Page 2 - Provident Fund

Govt ratifies interest rate at 8.25% on employees' provident fund for FY25

The government has ratified the rate of interest on employees' provident fund at 8.25 per cent for FY25, enabling retirement fund body EPFO to deposit the annual interest accumulation in the post-retirement funds of over 7 crore subscribers. EPFO, on February 28, had decided to retain the interest rate of 8.25 per cent on employees' provident fund (EPF) deposits for the financial year 2024-25, equal to the rate provided in the preceding fiscal. The approved rate of interest for 2024-25 was sent for concurrence of the Ministry of Finance. "Ministry of Finance has given concurrence to 8.25 per cent rate of interest on the EPF for 2024-25 fiscal year and labour ministry sent a communication regarding this to the EPFO on Thursday," a labour ministry official told PTI. Now the interest amount as per the rate ratified for FY25 will be credited into the accounts of over seven crore subscribers of EPFO. The decision on interest rate was taken at the 237th meeting of the central board of ..

Parl panel flags non-contribution by pvt sector employers in employees' PF

A Parliamentary Committee on Thursday pointed out non-payment of contribution by private sector employers towards their employees' provident fund and asked the government to take up the matter with EPFO in case any such grievances are received. The observation was recorded by the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice in its 146th report, tabled in Parliament on Thursday, on the Demands for Grants (2025-26) pertaining to the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) and Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare. "It has come to the notice of the Committee, that in the form of public grievances a large number of employees who work in private sector where funds are under the watch of EPFO, the employer do not pay their share of contribution and even sometimes do not even pay the employees' contribution as well," the report said. The panel said some of the private sector organisations have made

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

EPFO processes over 50.8 million claims in FY25: Mansukh Mandaviya

Auto claim settlements also doubled to 18.7 million from 8.92 million claims settled in the previous financial year

Reform inefficient succession processes to ease burden on grieving families

The inefficiency of current succession processes not only frustrates grieving families but also undermines the government's ease-of-living agenda

Transforming EPFO: Can it pivot into a user-friendly organisation?

With the number of rejections rising to almost a third of claims, the government is taking steps to radically reform the country's largest social security platform in order to ease payouts of benefits

SpiceJet clears Rs 160 crore pending employee provident fund dues

SpiceJet on Friday said it has cleared all employee provident fund dues worth Rs 160.07 crore that were pending for over two years. The low-cost carrier, which has been facing multiple headwinds, recently raised Rs 3,000 crore, following which it has been clearing statutory, GST (Goods and Services Tax) and other dues. Employee provident fund dues amounting to Rs 160.07 crore, spanning over two years, have been cleared, the airline said in a release. According to the release, since October, SpiceJet has been utilising its internal cash flows to meet its statutory obligations, including provident fund and TDS (Tax Deduction at Source) payments, the release said. The airline has also resolved various disputes with aircraft lessors and other creditors. Shares of SpiceJet rose 1.38 per cent to close at Rs 58.59 apiece on BSE.

Soon, withdraw Provident Fund from ATMs. Here’s what you need to know

Big news for EPFO subscribers! By 2025, you’ll be able to withdraw your provident fund directly from ATMs. Watch the video to know all about it.

EPFO's investible corpus more than doubled in 5 years to Rs 24.75 trillion

Number of active contributing subscribers grew by 7.6 per cent to 73.7 million in FY24 from 68.5 million in FY23

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

SpiceJet says cleared salary, GST dues; deposited 10-month PF dues

Crisis-hit SpiceJet, which has recently raised Rs 3,000 crore, on Friday said it has cleared all pending salary and GST dues as well as deposited ten months' dues of provident fund. On September 23, the airline announced raising Rs 3,000 crore through Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) of shares. An airline spokesperson said that within the first week of raising fresh funds, it has cleared all pending salary and GST dues and has made significant progress by depositing ten months' dues of PF. The process of clearing other outstanding dues is ongoing, he said in a statement. Among other efforts, the airline has reached settlement with various aircraft lessors. SpiceJet has been facing multiple headwinds, including financial problems and legal woes. It is also operating with a reduced fleet. On Friday, shares of SpiceJet fell 4.25 per cent to close at Rs 62.79 apiece on BSE.

