Format Of EPF Form 5

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