Struggling with ESIC and EPF Registration for Small Manpower Agencies: Can We Register with Less Than 15 Workers?

I work with a manpower agency that has planned to supply valuable manpower to the manufacturing companies in and around Chennai. At present, we have been contacting the companies for the work orders to supply the number of manpower to them. When we approach, the first thing they ask about is the registration numbers of ESIC and EPF.

The beginners like us are helpless because the minimum workforce should be 15 for ESIC and 21 for EPF, as far as I am concerned. However, we have 7 workers with us. Whether it is possible with the current strength or we have to make the quota, then only we have to register. Or is it possible to have voluntary registration while the strength is less than what has been required.

Please help me to sort out this juncture. I will be thankful for every suggestion.

Shall we register online for ESIC and EPF? Is it possible? Please give me the website where we can do this.

For manpower supply agencies, registration under the ESI, EPF, and Contract Labour (Abolition and Regulation) Act is mandatory. If you have only 7 employees, then how can you supply manpower? Any manpower registered with you shall be taken as your employee. It is immaterial whether they are given engagement. If they are not given engagement, then they will not be paid a salary, and as such, no contribution needs to be made towards PF or ESI. You will start paying salary to them only when they are sent to companies for engagement. Since then, only you will start contributing towards ESI and PF.

Therefore, get registration by including the names of all those who have registered with you for employment. Unless you get ESI and EPF registration, no employer will outsource you. And remember that for coverage, you need 20 employees and not 15 or 21.

Regards, Madhu.T.K

I endorse the views of Mr. Madhu. Since you are wanting to become a manpower agency, a certain investment has to be made. So, it is worth it. Unless the party possesses the PF/ESI registration, there will not be big business.

KK

Mr. Nambiraajan,

Hi! A few questions for you, based on which maybe we could provide an effective solution, okay. What is your present infrastructure? Your capacity to supply? How many people and what categories, as in skilled, unskilled, etc.? What is your experience in this field?

Regards.

Feel free to contact at [Login to view]

Can anyone help me with the registration of the Karnataka Shop & Establishment Act for our software company?

Hi,

Just to let you know that you can register the EPF under Voluntary Provident Fund. You can get the form on the website (epfindia.com). I also registered my company under Voluntary Provident Fund.

Warm Regards,
Swaroop

Dear friends,

The ESI and the EPF issues have been addressed with the necessary requirements. I would like to ask all of you about a doubt I have regarding the digital signature and how it differs from the DIN. Please provide your valuable suggestions with simple examples.

Thanks and regards,
S. Nambiraajan

Re: ESIC Online Employee Registration Procedure

Dear Snehanil, the ESIC website offers online registration for the Employees' State Insurance Corporation. Here, you need to generate a login name and password for your establishment. Afterward, you can proceed with the MIS or other registration work.

If you still find it unclear, please feel free to email me at [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Regards,
Devesh Sharma

Dear Sir,
Good one. With the help of your guide, we have registered one of our new employees. Now, I want to register him for PF. Please guide us on how to generate his PF account number.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Ishwar

Manpower agencies do not need to register for PF and ESI as PF and ESI fall under the scope of the principal employer, not the manpower agency.

This thread was started in 2009, and I don't know the significance of the reply posted now. Still, I would like to counter what SURE1975 has written. You cannot say that registrations under ESI and PF do not come under the scope of a manpower supply agency, but these are certainly within their scope only, and no principal employer would genuinely like to cover the contract workers under his registration number. Since there are plenty of such agencies readily available with independent ESI/PF codes, why should we engage workers through an agency that does not have separate code numbers?

Madhu.T.K