ESIC Full Form: ESI Coverage, Contribution, Benefits, e-Pehchan
Independent guide. We are not part of ESIC or the Government, and we never ask for your IP number, Aadhaar, bank details or OTP.
ESIC stands for Employees' State Insurance Corporation. It runs the ESI scheme for employees earning up to ₹21,000 a month. You pay 0.75% of your wages and your employer pays 3.25%. In return you and your family get free medical care, and you get cash when sickness, maternity, injury at work or job loss stops your income.
- Full form
- Employees' State Insurance Corporation
- Scheme
- ESI (Employees' State Insurance) scheme
- Run by
- ESIC, Ministry of Labour & Employment
- Law
- Code on Social Security, 2020 (in force from 21 Nov 2025); earlier the ESI Act, 1948
- Who is covered
- Employees of establishments with 10 or more workers, earning up to ₹21,000 a month (₹25,000 for persons with disability)
- Your share
- 0.75% of wages (nil if your average daily wage is up to ₹176)
- Employer's share
- 3.25% of wages
- Helpline
- Toll-free 1800-11-2526
What is ESIC?
ESIC is the corporation; ESI is the scheme it runs. Once your employer registers you, you become an Insured Person (IP) and get an insurance number that stays with you for life, whichever employer or city you move to.
It works like health insurance plus income protection, bought for you through payroll:
- Medical care in kind: treatment, medicines, tests and hospital stays for you and your family at ESI dispensaries and hospitals, with no limit linked to what you paid.
- Cash benefits: a share of your average daily wage when you can't earn, paid to your bank account.
It is separate from EPF. EPF is retirement savings run by EPFO; ESI is health and income cover. Many employees are in both.
Who is covered
- Establishments: every establishment (other than a seasonal factory) with 10 or more persons employed. Under the Code, an establishment doing hazardous or life-threatening work notified by the Central Government must register even with one employee. Establishments with fewer than 10 can join voluntarily.
- All of India: coverage used to depend on whether your district had been notified. The Code extends ESIC coverage and benefits across India.
- Wage ceiling: ₹21,000 a month (₹25,000 for persons with disability), unchanged since 1 Jan 2017. ESIC's own payroll data release for May 2026 still uses ₹21,000.
- Crossed ₹21,000 mid-way? If your wages (leaving out overtime) go above the limit after a contribution period starts, you stay covered until that period ends, and contribution is paid on your full wages.
- Your family is covered too for medical care, from the day you are covered.
- No form for you to file: registering eligible employees is the employer's legal duty. You give your employer your and your family's details.
What changed on 21 Nov 2025: the Code on Social Security, 2020 came into force and replaced the ESI Act, 1948 for ESIC. "Wages" now means basic pay + DA + retaining allowance. Items such as house rent allowance, conveyance, overtime and commission are left out, but if the left-out items are more than half of your total pay, the excess is added back to wages. ESIC told its offices on 11 Dec 2025 that many employees earlier exempt will now be covered because of this. The contribution rates and the ₹21,000 ceiling did not change.
Contribution: who pays what
Rates in force since 1 Jul 2019, when the total was cut from 6.5% to 4%:
| Monthly wages (sample) | You pay 0.75% | Employer pays 3.25% | Total 4% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹12,000 | ₹90 | ₹390 | ₹480 |
| ₹16,000 | ₹120 | ₹520 | ₹640 |
| ₹20,000 | ₹150 | ₹650 | ₹800 |
- Low-paid workers: if your average daily wage is up to ₹176, you pay nothing; your employer still pays its 3.25%.
- Deadline: the employer deducts your share from salary and pays both shares within 15 days of the end of the month.
- Two contribution periods a year, each linked to a later cash-benefit period:
| Contribution period | Cash benefit period |
|---|---|
| 1 Apr – 30 Sep | 1 Jan – 30 Jun of the next year |
| 1 Oct – 31 Mar | 1 Jul – 31 Dec |
How the money and the benefits move
ESI benefits
"Average daily wage" below means your average daily wage worked out from the contributions paid for you. Pick your situation:
- What you get: outpatient and inpatient treatment, all medicines and dressings, lab tests and X-rays, care before and after childbirth, specialist and super-specialist treatment, ambulance and artificial limbs or appliances, for you and your family.
- From day one: a person covered for the first time gets primary and secondary care for self and family for three months; staying in insured work keeps it going.
- Super-speciality treatment: available after a minimum period of insured employment and contribution set by ESIC (no such condition after an accident). ESIC has relaxed this over the years, so ask your dispensary or branch office for the current rule.
- Long-term diseases: for 34 listed long-term diseases, care continues while you are unable to work, up to 730 days in 3 years.
- After retirement: if you were in insured work for at least 5 years, you and your spouse can keep medical care by paying ₹10 a month, a year in advance.
