EPF and ESI serve different needs. EPF primarily builds employment-linked retirement savings, with related schemes subject to their rules. ESI provides social insurance, including medical and specified cash benefits for eligible insured employees. An employee may be covered by both; they are not two interchangeable savings products.
PF contribution calculator
Estimate monthly contributions using the wage base and contribution arrangement confirmed by your payroll team.
Formula: contribution wage base × rate, plus the voluntary amount for the employee. This estimates contributions, not an EPF balance or pension entitlement. Employer EPF/EPS allocation, EDLI, administration costs, membership, arrears and payroll rounding are separate. The ₹25,000 ceiling is a current example; use the applicable amount for the wage month.
Calculated on your device. These calculator inputs are not submitted by this tool or saved to a server.
ESI contribution calculator
For an employee whose ESI coverage has been confirmed, estimate employee and employer contributions for one wage month.
Uses employee 0.75% and employer 3.25%, rounded separately upward to the next rupee. Employee exemption does not remove the employer share. Do not cap contribution wages automatically at the coverage threshold: continued coverage during a contribution period may apply. This tool does not decide eligibility.
Sources: ESIC contribution rates and official contribution portal rounding guide.
Calculated on your device. These calculator inputs are not submitted by this tool or saved to a server.
Read the payslip correctly
The employee deduction, employer contribution and benefit entitlement are different things. EPF contributions are based on the applicable contributory wages and scheme provisions, not automatically on the full CTC. ESI also uses a statutory wage definition and coverage conditions. Do not compare two payslip percentages without first checking which wage figure each percentage uses.
EPFO's scheme text explains contribution provisions, including different notified rates and voluntary higher contributions. For ESI, the Ministry of Labour's published scheme overview gives employee and employer contribution rates of 0.75% and 3.25% respectively. Confirm the provisions applicable to your employment and payroll month.
Eligibility needs a date check
Old articles often repeat historical wage limits as if they never change. A PIB release dated 17 September 2026 reports an EPF coverage-ceiling change to ₹25,000 effective that date. That coverage announcement should not be treated as a complete answer to every contribution or pension calculation: ask payroll for the applicable notification and calculation basis.
The Ministry's March 2026 labour-code FAQs state that the then-notified ESI coverage limit was ₹21,000 and address the updated wage definition. Special categories and contribution-period rules need separate checking. Your gross salary alone may not establish the answer.
What a new employee should do
Check your UAN and member details for EPF, and ask HR for your ESI insurance number and enrolment details if covered. For contract staff at a pharma plant, establish which legal employer is filing contributions; the client's brand name is not enough.
If deductions look wrong, retain payslips and raise a written calculation query with payroll. Ask for the wage base, rate, month and deposit reference. That creates a clearer record than simply asking why your in-hand salary is lower than expected.
Prepared 1 November 2026 using the linked official sources. General education; product approval, fees, coverage and statutory entitlements depend on current terms and your circumstances. Illustrations are not personalised financial or legal advice.