Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) is a statutory body incepted by the government of India. Being the country’s largest social security organization, it mainly encourages people to save for retirement, among others. EPFO comes under the purview of the Ministry of Labour and Employment and was established in 1952.
A salaried person who falls under the EPF scheme regularly contributes 12% of the basic salary and the dearness allowance towards the scheme. The employer should also make an equal contribution to the EPF scheme. This contribution towards this scheme is called epf payment. The person will get this accumulated fund at retirement, along with the yearly accumulated interest.
It is compulsory for all employees who draw a basic salary of less than Rs 15,000 per month to become members of the EPF. The employer is liable only to match the contribution of up to 12% of the employee’s salary.
It is mandatory for both employer and employee to make a payment towards the PF account. Since September 2015, it has been mandatory for all registered employers to make the payment online. The EPF online payment can be made either through the EPF’s official website or through the bank’s website if it is provided on the bank’s website. Currently, Banks in the list below provide this facility on their websites.
The Following Banks have a Tie-up with EPFO to Make Online Provident Fund Payment:
Log In:
Verify Establishment Details:
Navigate to ECR Upload:
Prepare ECR Details:
File Validation:
TRRN Generation:
Generate ECR Summary:
Finalize and Pay:
Select Payment Mode:
Make Payment:
Transaction Confirmation:
Tax benefit | In addition to an employee’s contributions to an EPF account being tax-deductible under Section 80C, the interest earned on these contributions is also tax-free. Furthermore, if an EPF account remains inactive for more than three years, it will still continue to earn interest. EPF withdrawals are only permissible after five years of continuous service unless he employment is terminated. |
Lifelong Assured Pension | All employers and workers contribute 12% of salaries to the Employees’ Pension Fund. From the employer's contribution, 8.33% is allocated to the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS). According to the retirement fund agency, under the Employees’ Pension Scheme 1995, ten years of contributory membership guarantees a lifetime pension. |
Insurance | The EPFO’s Employees Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) Scheme provides insurance coverage. If the insured individual dies during their service period, the designated nominee will receive a lump-sum payout.The EPFO’s Employees Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) Scheme provides insurance coverage. If the insured individual dies during their service period, the designated nominee will receive a lump-sum payout. |
Premature Withdrawal | While the EPFO advises against using PF money like a bank account, as social security benefits require long-term stability, members are encouraged to make partial withdrawals after 5-10 years of service for specific needs such as medical care, home loan repayment, and unemployment. |
High Returns | Your PF account has the potential to earn more in the future. The EPFO invests 5-15% of its investible deposits in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). However, ETF shares do not appear in members’ accounts, and the percentage of retirement assets held in securities cannot be increased. Additionally, the PF fund is invested in government securities (45-50%), debt instruments (35-45%), and money market instruments and infrastructure trusts (5% each). Consequently, the annual return on PF savings is slightly lower than that of the National Pension System (NPS), which has more aggressive investment options. |
Death | In the event of an employee’s death, the accrued EPF fund balance is transferred to the nominee to support the family during difficult times. |
Upon late payment of the EPF Challan, two penalties are applied:
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