Employees Provident Fund

EPFO revises PF withdrawal rule: 75% after job loss, rest after 12 months

EPFO says members can withdraw 75% of their PF immediately after job loss, while the remaining 25% can be taken only after 12 months of continuous unemployment to preserve pension benefits

75% withdrawal allowed after job loss, full after a year, clarifies EPFO

The clarification comes after EPFO's revised withdrawal norms, announced on Monday, drew criticism on social media

EPFO adds 2.1 mn members in July 2025, youth account for 61% of growth

Retirement fund body EPFO added 21.04 lakh net members during July 2025, registering an increase of 5.55 per cent year-on-year, according to the latest payroll data released on Tuesday. The Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) enrolled around 9.79 lakh new subscribers in July 2025, mainly on account of growing employment opportunities, increasing awareness of employee benefits, and EPFO's successful outreach programs, a labour ministry statement said. The year-on-year analysis reveals a growth of 5.55 per cent in net payroll additions compared to July 2024, signifying increased employment opportunities and heightened awareness of employee benefits, bolstered by EPFO's effective outreach initiatives, the statement added. EPFO added 5.98 lakh new subscribers in the 18-25 age group, constituting a significant 61.06 per cent of the total new subscribers added in July 2025. Further, the net payroll addition for the 18-25 age group for July 2025 was approximately 9.13 lakh, ...

Viewing EPF passbook just got easier as EPFO unveils 'Passbook Lite'

'Passbook Lite' allows members to quickly view a summary of contributions, withdrawals, and current balance without needing to open the separate passbook portal

96% of EPFO members received interest for FY25: Mansukh Mandaviya

Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya confirmed that 96% of EPFO members have received their interest for FY25, with nearly Rs 4,000 crore credited to accounts in less than two months

Filing your income tax return? Here are some major mistakes to avoid

Filing errors can result in tax notices, interest and penalty charges, not to mention delays in getting your refund

EPFO warns zonal and regional offices over delay in relieving transfers

EPFO has warned its offices that non-compliance with staff transfer orders will be treated as insubordination and attract severe disciplinary action under civil service rules

Allow gig workers the option to choose between EPF and NPS schemes

If millions of gig workers are forced into EPF without the option of NPS, complaints about the system's inefficiencies will intensify as its shortcomings inevitably emerge

Fresh formal hiring up 2% in March after three-month decline: EPFO data

EPFO saw a 2% rise in new subscribers in March, ending a 3-month decline. The 18-25 age group made up 59% of additions, signalling labour market resilience

Fresh formal hirings decline by 10% in February, shows EPFO data

The EPFO data is considered crucial as it reflects the state of the formal labour market, and only the formal workforce enjoys social security benefits and is protected by labour laws

Name-based search: Key to unlocking unclaimed assets across sectors

A dedicated authority - focused on returning these assets - would be better positioned to overcome the psychological resistance that regulators have, to enabling searches based on names

Right taxsavers: Align choice with risk appetite, asset allocation & goals

Unit linked insurance plans (Ulips) and the National Pension System (NPS) can have varied risk levels, depending on their equity-debt mix

EPFO retains 8.25% interest rate on employees' PF deposits for 2024-25

Retirement fund body EPFO on Friday retained an interest rate of 8.25 per cent on employees' provident fund (EPF) deposits for 2024-25, sources said. In February 2024, the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) had increased the interest rate on EPF marginally to 8.25 per cent for 2023-24, from 8.15 per cent in 2022-23. In March 2022, EPFO had lowered the interest on EPF for 2021-22 to an over four-decade low of 8.1 per cent for its over seven crore subscribers, from 8.5 per cent in 2020-21. The 8.10 per cent rate of interest on EPF for 2020-21 was the lowest since 1977-78, when the EPF interest rate stood at 8 per cent. "The EPFO's apex decision making body Central Board of Trustees (CBT) has decided to provide 8.25 per cent rate of interest on EPF for 2024-25 at its meeting on Friday," a source said. The 8.5 per cent interest rate on EPF deposits for 2020-21 was decided by CBT in March 2021. After the CBT's decision, the interest rate on EPF deposits for 2024-25 will be

Budget 2025: Spend some, use rest to retire debt and secure long-term goals

A few instruments, which offer tax deduction, remain relevant even for taxpayers in the new regime

EPFO 3.0 rollout by June: Know how it will benefit members

Technology update will incorporate features similar to those offered by banks

PMS players breach threshold, set to have non-EPFO assets of over Rs 10 trn

PMS assets excluding EPFO and similar entities have grown 116% since FY1

Ex-cricketer Robin Uthappa faces arrest for Rs 24 lakh provident fund fraud

Former cricketer Robin Uthappa, now director of Centaurus Lifestyle Brands, faces arrest for allegedly withholding Rs 24 lakh in employees' PF contributions

EPFO subscribers may get services at par with banking, including ATM access

Subscribers of the retirement fund body EPFO may soon be able to get services at par with banking system and use ATMs to withdraw their claim amount, a top official said on Friday. Union Labour Secretary Sumita Dawra told PTI that focus right now in EPFO (Employees' Provident Fund Organisation) is to improve the IT infrastructure. "While improvements are being seen in last few months, in January 2025 we will see more improvement coming in as a result of hardware upgradation," she said. The secretary said that the efforts are being made to bring systemic reforms that make processes easier and efficient. "As part of this modernisation drive, we also aim to compare EPFO systems with the banking systems in India that are in place and are working well. For ease of living, bringing more transparency and ease of claims is also part of the plan," she said. Under the new system, claimants, beneficiaries or insured individuals will be able to access their claim amounts through ATMs. A maxi

Inoperative EPF accounts' total amount up 5 fold to Rs 8,505 cr in 6 years

The total amount in inoperative employees' provident fund (EPF) has jumped over five fold to Rs 8,505.23 crore in financial year 2023-24 from Rs 1,638.37 crore in fiscal year 2018-19, Parliament was informed on Monday. In a written reply to Lok Sabha, the Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje stated that there are no unclaimed accounts in EPF scheme run by retirement fund body Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). However, she stated that as per Para 72(6) of the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme, 1952, certain accounts are classified as 'Inoperative accounts'. She informed the House that as many as 21,55,387 inoperative EPFO accounts had Rs 8,505.23 crore in 2023-24. In 2018-19, there were 6,91,774 inoperative accounts which had Rs 1,638.37 crore. Similarly, in 2022-23, as many as 17,44,518 inoperative accounts had Rs 6,804.88 crore. She told the House that the EPFO will return the amount held in the inoperative accounts to the beneficiaries concerned. In 2023-24, the tota

50% of employees in India work at least 49 hours per week, shows data

The recent death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old chartered accountant (CA) at Ernst & Young, has brought attention to work-related stress among the youth