EPF Interest To Be Credited To 34 Crore Member Accounts By July 15

The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is processing the EPF interest payment for the financial year 2025-26, and it is expected to be credited by July 15, 2026, said Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday. As the EPFO system upgrade took place last week following a seven-day downtime, members aren’t able to check the balance, but the credit process is ongoing, per the government statement.

The government ratified the interest rate of 8.25 per cent in June, and EPFO issued a notification on July 1 directing its zonal and regional offices to start crediting the interest. "Annual interest for FY26 at the rate of 8.25 per cent to 34 crore member accounts, estimated at over Rs 1.44 lakh crore, will be auto-processed and then verified by Field Authorities before being credited to the member account balances. Members will be able to view the interest credit in their passbook by July 15," PTI reported, citing the minister.

With the upgraded software and the decentralised architecture of the EPF system, the processes are expected to be faster and hassle-free in the future for EPF members.

With the implementation of centralised IT-enabled services (CITES 2.01), EPFO’s operational efficiency is expected to improve due to the centralisation of the database, enabling each field office to access the same database instead of only limited data.

From the employees’ point of view, the upgraded system will help employees to avail of services from any location in the country, just like they can avail of banking services from any branch instead of visiting a particular branch.  

Reportedly, under the new system, members can access all their EPF details, such as PF balance, service record, benefits already availed, or track claim settlement, on the unified digital interface. Claims will be processed through the centralised architecture and paid through electronic payment channels for faster credit of funds.

Sonal Arora, Country Manager, GI Group Holding, an international staffing agency, says, “From an employee point of view, their EPF continues to be one of their biggest financial assets, which is still least known to them. People tend to think about this fund mostly during job changes or in connection with their retirement plans. The timely crediting of the interest earned shows that retirement planning must begin well before someone reaches retirement age.”

Another important change is that the interest will be calculated up to the date of payment authorisation, which previously used to be until the last day of the preceding month.

Now, members can withdraw up to 75 per cent of their EPF balance under three categories (essential needs, housing needs, and special circumstances), and the claim settlement period is also fixed at three days (72 hours).

The centralised system is a vital reform in EPFO’s services. Under this, pension claims can be paid through any bank account, whereas in the earlier system, pensioners could receive their pension only through a branch where their Pension Payment Order (PPO) was linked. The recent changes in EPF rules and the operational system make the product convenient to use and its funds easily accessible when needed.