EPF Online Payment - Online ECR / Challan Payment for EPF Employers
EPFO (Employee Provident Fund Organization) manages the India's primary social sector scheme called EPF. As part of EPF (Employee Provident Fund) management process, the employers / companies need to regularly file ECR return, create Challan, and pay the EPF amount collected for the employees.
Lately EPFO has been working on optimizing its digital footprint and it now allows EPF Online payment without much hassle. Though the employer need to follow a specific work-flow. This page goes through the process of EPF online payment and how to pay money using net banking facility of different banks like SBI, HDFC and others.
EPF Online Payment
After login on EPF Employer portal, the employer will have to click on 'payment' link in the menu bar. Under 'Payment' link, there are following main options
- ECR Upload - applicable for both monthly ECR return as well as arrear ECR
- Direct Challan Entry
- View Challans
To make online payment, the employer need to follow following work-flow:
- Upload ECR
- Verify
- Prepare Challan
- Finalize Challan
- Pay online
Once the user uploads an ECR, TRRN will be generated for the uploaded ECR file. TRRN is a Temporary Return Reference Number generated for the purpose of EPF payment.
EPF Online Challan Payment
Once you have prepared challan and clicked on 'finalize' button after verifying the challan, you will be able to see the button for 'Pay'.
Click on 'Pay' and it will show following details:
- TRRN (EPF Temporary Return Reference Number)
- Amount to Pay
- Payment Mode - Online vs Offline
- Select Bank
Select your bank and click on Continue. It will take you to the net banking portal of your bank and you can pay the amount after entering the necessary username and password.
Frequently Asked Questions about Online EPF Payment
- Can employer pay the monthly ECR and arrears also on the EPF employer portal?
Yes, both can be paid but the employer need to upload separate files for Monthly ECR and arrears.
- In how much time the uploaded ECR will lapse if payment is not made?
ECR does not lapse now and one can make payment anytime after uploading the ECR by clicking on online payment link. Though if you delay the payment beyond due date, you will have to pay the penalty and interests as per the applicable rules.