EPFO: Want to check your employees provident fund balance, download passbook? Here’s how using portal, Umang app, SMS
The Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) is a government-backed investment and retirement savings option in India. Salaried individuals are eligible to open an EPF account when basic pay and dearness allowance are up to ₹15,000. You can further opt for voluntary provident fund (VPF), if the basic pay and DA exceed ₹15,000 per month.
For FY26, the Centre ratified the EPFO’s suggestion of 8.25% interest rate for both EPF and VPF and interest credits were completed earlier this month on 15 July, PTI reported. This marked the third consecutive time the instrument delivered 8.25% returns on provident fund.
Today, we look at how EPF members can check their employees provident fund balance and download their passbook for the account using the official portal and Umang mobile application.
Why should I invest in EPF?
The Finance Ministry has reportedly ratified the EPFO’s suggestion of 8.25% interest rate for EPF and VPF contributions by salaried citizens this financial year (FY2025-26), PTI reported. The EPF interest credits were expected to be completed by 15 July this year, marking the third consecutive term that EPF subscribers received 8.25% interest on their PF savings.
In terms of tax benefits, annual employee contributions up to ₹1.5 lakh are exempt under Section 80C of the old tax regime. Employers’ contribution of up to 12% (below ₹7.5 lakh) is exempt under both the old and new tax regimes. There is no comparable benefit under the new tax regime at present. Further, interest on employees’ accumulated contribution is tax-free up to ₹2.5 lakh, while interest on the employer’s contribution is tax-free.
When it comes to withdrawal of funds, as per the mandate, EPFO subscribers of the must maintain 25% minimum balance in their EPF account at all times, which means you can access a maximum of 75% of your corpus during partial withdrawal. For example, a subscriber with ₹2 lakh total balance (employee and employer contributions), is eligible to withdraw up to ₹1,50,000 as partial withdrawal while keeping ₹50,000 as minimum balance in the EPF account.
