Tutorial 4 of 8

Tutorial 4: File PF and ESIC Challans - CrmLeaf HRMS

Outcome: PF ECR downloaded and uploaded to EPFO Unified Portal, ESIC challan paid on ESIC portal, both by their respective deadlines

7 steps28–40 minCrmLeaf HRMS Admin
Your progress0/7 steps complete
1

Verify payroll is approved

Action

Confirm the payroll run for the current month is in Approved status before generating compliance files.

Why this matters: PF ECR and ESIC challan are generated from approved payroll data. If payroll is not approved, the files will be incomplete. Always file after payroll approval - never from a calculated-but-not-approved run.
  1. Go to Payroll › Payroll Runs
  2. Confirm the current month shows status: Approved
  3. Note the gross PF wages total and ESIC total from the payroll summary - you will verify these match the challan amounts
Payroll Runs › May 2025 › Status: Approved ✓
Done when: Payroll run for the current month shows status: Approved. Gross PF wages and ESIC contribution totals are noted.
2

Download the PF ECR file

Action

Download the EPFO-formatted ECR text file from CrmLeaf.

Why this matters: The PF ECR is a pipe-delimited text file in the format specified by EPFO. CrmLeaf generates it from your approved payroll data - every employee’s UAN, monthly PF wages, and contribution amounts are included in the exact required format.
  1. Go to Payroll › Compliance › Provident Fund
  2. Select month
  3. Click Download ECR File (.txt)
  4. Save the file locally - do not rename or modify the file
  5. Optionally: click “Preview ECR” to view the employee-wise breakdown in table format before downloading
PF › Compliance › ECR downloaded: CrmLeaf_ECR_052025.txt ✓
Done when: ECR .txt file downloaded to your computer. File name follows EPFO naming convention: TRRN_MMYYYY_ESTABLISHMENT.txt
3

Upload ECR to EPFO Unified Portal

Action

Log in to the EPFO Unified Portal and upload the ECR file.

Why this matters: The EPFO Unified Portal (unifiedportal-emp.epfindia.gov.in) is the only authorised channel for PF ECR submission. Uploading through any other channel is not considered a valid filing. Deadline: 15th of the following month.
  1. Go to: unifiedportal-emp.epfindia.gov.in
  2. Log in with your establishment credentials (username: your establishment code)
  3. Navigate to: Payment › ECR Upload
  4. Select wage month
  5. Upload the .txt file downloaded from CrmLeaf
  6. The portal will validate the file format and display the employee count and contribution summary
  7. Verify: total contribution amount matches CrmLeaf payroll summary
  8. Proceed to challan generation
EPFO Portal › ECR Upload: Success ✓ | Employees: 280 | Total PF: ₹6,24,000 | TRRN generated: [number]
Done when: EPFO portal shows ECR upload successful with validation summary. Employee count matches your active employee count. Total contribution matches CrmLeaf summary.
4

Pay PF challan on EPFO portal

Action

Complete the PF payment through net banking from the EPFO portal.

Why this matters: After ECR upload, EPFO generates a payment challan. This challan must be paid within the filing deadline (15th). EPFO accepts payment through authorised bank net banking. After payment, retain the e-receipts for your records.
  1. After successful ECR upload, click Generate Challan on the EPFO portal
  2. Verify challan amount: EPF + EPS + EDLI + Admin charges - matches your CrmLeaf PF liability summary
  3. Click Pay Now
  4. Select your bank from the authorised banks list
  5. Complete net banking payment
  6. Download the payment e-receipt (TRRN) - this is your proof of PF payment for this month
EPFO › Payment: ₹6,24,000 paid ✓ | TRRN: [receipt number] | Date: [before 15th]
Done when: EPFO payment confirmation page shows payment successful. TRRN e-receipt downloaded and stored. PF compliance for this month: Complete.
5

Download ESIC challan from CrmLeaf

Action

Download the ESIC contribution data for portal submission.

Why this matters: CrmLeaf generates the ESIC contribution data split by employer and employee contribution for all ESIC-applicable employees (those earning ₹21,000/month or less). The challan data is ready for submission to the ESIC portal.
  1. Go to Payroll › Compliance › ESIC
  2. Select month
  3. Review: list of ESIC-applicable employees and their contribution amounts
  4. Verify employee count matches your expected ESIC headcount (employees below ₹21,000 wage)
  5. Click Download ESIC Challan Data
ESIC › May 2025 › Applicable employees: 156 | Employer: ₹1,27,000 | Employee: ₹29,250 | Total: ₹1,56,250
Done when: ESIC contribution data downloaded or visible in CrmLeaf. Employer and employee contribution totals are confirmed.
6

Pay ESIC challan on ESIC portal

Action

Submit ESIC payment on the ESIC portal by the 21st.

Why this matters: ESIC portal (esic.nic.in) accepts online payment through net banking. Late payment of ESIC attracts 12% per annum simple interest from the due date. New employees who joined this month must have their IP numbers registered within 10 days of joining.
  1. Go to: esic.nic.in
  2. Log in with employer credentials (employer code and password)
  3. Navigate to: Employer › Online Challan Payment
  4. Select contribution period (month and year)
  5. Enter total contribution amount from CrmLeaf (or upload the contribution data file if your ESIC setup supports it)
  6. Proceed to payment
  7. Pay via net banking
  8. Download payment receipt
ESIC Portal › Payment: ₹1,56,250 ✓ | Challan ref: [number] | Date: [before 21st]
Done when: ESIC portal shows payment confirmation. Challan reference number generated. Payment receipt downloaded. ESIC compliance for this month: Complete.
7

Update compliance records in CrmLeaf

Action

Log the TRRN and ESIC challan reference in CrmLeaf for future reference.

Why this matters: Storing the filing references (TRRN for PF, challan number for ESIC) in CrmLeaf creates a complete compliance audit trail. If EPFO or ESIC ever queries a month’s filing, the reference is traceable from within your HRMS.
  1. Go to Payroll › Compliance › Filing History
  2. For PF: enter TRRN and payment date
  3. For ESIC: enter challan reference and payment date
  4. Both months now show status: “Filed” in the compliance dashboard
Compliance › May 2025 › PF: Filed ✓ | ESIC: Filed ✓ | References stored
Done when: Compliance dashboard shows PF and ESIC as Filed for the current month. TRRN and ESIC reference numbers are stored against the month.

Tutorial 4 complete!

You have completed this tutorial. Your next step: Tutorial 5: Onboard a new employee end-to-end

Next Tutorial
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