India’s finance ministry has signed off on an 8.25 per cent interest rate for employees’ provident fund deposits for 2025-26, according to reports on 18 June. That is the same rate as the two years before it. The interest is likely to be credited to more than seven crore contributing members this month.
The rate was fixed by the Central Board of Trustees, the apex decision-making body of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. The board settled on it at its 239th meeting in New Delhi, chaired by Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje, Labour and Employment Secretary Vandana Gurnani and EPFO chief Ramesh Krishnamurthi also attended.
Holding the rate for a third straight year keeps things predictable for contributors. The finance ministry’s concurrence closes what the report described as a months-long approval process.
Amnesty scheme for trusts
The same meeting approved a one-time amnesty scheme for income tax-recognised trusts that have fallen out of compliance. Establishments and trusts would get a six-month window to put their affairs in order. The board expects the measure to resolve more than 100 active litigation cases, along with several others, which would benefit thousands of trust members.
