EPF interest at 8.25% to be credited to 34 crore accounts by July 15
Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Wednesday (July 8, 2026) that the annual interest on Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) deposits will be credited to subscribers' accounts by July 15. The interest, amounting to over ₹1.44 lakh crore, will be distributed to approximately 34 crore members.
The Finance Ministry recently approved the EPFO's Central Board of Trustees' recommendation to provide an interest rate of 8.25% for the current fiscal year. The Minister stated that under the new Centralised IT Enabled Services (CITES) project, the interest will be auto-processed and verified by field authorities before being credited.
“Members will be able to view the interest credit in their passbooks by July 15. Earlier, after the EPF interest rate was declared, it typically took until October or November for the interest to be credited,” Mandaviya said.
The CITES project aims to enhance member convenience, improve operational efficiency, and deliver transparent services. The EPFO has completed migrating its entire database to a centralised system, allowing service requests to be processed from any authorised location across the country.
The Minister also highlighted that claims will now undergo automated pre-validation to identify deficiencies upfront, reducing rejections and improving first-time acceptance rates. Partial withdrawal rules have been streamlined into three categories: essential needs (illness, education, marriage), housing needs, and special circumstances. Members can now withdraw up to 75% of their total PF balance under these simplified rules.
