What Is EPF (Employee Provident Fund)?
EPF (Employee Provident Fund) is a mandatory retirement savings scheme governed by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) under the EPF & MP Act, 1952. It applies to all establishments with 20 or more employees. Both the employee and employer contribute 12% of basic salary + Dearness Allowance (DA) to the EPF account each month.
The current EPF interest rate is 8.15% per annum for FY 2024–25, announced by the EPFO Central Board of Trustees and notified by the Ministry of Labour.
EPF Contribution Breakdown
| Contribution | Employee | Employer |
|---|---|---|
| EPF | 12% of basic+DA | 3.67% of basic+DA |
| EPS (Pension) | — | 8.33% of basic+DA (max ₹1,250/month) |
| EDLI (Insurance) | — | 0.5% of basic+DA |
Total employer cost per employee is 13.61% of basic salary (including admin charges). Employees earning basic salary above ₹15,000/month can optionally opt out.
EPF Tax Treatment
- Employee contribution: Deductible up to ₹1.5 lakh/year under Section 80C.
- Interest on EPF: Interest on employee contribution exceeding ₹2.5 lakh/year is taxable (Budget 2021 change).
- Maturity withdrawal: Fully exempt if the employee has completed 5 continuous years of service.
- Premature withdrawal (before 5 years): Subject to TDS at 10% if PAN is provided; 34.608% if not.
EPF Corpus Example
For an employee with basic salary of ₹30,000/month, contributing 12% (₹3,600) + employer 3.67% (₹1,101) = ₹4,701/month into EPF for 30 years at 8.25% per annum, the estimated EPF corpus at retirement is approximately ₹1.82 crore.