EPF interest rate cut to 8.1%: Guide to calculating PF and interest earned

The EPFO decides the rate of interest for the EPF scheme on a yearly basis. The rate of interest is dependent on the market conditions and is vetted by the finance ministry. Here's how to calculate it

Interest rate on employees' provident fund deposits last week was cut to a four-decade low of 8.1 per cent for the 2021-22 financial year, from 8.5 per cent in the previous year.

The last time the EPF savings were paid an annual return this low was in 1977-78, when the rate was 8%. That marked the highest EPF rate at the time since the EPFO’s inception in 1952. Since then, the EPF rate has only been lower than 8.5% in three years — 1979-80, 1980-81 and 2011-12 — when an 8.25% return was paid on balances.

The EPFO paid 8.5%