- Confinement expenses: ₹7,500 if a delivery happens where ESI facilities are not available (for two deliveries).
- Sickness benefit: 70% of your average daily wage while a doctor certifies you unfit, for up to 91 days in two consecutive benefit periods.
- Condition: contribution paid or payable for at least 78 days in the matching contribution period.
- Waiting days: the first two days of a spell are not paid, unless it starts within 15 days of a spell you were last paid for.
- Extended sickness benefit: 80% for up to two years for 34 long-term diseases (such as tuberculosis, leprosy, cancer and mental illness), if you have at least two years of continuous insured service.
- Family planning: 100% for up to 7 days after vasectomy or 14 days after tubectomy.
- Maternity benefit: 100% of your average daily wage.
- 26 weeks for a delivery, for up to two surviving children; not more than 8 weeks before the expected date. 12 weeks if you already have two or more surviving children.
- 6 weeks for a miscarriage; one month more for sickness arising from pregnancy or delivery.
- 12 weeks for a commissioning mother, or a mother adopting a child up to three months old, from the day the child is handed over.
- Condition: contribution for at least 70 days in the two contribution periods before the benefit period.
- Temporary disablement: 90% of your average daily wage for as long as the doctor certifies you can't work. No minimum contribution needed: cover starts from your first day in insured work. Not paid if you are off work for less than 3 days (not counting the day of the accident).
- Permanent disablement: a monthly payment for life, based on the loss of earning capacity a Medical Board certifies.
- Dependants' benefit: if you die from an injury at work, your dependants get monthly payments. The widow gets 3/5 of the full rate for life (until remarriage); children and a widowed mother share 2/5. Sons get it until 25 and daughters until marriage. The total is at least ₹1,200 a month.
- Funeral expenses: ₹15,000 to the family member (or other person) who pays for the funeral of an insured person.
| ABVKY (Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana) | RGSKY (Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana) | |
|---|---|---|
| For | Any unemployment, except from misconduct, lock-out, retirement on superannuation or a false statement | Involuntary job loss from closure or retrenchment, or permanent invalidity of 40% or more from an injury outside work |
| Amount | 50% of average daily earnings | 50% of average daily wage for 12 months, then 25% for the next 12 |
| How long | Up to 90 days in your lifetime, in one or more spells | Up to 24 months; stops on re-employment or at 60 |
| Condition | 12 months in insured work just before losing the job, and at least 78 days of contribution in one contribution period in those 12 months | At least 2 years of contribution before losing the job |
| Status | Extended from 1 Jul 2026 to 30 Jun 2027; claims filed online and paid by DBT | Running since 1 Apr 2005; medical care for you and your family continues |
Your IP number and e-Pehchan card
- Insurance number: generated online when your employer first registers you. It is for life: a new employer must use the same number, not create a new one. Duplicate numbers are possible because Aadhaar seeding is not compulsory, so give your existing number when you join.
- Temporary card first: after registering you, your employer can print a Temporary Identity Certificate (TIC), valid for 30 days.
- e-Pehchan card: once Aadhaar is seeded against your insurance number, the TIC becomes your e-Pehchan, the permanent identity card you and your family show for treatment and cash benefits. Seed Aadhaar for yourself and every family member within a month.
- Family living elsewhere? Your family can use any ESI dispensary or hospital with the Aadhaar-based card. You can also choose two dispensaries: one near work for you and one where your family lives.
- Changes: your employer updates address, dispensary or family details on the ESIC portal.
Check your contribution or download e-Pehchan
Use the ESIC Health Connect app or the Insured Person login on esic.gov.in. You need only your insurance number and the mobile number registered with ESIC.
- Open the ESIC Health Connect app and choose Insured Person.
- Enter your insurance number and tap Get OTP.
- Enter the OTP and sign in.
- Open Contribution Details to see what has been paid, or IP Details to download your e-Pehchan card.
Months missing although ESI was cut from your salary slip? Ask your employer first, then complain (see below).
Finding a dispensary or hospital
- Your dispensary: the one chosen when you were registered. Ask your employer to change it on the portal if you move.
- Hospitals: esic.gov.in lists hospitals run by ESIC and ESIS hospitals run by State Governments. Treatment they don't offer is arranged through tie-up hospitals, cashless.
- Book ahead: the Health Connect app books dispensary and hospital appointments, and lets you generate your own OPD check-in on the day.
- No ESI dispensary or hospital within 10 km of home? Since a December 2020 decision, you can go straight to a nearby ESIC-empanelled hospital without a referral.
- Where there is no ESIC building yet, primary care is given by private doctors appointed as Insurance Medical Practitioners (IMPs).
- Ayushman Bharat: in October 2024 ESIC approved working with AB PM-JAY across India for treatment not available in-house. You can also create an ABHA health ID with your insurance number.
