The Central Board of Trustees (CBT) meeting didn’t shake things up for the EPF interest rate—it’s sticking to 8.25%, just like last year. Plus, they’ve greenlit some handy changes to the Employee Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme (EDLI). This all went down on Friday in a meeting led by Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. Before the meeting, folks were worried the interest rate might drop this time. But nope, it’s holding steady. Last year too, PF savers got 8.25%. Right now, compared to other savings options, PF is dishing out the best interest around. Back in 2022, the government trimmed the PF rate from 8.5% to 8.1%, but bumped it up to 8.25% in 2024. For comparison, the Public Provident Fund (PPF) sits at 7.1%. If you stash cash in the post office for 5 years, you’ll snag 7.5%, same as the Kisan Vikas Patra. A 3-year term deposit gets you 7.1%. Senior Citizen Savings Scheme and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana offer 8.2%. The National Savings Certificate gives 7.7%, while post office savings scrape by at just 4% yearly. So yeah, PF’s 8.25% is topping the charts. In the CBT meeting, they made some big tweaks to the Employee Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI). If an EPF member passes away before hitting a year of steady work, their nominee will now get a life insurance payout of 50,000 rupees. This tweak’s set to help around 5,000 families. If someone dies within six months of their last PF contribution, they’ll still get EDLI benefits—as long as their name hasn’t been scratched off the rolls. Before, these deaths didn’t count as in-service, so families missed out. Now, over 14,000 families a year will benefit. If there’s up to a two-month gap between leaving one job and starting another, it’ll still count as continuous service. This change will hand EDLI benefits to about 1,000 families. Earlier, even a day or two break meant losing out on the minimum 2.5 lakh and max 7 lakh EDLI payout since it didn’t meet the one-year steady service rule. They reckon these CBT moves will support around 20,000 families yearly.
A big call came out of the Employees’ Provident Fund meeting. The interest rate on EPF savings isn’t budging—it’s locked at 8.25% for the 2025-26 financial year too. On Friday, Union Labour and Employment Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya chaired the CBT meeting, where they recommended keeping the annual EPF interest at 8.25%. Once the central government gives the official nod, EPFO will start crediting this rate to subscribers’ accounts.
Interest Rate Holds Steady
CBT didn’t tweak the EPF interest—it’s staying at 8.25% like last year. No cuts despite the chatter, and savers are still smiling.
EDLI Gets a Boost
The Employee Deposit Linked Insurance got some cool updates. Families of EPF folks can now cash in on better benefits—big relief ahead.
PF Beats the Rest
At 8.25%, PF’s outshining PPF’s 7.1%, post office’s 7.5%, and others. It’s the top pick compared to most savings options out there.
Family Safety Net Grows
If an EPF member passes early, their nominee gets 50,000 rupees. Gaps between jobs won’t kill EDLI perks—20,000 families will feel this help yearly.
