EPFO registered 1.61 million net members in February 2025, shows data

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has released its provisional payroll data for February 2025, reporting a net addition of 1.61 million members. This marks a 3.99 per cent year-on-year increase compared to February 2024, reflecting improved employment prospects and growing awareness about employee benefits.

 

New subscribers

 

In February 2025, the retirement fund body EPFO registered approximately 739,000 new subscribers. “This addition of new subscribers can be attributed to growing employment opportunities, increased awareness of employee benefits, and EPFO's successful outreach programs,” the Ministry of Labour and Employment said in a press release.

 

The new subscribers are first-time members joining EPFO, while net addition includes new subscribers, re-entrants, and accounts for member exits. Thus, net addition reflects the overall change in EPFO membership.

 

 

Returning members

 

Approximately 1.31 million members, who had previously exited EPFO, rejoined in February 2025—an increase of 11.85 per cent year-on-year. “These members switched their jobs and rejoined the establishments covered under the ambit of EPFO and opted to transfer their accumulations instead of applying for final settlement, thus safeguarding long-term financial well-being and extending their social security protection,” the ministry added.  ALSO READ: EPFO set for digital overhaul with new IT platform by May-June: Mandaviya

 

Youth in workforce

 

The 18–25 age group remains the largest contributor to new subscriber additions, with 427,000 individuals joining EPFO—representing 57.71 per cent of total new enrollments. “This is in consonance with the earlier trend, which indicates that most individuals joining the organised workforce are youth, primarily first-time job seekers,” the ministry added.

 

Additionally, the net payroll addition for the 18–25 age group in February 2025 reached around 678,000, reflecting a 3.01 per cent growth compared to February 2024.  

 

Increase in female participation

 

EPFO recorded the addition of around 208,000 new female subscribers in February 2025, indicating a 1.26 per cent year-on-year rise. The overall net female payroll addition stood at approximately 337,000, marking a notable 9.23 per cent increase from February 2024.

 

“The growth in female member additions is indicative of a broader shift towards a more inclusive and diverse workforce,” the ministry said.

 

State-wise contribution

 

State-wise analysis shows that the top five states/Union Territories (UTs) contributed approximately 59.75 per cent of the total net payroll additions, accounting for around 962,000 members.

 

Maharashtra led the way, contributing 20.90 per cent of the total net additions. Other major contributors—each adding over 5 per cent of the net payroll—include Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.