e-Shram Card 2026: eligibility, benefits, how to register and download UAN card

The e-Shram card is issued after free registration on the e-Shram portal of the Ministry of Labour & Employment, which runs the National Database of Unorganised Workers. Any unorganised worker aged 16 or above can register with an Aadhaar number and a mobile number, at no cost, and gets a permanent 12-digit UAN. The card never expires, and registered workers can enrol in schemes such as PMSBY accident cover of ₹2 lakh through the portal.

What is the e-Shram card and who runs it?

e-Shram is an integrated National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW), set up by the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India. The portal was launched on 26 August 2021 and was developed by the National Informatics Centre. It is seeded with Aadhaar and holds details such as name, occupation, address, educational qualification and skill types.

When a worker registers, the portal issues a 12-digit Universal Account Number (UAN) and an e-Shram card. The UAN is permanent: once assigned, it stays unchanged for that worker. The Ministry says the aim is to deliver welfare schemes and social security benefits to unorganised workers more easily, and to let these benefits move with migrant and construction workers to their place of work. According to PIB, the portal had over 31.89 crore registrations as on 18 August 2026.

What benefits do you get with the e-Shram card?

Registration is free and gives you the UAN and the card. The money benefits come from the schemes linked to the portal. These are the figures stated on official pages:

Scheme	What you get	Cost	Age
PMSBY (accident insurance)	₹2 lakh on accidental death or full disability; ₹1 lakh on partial disability	₹20 a year	18 to 70
PMJJBY (life insurance)	₹2 lakh on death due to any cause	₹436 a year	18 to 50
PM-SYM (pension)	₹3,000 a month after age 60	₹55 to ₹200 a month, matched by the Centre	18 to 40

PMSBY and PMJJBY need a savings bank account linked with Aadhaar and auto-debit with your consent. PM-SYM is for workers with monthly income below ₹15,000 who are not EPFO, ESIC or NPS (Govt. funded) members. PIB (August 2026) says e-Shram registrants can enrol in PMSBY and PMJJBY through the portal.

The homepage also says an Ex-Gratia claim for accidental death and disability has been launched for eligible claimants, with guidelines on the website. The readable official pages do not state its amounts or conditions, so check the guidelines on eshram.gov.in.

Which schemes and services can you reach through the portal?

The e-Shram One-Stop Solution, launched on 21 October 2024, lets a registered worker use one UAN to find and track many schemes in one place. The Ministry says this saves you from visiting many portals or filling separate forms for each scheme.

After login, schemes are grouped as Health, Insurance, Pension, Credit Scheme, Housing, Food Security, Employment, Skilling and Miscellaneous. The FAQ page lists schemes such as One Nation One Ration Card, PM-SYM, MGNREGA, PMAY-G, PMAY-U, the National Social Assistance Programme, PMJJBY, PMSBY, Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, PM SVANidhi and PMMSY. It also links National Career Service and Skill India Digital Hub for jobs and skilling.

On each scheme, an Apply button means you are not yet enrolled, and a View button means you are enrolled. Each scheme is still run by its own Ministry or department, so its own eligibility rules apply.

Who can register on e-Shram, and who cannot?

Who can register: any person aged 16 years or above who is engaged in unorganised work. An unorganised worker is a home-based worker, self-employed worker or wage worker in the unorganised sector who is not a member of ESIC or EPFO. The portal covers construction workers, migrant workers, gig and platform workers, street vendors, domestic workers and agricultural workers. Agricultural labourers and landless farmers can register. No educational qualification is needed.

Who cannot: members of EPFO, ESIC or NPS (Govt. funded), and Government employees, are not counted as unorganised workers. PIB (25 August 2026) also says a worker must not be an income tax-payer. The e-Shram FAQ, however, says there is no income criterion and that no proof of date of birth or income is asked at present. If you pay income tax, ask the helpline before you register.

If a registered worker later moves to the organised sector, only the benefits meant for organised-sector workers apply.

