How to Register Your Business With EOBI in Pakistan: 5 Employees, 30 Days, 6 Per Cent
Employers with five or more staff must register with EOBI within 30 days. The employer pays 5 per cent and the worker 1 per cent. See the steps to register.
An employer with five or more employees must register the business with the Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) within 30 days of the Act applying to it. EOBI's own site lists the contribution at 5 per cent of the minimum wage from the employer and 1 per cent from the worker, 6 per cent in total each month. Smaller firms may join voluntarily.
Most pension stories on EOBI are about the retired worker. This one is about the person who signs the salary sheet. If you run a shop, a factory or an office, EOBI is a legal duty, and your workers cannot claim a pension later if you never registered them. We read the EOBI site on 15 October 2026. Its pages open on http://www.eobi.gov.pk, and the secure address gave us an SSL error, so use the plain address.
A business with five or more employees must register
EOBI says that since 1 July 2008 the scheme applies to an industry or commercial establishment with five or more employees. Firms with fewer than five can choose to join. Before 2008 the limit was higher, so a small firm that was exempt years ago may now be covered.
Section 11 of the Employees' Old-Age Benefits Act, 1976 sets the deadline. Every employer must, within 30 days of the Act becoming applicable to the business, tell EOBI the name and other prescribed details of the industry or establishment. An insured person may also register himself or herself.
The employer pays 5 per cent and the worker pays 1 per cent
EOBI's page states that the employer pays a contribution equal to 5 per cent of the minimum wage, and the employee pays 1 per cent, for a total of 6 per cent per employee per month. The page says "worker's minimum wages" but does not print a rupee amount, so the exact base should be confirmed with EOBI.
For a rough idea only, take a minimum wage of Rs 40,000, the figure our report on the Punjab minimum wage for 2026-27 gives. Five per cent is Rs 2,000 and one per cent is Rs 400, so Rs 2,400 a month for each worker. This is our illustration, not an EOBI figure.
| Item | Rate on EOBI's page | Example at Rs 40,000 (illustration) |
|---|---|---|
| Employer share | 5 per cent | Rs 2,000 |
| Employee share | 1 per cent | Rs 400 |
| Total per worker per month | 6 per cent | Rs 2,400 |
Minimum wages differ by province. Sindh's current rate is covered in Sindh minimum wage 2026, so a Karachi employer's example would differ from a Lahore one. The legal duty to pay at least the minimum wage is separate from EOBI.
Registration means a form, then monthly payment
EOBI's site lists an Employer Registration Form (PR-01) as a download, and a "Facilitation System" that is available seven days a week. The form is a scanned image, so we could not read its fields. The steps below are our reading of the process, so check each one at your EOBI regional office.
- Count your employees. Five or more means you must register.
- Download the Employer Registration Form (PR-01) from the EOBI site.
- Fill in the business name, address and details of each employee.
- Submit it to your EOBI regional office within 30 days.
- Pay the monthly contribution for every insured worker.
EOBI says it has a network of 40 regional offices across Pakistan, with a dispute resolution committee at region level for registration and contribution disputes. If a worker tells you EOBI shows no record of the job, ask the regional office to check your file before the worker's pension claim begins.
What the worker gets in return
EOBI lists four benefits: old-age pension on retirement, invalidity pension, survivor's pension and an old-age grant. Retirement age is 60 for men and 55 for women. The minimum pension on EOBI's page is Rs 11,500, and the formula is the average minimum monthly wages times years of insurable employment divided by 50.
Workers who want to check their own record can use how to check your EOBI registration. When they retire, the steps to claim an EOBI pension start with the employer's records. A worker's gratuity or provident fund is separate, as explained in gratuity and provident fund in Pakistan.
Common questions about EOBI employer registration
How many employees make EOBI registration compulsory?
Five or more, since 1 July 2008. Smaller establishments can join voluntarily.
How long do I have to register?
Section 11 of the EOB Act says within 30 days from the day the Act becomes applicable to the establishment.
What are the EOBI contribution rates?
Employer 5 per cent and employee 1 per cent of the minimum wage, which is 6 per cent in total, per EOBI's page.
Can a worker register without the employer?
The Act says every insured person may also communicate his or her details to EOBI. EOBI will then register the person.
What is the minimum EOBI pension?
EOBI's page states Rs 11,500 a month. Our pension guide explains how it applies to claims.
Is the EOBI website secure?
On 15 October 2026 the https address gave us an SSL error, while the http address opened. Type the address yourself and do not use look-alike sites.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 15 October 2026. We read the EOBI home page, its About EOBI page and its employer registration page at eobi.gov.pk. We could not read the scanned PR-01 form. The Rs 40,000 example is our arithmetic, and EOBI's page does not say which minimum wage it uses as the base, so confirm the base and the payment method with your regional office before you pay.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