Problems and how to complain
- Employer not registering you, or not depositing: check Contribution Details in the app, then ask your employer's payroll team in writing.
- Call the toll-free helpline 1800-11-2526. It takes complaints in several languages and gives a grievance number you can use to check status.
- File online on CPGRAMS at pgportal.gov.in: under Grievance Detail pick "Others/Not Listed/Not Known", choose ESIC as the Ministry/Department and your Regional Office as the subordinate office, then describe the problem.
- In person: every ESIC office and hospital has a designated grievance officer. ESIC's target is to settle complaints within 21 days.
Safety
ESIC's online services are free. Don't pay agents to "activate" your card or release a benefit, and never share the OTP for your IP login.
- Use only esic.gov.in, portal.esic.gov.in and the official ESIC app.
- Lost money to a fraud? Call 1930 or report on cybercrime.gov.in at once.
History of ESIC
Employees' State Insurance Act passed.
Unemployment allowance under RGSKY begins.
Wage ceiling raised from ₹15,000 to ₹21,000 a month.
ABVKY starts as a two-year pilot.
Contribution cut from 6.5% to 4%: employees 1.75% → 0.75%, employers 4.75% → 3.25%.
Code on Social Security, 2020 in force: coverage across India and a new definition of wages.
198th ESIC meeting extends ABVKY to 30 Jun 2027 and approves the ESI (General) Regulations, 2026.
FAQs
What is the full form of ESIC?
Employees' State Insurance Corporation. It runs the ESI (Employees' State Insurance) scheme under the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
What is the ESIC salary limit?
₹21,000 a month (₹25,000 for persons with disability), in force since 1 Jan 2017. Since 21 Nov 2025 it is checked against "wages" as defined in the Code on Social Security, 2020.
How much ESI is deducted from my salary?
0.75% of your wages, for example ₹150 on ₹20,000. Your employer pays 3.25% on top. If your average daily wage is up to ₹176, nothing is deducted from you.
Did the new labour codes change ESIC?
Yes, from 21 Nov 2025. Coverage now applies across India, small establishments can join voluntarily, hazardous units must join even with one worker, and the new wage definition brings more employees under ESI. The 0.75% and 3.25% rates and the ₹21,000 ceiling are unchanged.
Is my family covered?
Yes, for full medical care from the day you are covered. Seed their Aadhaar with your insurance number so they can use the e-Pehchan card at any ESI dispensary or hospital.
Do I get a new ESIC number when I change jobs?
No. The insurance number is for life. Give it to your new employer so the contributions continue under the same number.
Can I get money from ESIC if I lose my job?
Possibly. ABVKY pays 50% of average daily earnings for up to 90 days in your lifetime (extended to 30 Jun 2027). RGSKY pays for up to 24 months after a closure or retrenchment if you have 2 years of contribution.
How do I complain about ESIC?
Call the toll-free helpline 1800-11-2526, or file on CPGRAMS (pgportal.gov.in), choosing ESIC and your Regional Office.
Official sources
- ESIC – Coverage (₹21,000 wage limit from 1 Jan 2017; ₹25,000 for persons with disability) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- ESIC – Contribution (0.75% and 3.25% from 1 Jul 2019, ₹176 exemption, 15-day deadline, contribution and benefit periods) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- ESIC – Benefits (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- ESIC – Standard Note on the ESI Scheme as on 1 Jan 2025 (benefit rates and conditions, RGSKY, ABVKY, medical care, grievances, PM-JAY convergence) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- ESIC – FAQs on the ESI Scheme (registration, TIC and e-Pehchan, medical benefit, wage limit mid-period) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- ESIC – Circular on the new wage definition u/s 2(88), Code on Social Security, 2020, in force from 21 Nov 2025 (11 Dec 2025) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- ESIC Regional Office – Applicability of ESI under the Code on Social Security, 2020 (10+ employees, hazardous units, voluntary cover, wage definition), 12 Dec 2025 (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Ministry of Labour & Employment (PIB, 21 Nov 2025) – Implementation of the four Labour Codes: ESIC coverage Pan-India (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- ESIC – Payroll data for May 2026 (statutory ceiling ₹21,000; multiple IP numbers without Aadhaar seeding) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – 198th ESIC meeting: ABVKY extended to 30 Jun 2027; ESI (General) Regulations, 2026 (30 Jun 2026) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – ABVKY extension and eligibility; online claims and DBT (27 Jul 2026) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – ESIC wage ceiling last revised from 1 Jan 2017 (28 Jul 2025) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – ESI contribution reduced from 6.5% to 4% from 1 Jul 2019 (13 Jun 2019) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- ESIC – Health Connect app user manual for Insured Persons (revised 12 Jan 2026) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Ministry of Home Affairs – National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
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