What documents are needed for registration?

Two things are required: your Aadhaar number and a mobile number, preferably linked with Aadhaar. The e-Shram objectives page also lists a savings bank account number with IFSC code, so keep your passbook or bank details ready.

If you have no Aadhaar-linked mobile number, visit the nearest Common Service Centre (CSC) or State Seva Kendra (SSK) and register through biometric authentication. At a CSC you do not have to submit any document. You only carry your Aadhaar number and mobile.

Your photo is taken from Aadhaar, so it cannot be changed on e-Shram. If you update your photo in Aadhaar, it shows on e-Shram after Aadhaar re-eKYC on the portal. At present, no proof of date of birth or income is required.

How to register on e-Shram, step by step

There is no last date. The portal is open 24x7, and registration is a free, one-time process.

Self-registration

1. Open eshram.gov.in and choose to register on e-Shram.
2. Enter your Aadhaar number and mobile number, and complete Aadhaar eKYC when asked.
3. Select the occupation that best matches the work you do now. Your primary occupation is the activity that gives you the major part of your income. A secondary occupation is a minor but significant source of income.
4. Fill in the remaining details, such as address, educational qualification, skill types and bank account details.
5. Submit. Your UAN and e-Shram card are issued after registration.

Assisted registration

Visit the nearest CSC or State Seva Kendra with your Aadhaar number and mobile. You can find a CSC with the CSC Locator on the e-Shram website. State Government field officers also help with registration at district and sub-district levels. Screens can change, so follow the instructions shown on the portal.

How to download the e-Shram card, update details and check status

Download the card: on eshram.gov.in, use Login under the One-Stop Solution and sign in with your UAN. The home page after login shows a Download UAN Card option.

Update details: you can update details yourself on the portal or at a CSC. Log in with your UAN and the OTP sent to your registered mobile, open the section for personal information, change details such as address, contact number, bank account, occupation, educational qualification or skill types, and save. Some changes may need OTP confirmation. To change your mobile number, use “Update profile using Aadhaar” under the “Already registered” menu, or visit a CSC or State Seva Kendra. The website advises registrants to update their profile and occupation for continued benefits.

Check status: after login, the home page shows your enrolled schemes and their count, with Apply or View for each scheme. Renewal of the card is not required, but keep your details up to date. The pages we read do not describe a separate registration-status tracker. If you are unsure whether your registration is complete, call 14434.

Common problems, helpline and where to complain

The national helpdesk is 14434 (or 1800-889-6811), open 9.00 AM to 6.00 PM every day including Sundays. Support is available in Hindi, English, Tamil, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Telugu and Assamese.

If the portal does not work, the official advice is: check that your internet connection is stable, refresh the page, clear the browser cache and cookies, try another browser or device, and then call the helpdesk. Tell them the error message and what you did before the problem.

If 14434 is not reachable (for example due to high call volume), try again later or submit your query at the Grievance Portal, gms.eshram.gov.in. You can register a grievance and view its status as Open, In Progress or Closed. The Grievance Redressal Officer is the Under Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Jaisalmer House, Mansingh Road, New Delhi. Registration is free, so report anyone who asks you for money.

What has changed recently?

• 26 August 2021: e-Shram portal launched.
• 21 October 2024: e-Shram One-Stop Solution launched. Existing registrants do not need to register again and can log in with their UAN.
• 7 January 2025: the portal became available in all 22 Scheduled Languages using Bhashini. Earlier it was available in English, Hindi, Kannada and Marathi only.
• 25 August 2026: PIB marked five years of e-Shram, with 31.89 crore registrations as on 18 August 2026 and around 11.5 lakh platform workers registered.
• Now: the website asks registrants to update their profile and occupation for continued benefits. The homepage also announces the Ex-Gratia claim for accidental death and disability, but gives no launch date.

Eligibility and documents have not changed with the One-Stop Solution, according to the FAQ.