ESIC Registration: How to Apply, Download & Check Status

The Employees State Insurance (ESIC) scheme is a health insurance scheme designed to protect the interests of workers in times of medical emergencies such as maternity, sickness, permanent or temporary physical disablement, employment-related death, etc.  

It is a self-financed social security programme in which employers contribute 4.75 percent and employees contribute 1.75 percent of their income. Both the employer and employees can complete the ESIC registration via the official ESIC portal.      

Through this write-up, know more about the ESIC registration process, claim procedure, benefits and more.  

What is the Employee State Insurance Corporation Scheme (ESIC)?

Employee State Insurance Corporation, also known as ESIC, is an autonomous body. The Ministry of Labour and Employment of the Indian Government is the authoritative body for ESIC. 

The members can avail disability benefits, unemployment allowances, medical benefits, maternity benefits, etc., under this scheme. 

The working force of the country can avail of the benefits under the ESIC Act by making contributions.           

Features and Benefits of ESIC

ESIC registration proves to be beneficial for the employees. The scheme provides numerous benefits, which are as follows:-

• Medical Benefits: The insured person and their family receives complete medical care from the time they apply. There is no set limit on the treatment cost that the insured person and their family must spend. The retired and permanently disabled person can also avail the medical insurance by paying an amount of ₹120 on an annual basis.      
• Sickness Benefit: If the employee is sick for more than 91 days in a year, the insured ones can avail of the sickness benefit in the form of cash recompensation. To avail of the sickness benefit, the employee must make 78 days of contribution in the 6-month time period.    
• Maternity Benefit: During pregnancy, the maternity benefit is paid up to 26 weeks, along with an extended one month of medical advice. This is subject to payment for up to 70 days for the coming two contribution time periods. 
• Temporary Disablement Benefit: The Temporary Disablement Benefit is paid till the time the disability of the employee continues as per the Medical Board. It is paid at a 90% rate of the wage in the form of monthly payments. 
• Permanent Disablement Benefit: The permanent disablement benefit (PDB) is paid at a 90% rate of the wage in circumstances where the employee has lost its earning capacity as certified by the Medical Board of India. This amount is also paid in the form of monthly payments. 
•  Dependents Benefit: The Dependents Benefit (DB) is paid to the deceased in the form of monthly payments. It is also paid at a 90% rate of the wage in situations where an employee dies because of occupational hazards or job injury.
• Confinement Expenses: One can avail the confinement expenses in the circumstances of confinement at a location where suitable medical benefits are not available under the ESI Scheme. 
• Funeral Expenses: An amount of ₹15,000 is payable to the person or the dependent who performs the final rites of the employee.

Who is Eligible for ESIC?

The corporation has set some eligibility criteria for ESIC registration. To avail of the benefits and stay protected under the vast umbrella of ESIC, one must meet the following ESIC registration eligibility criteria:-

• A person who is working in a non-seasonal company with more than 10 employees. These eligibility criteria are set under ESI Act Section 2 (12).
• As of January 1, 2017, the minimum monthly wage of the individual should be ₹ 21,000 to register and avail of the benefits under the ESIC scheme.

Required Documents for ESIC Registration

For registering under ESIC, a set of documents needs to be furnished for successful registration. Here are the documents that an entity needs to furnish for ESIC registration:-

• Registration Certificate of the entity (if it is a private limited company).
• Licence or certificate of registration for each entity under the Act of Shops and Establishment of Act of Factories.  
• Partnership deed (if it is a partnership firm).
• Memorandum of Association (MoA) and Articles of Association (AoA) of the entity/company.
• List of all the employees working for the company.
• Company’s address proof, such as utility bills, etc.
• Company’s PAN Card and the PAN card of the employees working for the company.
• Details of compensation that are provided to all the employees.
• Cancelled cheque      
• A list of directors of the entity/company.
• A list of shareholders of the entity/company.
• Register with the attendance details of the employees.

Entities Who Can Register Under ESIC

Under ESI Act, Section 1 (5), the below-mentioned entities can apply for ESIC registration:-

• Hotels and Restaurants      
• Shops
• Road Motor Transport Companies
• Newspaper Companies (that are not under the Factories Act)
• Cinemas
• Private Educational Institutions
• Private Medical Institutions

When is the ESIC Registration Required?

When there are 10 or more than 10 employees working for the company, the company can go for ESIC registration. The employee, whose salary is less than ₹21,000 per month, will only contribute about 1.75% of the salary towards the ESIC scheme, while the employer needs to contribute 4.75% to the ESIC. It makes a total contribution of 6.5% towards ESIC. The company or entity can apply for ESIC registration in less than 15 days from the date of the ESI Act becoming applicable to the entity or company.

Procedure to Register for ESIC

Step 1: The company can go for ESIC registration by duly filling up the Employer’s Registration Form (Form – 1) and submitting it on the official ESIC Portal (Form – 1 can also be submitted to the office). The employee can also access the form and submit it on the official ESIC portal.

Step 2: After the document has been submitted and verified, the 17-digit unique identification number will be provided by ESIC.

Step 3: Once the 17-digit unique identification number has been received, the employer should then file for ESIC filings.

The employees will receive the ESIC card after they have submitted the application form, along with family members’ details and their photographs on the ESIC portal.

If any change is there in the ESIC registration, both employees and employers can visit the ESIC portal for making changes.   

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What is the Procedure to Claim ESIC?

• To claim Medical Benefits: Both the insured individual and the family members can claim the medical benefits by visiting the ESIC panel medical centres.
• To claim Cash Benefits: The cash benefits can be availed in circumstances of sickness, unemployment, maternity, disability, funeral costs, as well as physical and vocational rehabilitation through the official ESIC portal or centre by filling up the ESIC claim form. 

How to Check the ESIC Claim Status?

Step 1: Download or open the Umang Application on the device.

Step 2: Enter the ESIC insurance number or the IP number and click on the button ‘Get OTP’.

Step 3: In the right box, enter the OTP received on the mobile number and click on the ‘Submit’ button.   

Step 4: Under the ‘Services’ menu, click on the option ‘Claim Status’.

Step 5: If any claimed benefit is there, the details will be displayed on the screen.

Importance of ESIC Claim Form

There are various forms that can be used to avail and claim the ESIC benefits. These forms and their reasons are listed below:-

Form 23 – It is a claim form that is needed to avail all the ESIC permanent disablement benefits.

Form 24 – This is another claim form used for certificate and declaration to avail the disablement ESIC benefit.

Form 22 – Form 22 is used for making a claim for attaining the money that is spent on paying the funeral expenses of the insured individual.     

Form 20 – It is also a claim form that can be used for claiming maternity benefits after the death of the insured individual.

Form 19 – If one wants to avail maternity leaves, they can fill up this form and submit it.

Form 16 – The form can be used to make claims for periodical payment of any disablement.     

Form 15 – It is a claim form that can be used to make claims to avail dependent benefits.     

Form 14 – It is also a claim form that is used for claiming the permanent disability ESIC benefit.

How Many Employees are Required for ESIC Registration?

For ESIC registration, the minimum number of employees working for the company must be 10. A company with less than 10 employees cannot register under this scheme. 

The ESIC registration is done state-wise. In some states, the minimum number of employees that must be working for the company to register for this scheme is 20. The companies need to register within 15 days from the day the ESI act is applicable.     

ESIC Registration Contact Details

To contact the ESIC corporate office for all the ESIC registration related queries, one can reach out to them at:

FAQ’s about ESIC Scheme