ESIC Registration 2026: ESIC is the Employees state insurance Corporation (ESIC) under the ministry of labour and employment, Government of India which is aimed at offering healthcare and social security assistance to employees. ESIC 10-day rule obliges employers to enroll the newly hired staff in the 10 days of their employment date to guarantee them of benefits such as medical cover and sickness benefits.
What is the ESIC 10-Day Rule?
ESIC 10-day rule applies that within 10 days of the employee joining, the employer brings him/her on the ESIC portal in the circumstances where the monthly wages are 21000 or less (25000 in the case of employee with disabilities). This is under factories or firms that have 10 or more employees (20 in certain states). Registration provides the workers with access to medical services, maternity leaves and sickness or disability benefits.
Who Needs to ESIC Registration 2026?
Employers must register employees who:
- Earn a maximum of 21,000 per month (or 25,000 to persons with disabilities).
- Labor non-seasonable factories or facilities that have the ESI Act.
- Is this in relation to new employees or current employees.
How to Register Employee Under ESI Within 10 Days?
This is how the employers can enroll the employees within 10 days:
- Go to ESIC Employer Portal at www.esic.gov.in, and log in with the credentials of your establishment.
- Go to employee and choose the option of registering new employee.
- Add the information of the employee: name, Aadhaar number, date of birth, joining date, monthly wages.
- Provide a scanned version of Aadhaar card and bank details of the employee.
- Send the form to create an Insurance Number of the employee.
- Confirm information and verify Aadhaar of the employee with his or her mobile-number to enable OTP verification.
- Full registration in 10 days to the joining date of the employee (e.g. hired on 1 st April 2026, register before 10th April 2026).
Important Dates and Compliance
- Registration Deadline: Within 10 days of date of joining of an employee.
- Contribution Periods: Period 1: 1st April 2026 to 30th September 2026 (Benefits: 1st January 2027 to 30th June 2027). Period 2: 1st October 2026 to 31st March 2027 (Benefits 1st July 2026 to 31st December 2026).
- Contribution Payments: Payments are required on the 15th of the following month (e.g. 2026 contributions must be paid on 15th May 2026).
The amount of the contribution is 0.75 percent of wages (employee) and 3.25 percent (employer).
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Failing to register employees within 10 days can lead to:
- Delayed contribution interest 12%.
- The maximum fine is 10000 or a jail sentence of three years under the ESI act.
Key 2026 ESIC Registration Benefits for Employees
Medical Benefits: Free, full, complete medical care to the employee and his or her dependents on the first day.
Sickness Benefit: Cash payments of 70% of the wages when on certified sick leave of up to 91 days annually.
Maternity Benefit: 100 per cent of daily earnings of an average, not more than 26 weeks in case of pregnant women, and 12 weeks in case of commissioning/adopting mothers.
Disablement Benefit: Monthly benefits on temporary (90% of wages) or permanent lifelong disability as a result of work-related injuries.
Dependent Benefit: Payments to dependents made monthly under the event of death of the employee because of an employment injury.
Funeral Expenses: The dependents are given a lump sum of 15, 000 as their funeral expenses.
Unemployment Allowance: This comes in the form of financial aid of up to 24 months in the event of forced loss of employment.
Key 2026 ESIC Benefits for Employers (SPREE 2025 Extension)
No Past Liability: Employers may also register without making contributions on the past unregistered periods on the condition they do so before 31 January 2026.
No Inspections: ESI Corporation will not start inspections and fines of the past non-compliance but will promote self-compliance.
Streamlined Enrollment: SPREE 2025 extension (up to 31 Jan 2026) will make it easier to enroll employees to receive social security benefits.
Major Impact: The SPREE 2025 Extension (Final Opportunity)
Deadline Shift: Scheme of Promotion of Registration of Employers and Employees (SPREE 2025) is shifted by a month and the deadline is January 31, 2026.
Registration without payment of the past due, interest and fines: Unregistered employers may do their registration without paying any past dues or interest and fine.
No Past Inspection: ESIC will not seek to or require records of the past before registration under SPREE.
Consequences after January 2026: Employers who do not have registered before 31 January 2026, will be liable for previous payment, damages, interest and prosecution.
Expanded Coverage Under New Labour Codes
Expanding the definition of employee: The 2025/2026 reforms makes the coverage include more employees especially in educational and medical institutions.
Streamlined Online registration: registration can be carried out online using the ESIC, Shram Suvidha portal and the MCA portal.
Coverage Threshold: All non-seasonal factories or establishments with more than 10 or 20 employees (depending on the state) should be registered provided that employees receive up to 21,000 per month (25,000 in case of a person with disabilities).
Amnesty Scheme 2025-2026
Duration: This is in effect between October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026.
Dispute Resolution: It enables the employers to resolve any pending disputes in terms of damages, interests, and coverage to minimise litigation and create a voluntary compliance environment.
Key Compliance Requirements in 2026
Contribution Rates: The contribution rate will stand at 0.75 to employees and 3.25 to employers.
Aadhaar Linking: Aadhaar linking is compulsory during registration in order to be eligible to get benefits.
Timely Filing: It should be submitted within the 15-day period after the ceasing of the wage period.
Key Updates 2026
Extension: The deadline of SPREE 2025 has been extended by one month i.e. till January 31, 2026 instead of December 31, 2025.
One-Time Opportunity: Unregistered employers have an opportunity to get registered with the ESIC without any liability to the past dues or penalties.
Registration Portals: Registration may be done through registration Esic Portal, registration Shram Suvidha Portal or MCA Portal.
Effect of the Non-Compliance: Employers that will have not registered by January 31, 2026, will have to pay past contributions, interest, and penalties.
Focus Areas: The scheme encompasses all the qualifying employees including the contract and temporary workers to guarantee them social security benefits.