EPFO: Big news for 7 crore members. Workers in public and private organizations are familiar with the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), a program designed to safeguard employees’ futures and provide financial stability post-retirement. Recently, the government has raised the interest rate on this fund to benefit employees.
The Finance Ministry has approved a hike in the interest rate to 8.25% for more than 70 million account holders registered with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO). This increase applies to EPF deposits for the year 2025-26. Reports suggest that the Finance Ministry has endorsed the 8.25% interest rate proposed by the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), which is the EPFO’s highest decision-making body. Approximately 70 million EPF members are expected to receive this interest amount credited to their accounts this month.
For the third consecutive year, the interest rates have remained stable. On March 2nd, the CBT, led by Union Labor Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, decided to maintain the interest rate at 8.25% for the financial year 2025-26. This marks the third year in a row that the interest rate has stayed at 8.25%. The interest rate was 8.15% in the financial year 2022-23, was raised to 8.25% in 2023-24, and has now been retained for the current year.
The annual interest rate of 8.25% translates to a monthly compounding interest of 0.688%. This means that the total balance in your PF account, comprising contributions from both the employee and employer, earns interest at a rate of 0.688% at the end of each month. This interest is then credited to your PF account in a lump sum at the end of the year.
How to check balance?
You can check whether the interest amount has been credited to your PF account through the Umang app. Download the app and search for EPFO. Then, go to View Passbook and enter your UAN and OTP to check your balance.
You can also download the passbook by visiting the EPFO Member Passbook Portal and entering your UAN, password and captcha.
You can send SMS by writing EPFOHO UAN ENG (last three letters are for your language, write HIN for Hindi) from your registered mobile number to 7738299899.
You can get balance information by giving a missed call to 9966044425 from your registered mobile number.