ESI Registration in Delhi for Employers

What is ESI registration and who must register?

ESI registration is the employer's enrolment under the Employees' State Insurance scheme run by ESIC. It is compulsory for non-seasonal factories and most shops, offices, hotels, restaurants, private clinics and schools employing 10 or more persons, and it insures employees earning up to the wage limit.

Once you are registered, each eligible employee gets an insurance number. That number gives the worker and family access to ESIC dispensaries and hospitals, plus cash benefits during sickness, maternity or injury at work. The employer's job is to register, enrol staff and pay contributions every month.

ESI under the Labour Codes

The Code on Social Security 2020 took effect on 21 November 2025 with the other three Labour Codes. The PIB release says ESIC coverage is mandatory above the 10-employee mark, voluntary for smaller units, and applies even to a single worker in hazardous processes. Law firms note that rules and schemes under the old ESI Act were kept running for a transition year, so the ESIC portal and forms you file on look much the same as before.

Sources: ESIC coverage page; PIB, Labour Codes. Checked 10 November 2026.

Documents required for ESI registration

ESIC employer registration is filed online, so you need scanned copies rather than paper files. Keep the business PAN, a registration proof for the entity, owners' KYC, premises address proof, bank details and the list of employees with wages and dates of joining ready before you start.

Our working checklist for the Shram Suvidha and ESIC employer flows, as of November 2026. The portal may ask for more in a specific case.

How to get ESI registration online: step by step

Employers register with ESIC online through the Shram Suvidha portal, which ESIC links from its employer section. New companies that tick ESIC in the SPICe+ AGILE-PRO-S form get the code with incorporation, because MCA lists ESIC as a mandatory item there.

1. 1

   Check the date of coverage

   Find the date your headcount first reached 10, counting contract and casual workers.

2. 2

   Log in to Shram Suvidha

   Create or use the employer login and choose ESIC registration.

3. 3

   Fill employer details

   Enter the business name, PAN, address, nature of work, date of commencement and number of employees.

4. 4

   Submit and receive the code

   Upload documents and submit; ESIC issues an employer code number and a registration letter by email.

5. 5

   Set up the ESIC employer portal

   Log in with the code, update bank and contact details and check the address shown.

6. 6

   Register each employee

   Add every worker earning up to the wage limit with Aadhaar, bank and family details to generate their insurance number.

7. 7

   Pay the first contribution

   File the monthly contribution and pay the challan within 15 days after the month ends.

What are the ESI contribution rates and due dates?

From 1 July 2019 the employer pays 3.25% and the employee pays 0.75% of wages, so 4% in total, according to ESIC. Contributions are due within 15 days of the end of the calendar month. Workers whose average daily wage is up to ₹176 do not pay their share, though the employer still pays.

Worked example

A Rohini clinic pays a receptionist ₹18,000 gross for October 2026. ESI for October is ₹135 from the employee (0.75%) and ₹585 from the clinic (3.25%), a total of ₹720, payable by 15 November 2026. If the same person earned ₹23,000, ESI would not apply, because wages are above the ₹21,000 limit.

Source: ESIC, contribution. Checked 10 November 2026. The EPF wage ceiling rise to ₹25,000 in September 2026 did not change the ESI limit.

How does ESI return filing work?

ESI return filing is mainly the monthly contribution: you enter each insured employee's days worked and wages on the ESIC employer portal, generate the challan and pay online within 15 days of the month end. The portal also tracks the six-month contribution periods that decide each worker's benefits.

Monthly accuracy matters more than the form. Points we check each cycle:

• Days and wages: enter actual days paid; zero days needs a reason code, such as left service or on leave without pay.
• New joiners: register them on the day they start, so a work injury in week one is still covered.
• Wage limit crossers: a worker whose pay rises above ₹21,000 mid-period needs care; check the rule on the portal before dropping them.
• Contractor staff: collect the contractor's ESI challans, since the principal employer is answerable if they do not pay.

We file ESI and PF from the same salary sheet, which is why most clients pair this with PF registration and PF return filing.

Penalties and common ESI mistakes

Late ESI contributions carry interest, reported at 12% a year, for each day of delay, and ESIC can also levy damages and recover dues from the date coverage should have started. Employers who skip ESI registration altogether face back-dated demands, and the employee's medical claims cannot be met in the meantime.

• Counting only permanent staff, so the 10-person date is missed.
• Deducting the 0.75% but not paying it within 15 days.
• Leaving a worker unregistered and then facing an accident claim with no insurance number on record.
• Wrong bank or address on the employer portal, so notices go unseen.
• Treating ESI as optional for a shop because it is "small", when its headcount already crosses 10.

We do not publish damage rates because the Code's schemes were still being notified through 2026. Use the ESIC portal or the notice itself for the figure.

ESI registration in Delhi: local points to know

For a Delhi employer, ESI registration is a national online process with no state form, and Delhi has ESIC dispensaries and hospitals for insured workers. Two local points help: Delhi levies no professional tax at present, and minimum wages are set by the Delhi Labour Department, which changes how many staff fall under the ₹21,000 limit.

Many Delhi workers in shops, factories and service jobs earn near the minimum wage, so a large share of a typical shop-floor or retail team is inside ESI. Check the current Delhi minimum wage notice before fixing pay, because wages are what decide coverage. We do not print rates here as recent orders have been disputed.

Factories in Narela, Bawana and Wazirpur, and clinics and schools across North West Delhi, are the employers we most often register. If you are near the northern industrial belt, our CA in Narela page covers the area.

How CA in Delhi handles ESI registration and ESI return filing

We handle the whole cycle: coverage date check, employer registration, employee enrolment, and the monthly contribution. Khubchandani & Co. Chartered Accountants lists PF and ESI returns as a service; for new registrations CA in Delhi passes the enquiry to the listed firm or partner professional that handles it and confirms scope with you before work starts.

• You send: PAN, entity proof, owners' KYC, address proof, bank details and the staff list with wages.
• You get: the ESIC employer code, insurance numbers for each worker, portal access and the first challan paid.
• Each month: we ask for attendance and wages by the 5th, file contributions and send you the paid challan.
• Price: a fixed quote before work starts, depending on headcount and whether we run PF and payroll too.

See the firms we work with on chartered accountant firms in Delhi, or our payroll services if you want salaries, PF, ESI and TDS done together. Looking for help close to home? Try CA near me. Send the enquiry form with your headcount, or call or WhatsApp +91 99114 92897 to start.

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