Central Board of Trustees (CBT), Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), on Monday decided to retain 8.25 per cent annual rate of interest to be credited on EPF accumulations in members’ accounts for the financial year 2025-26.
The decision was taken in the 239th meeting of CBT, Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) which was chaired by Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya.
The interest rate would be officially notified by the Government of India, following which the EPFO would credit the rate of interest into the subscribers’ account.
“After due deliberations, CBT recommended 8.25 per cent annual rate of interest to be credited on EPF accumulations in members’ accounts for the financial year 2025-26,” the Ministry of Labour and Employment said.
Despite global uncertainties, the EPFO has maintained strong financial discipline, ensuring stable and competitive returns without straining the interest account.
The decision benefits crores of workers by strengthening their retirement security, while reaffirming EPFO’s commitment to safeguarding contributions and delivering prudent, sustainable, and attractive returns compared to other similar investment avenues.
The EPFO has been able to declare an interest rate of above 8 per cent for the past several years owing to good returns given by ETF and other investments.
The decision reflects the strong credit profile of EPFO’s investment portfolio and its sustained ability to deliver competitive returns to its members.
In the meeting, the Board also approved a one-time Amnesty Scheme to address compliance issues arising from income tax–recognized trusts that are yet to be covered or granted exemption under the EPF and MP Act, 1952, duly taking into account the provisions of the Finance Act, 2026.
The proposed scheme seeks to bring establishments and trusts into compliance within a defined six-month period, primarily to protect workers’ interests while waiving damages, interest and penalties for those that have already provided benefits equal to or better than the statutory scheme. It allows retrospective relaxation or exemption subject to specified conditions and ensures that all eligible employees receive statutory benefits.
The measure is expected to resolve over 100 active litigation cases, along with several others, thereby benefiting thousands of trust members. The scheme will apply to those exempted establishments which have complied with the provisions of EPF and MP Act, 1952.