EPFO Update: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has provided clarification regarding the interest accrued on PF accounts. Notably, different regulations apply to employees who retire before and after reaching the age of 55. The EPFO has addressed this matter retrospectively.
Different rules for retiring before 55 years
If an employee retires prior to turning 55, their EPF account will continue to earn interest until they reach 58. After that age, the account will be deemed inoperative, and interest will cease to accumulate. Conversely, if an employee retires at 55 or older, they will continue to earn interest for three years following their retirement date. After this period, the account will also become inoperative, and interest will stop.
What is an inoperative account?
A PF account is classified as inoperative after a certain duration of inactivity or lack of contributions, at which point it stops earning interest.
Rules changed after 2016
Under the revised regulations, if a member is under 58 years old and has not withdrawn their funds, they will continue to earn interest until they reach 58. Previously, interest would cease if no contributions were made for 36 months, but this policy has been updated.
Under what circumstances does interest stop?
Interest on a PF account ceases to accrue under the following conditions:
After reaching the age of 58 years
After the designated retirement period has expired
Upon complete withdrawal of the funds
If the claim is not submitted for an extended period following the member’s death
When relocating abroad permanently
Retired before age 55?
Your EPF will earn interest till age 58, then it becomes inoperative and stops earning interest.
Retired on or after age 55?
Your EPF will earn interest for 3 years from the date of retirement and then it becomes inoperative and stops earning interest.… pic.twitter.com/4v4B28badg— EPFO (@officialepfo) April 2, 2026
EPFO has announced the interest rate on your capital deposited as PF for the financial year 2025-26. Your PF deposits will earn interest at 8.25% for 2025-26. The government has not reduced the existing interest rate and has kept it at 8.25%. This decision was taken in the meeting of the Central Board of Trustees of EPFO chaired by Union Labour and Employment Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.
Experts say that amid global economic uncertainties across the world, an interest rate of 8.25 percent will be considered quite attractive. Anyway, nowadays many fixed income investments are giving returns of less than 8 percent, whereas EPFO is giving more interest than that and that too tax free.
Now the question arises: when will this interest be credited to your PF account? The process for interest to be credited to your PF account is as follows…The recommendations made by the Central Board of Trustees will be officially notified by the government and after this, EPFO will start sending the interest amount to the subscribers’ accounts.
Generally, the process of interest amount getting credited to the accounts starts within 3 to 6 months of the announcement of the interest rate, however, EPF account holders should wait for the government’s announcement on the date on which the interest amount will be credited to the account.