Now, withdraw up to Rs 1 lakh from your PF, even within 6 months of joining

If you are an EPFO contributor and there's a family emergency, you can now withdraw a higher amount

Develop mechanism to notify members on deductions: Mandaviya directs EPFO

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday directed EPFO to develop and implement a mechanism to regularly notify members about their deductions. The move will bring transparency in Employee Provident Fund (EPF) deductions to build trust between employers and employees, the Minister for Labour & Employment said in a review meeting with EPFO Officials. The minister has directed the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) "to implement a robust and transparent system for all members regarding their Employee Provident Fund (EPF) deductions", the ministry said in a statement. He has directed the EPFO officials to develop an efficient and time-bound digital mechanism that would regularly notify employees about the PF deductions made from their salaries, it said. "Mandaviya underscored that these measures are crucial for building trust between employers and employees, enhancing transparency, and improving the overall efficiency of the provident fund system in India," the ministry .

PF account freeze/ defreeze: Check out new EPFO SOPs to prevent frauds

To safeguard your provident fund, the EPFO has introduced new guidelines for freezing and defreezing EPF accounts to improve security and reduce fraud

29% elderly have access to social security schemes like pension, PF: Study

Only 29 per cent elderly people reported to have access to social security schemes, such as old-age pensions or provident funds, according to a study by the NGO HelpAge. A similar proportion receives financial support from family members, with elderly women slightly more likely to receive support than their male counterparts, the study -- 'Ageing in India - Exploring Preparedness & Response to Care Challenges - A HelpAge India Report' -- released on Friday on the eve of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day said. The study, which surveyed 5,169 elders and 1,333 caregivers from different socio-economic categories across 20 Tier I and Tier II cities in 10 states, sheds light on issues related to work participation, financial security, health, caregiving, social participation, and digital access. It reveals that only around 15 per cent of elderly persons are currently working, with a stark gender disparity: 24 per cent of elderly males compared to just seven per cent of elderly females. ...

Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF): Check benefits and process to invest

Individuals working for companies that come under the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation and have an EPF account are eligible to open a VPF account

Inclusion of foreign workers in PF is 'unconstitutional': Karnataka HC

The decision comes 15 years after the extension of PF and pension coverage to foreign workers via a legislative amendment

How to withdraw provident fund online: Step-by-step guide

Now, withdrawing money from your Provident Fund has become easier with the advent of online procedures. It is important to understand the nuances of withdrawal types and the documents required before

India's fresh formal job creation slowed to three-month low in February

In what suggests some robustness, nearly 67 per cent of the total new EPF subscribers belong to the 18-28 age group, a cohort mostly comprised of new entrants to the labour market

EPFO net subscribers' addition rises over 19% to 16.5 million in FY24

Retirement fund body EPFO registered over 19 per cent growth year-on-year to 1.65 crore members in 2023-24, as per the latest payroll data, showing improvement in the employment situation in the country. "In last 6 and half years alone, more than 6.1 crore members joined the EPFO (Employees' Provident Fund Organisation) fold, indicating formalisation of the job market," a labour ministry official told PTI. The data shows that the EPFO had added 61.12 lakh net subscribers in 2018-19, which increased to 78.58 lakh in 2019-20. However, it dipped to 77.08 lakh in 2020-21, mainly due to the pandemic effect and improved again to 1.22 crore in 2021-22 and 1.38 crore in 2022-23. The official informed that the net subscribers addition by the body increased by over 19 per cent to 1.65 crore in 2023-24 compared to 1.38 crore in 2022-23. The net addition in EPFO subscriptions is an indicator of the extent of formalisation of the job market, and the coverage of social security benefits to the