Will EPF interest rate rise to 10%? Central government clarifies stance on rate hike and feasibility

The government in Lok Sabha has clarified that it has not received any formal request from labour unions to increase the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) interest rate to 10%.

In a reply to an unstarred question dated March 30, 2026, in Lok Sabha, Labour and Employment Minister Shobha Karandlaje said no formal representations have been received from labour unions specifically requesting that the EPF interest rate be raised to 10%.

EPF interest rate

The EPF interest rate is 8.25%, which was last revised in the Financial Year 2022-23.


Responding to an unstarred question raised by Vijayakumar alias Vijay Vasanth, Member of Parliament, Karandlaje provided details on how the EPF interest rate is determined and whether there are plans to increase it.

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Karandlaje replied, “Since the EPF interest rate is based on the actual income earned by the Provident Fund corpus, it is not comparable with any other variable.

“Further, the rate of interest on EPF is recommended by the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), EPF, which is a tripartite body comprising representatives of the government, employers and employees.

EPF interest rates in last few years

Financial Year	Interest Rate
2005–06	8.50%
2006–07	8.50%
2007–08	8.50%
2008–09	8.50%
2009–10	8.50%
2010–11	9.50%
2011–12	8.25%
2012–13	8.50%
2013–14	8.75%
2014–15	8.75%
2015–16	8.80%
2016–17	8.65%
2017–18	8.55%
2018–19	8.65%
2019–20	8.50%
2020–21	8.50%
2021–22	8.10%
2022–23	8.15%

Data source: EPFO official website

How to check EPF balance through EPF 'Passbook Lite'?

EPFO's member portal now offers a new feature named ‘Passbook Lite’. EPFO members can check their passbook and the associated summary view of contributions, withdrawals and balances. Here is a step-by-step guide to check EPF balance through EPF Passbook Lite.

Step 1: Visit the EPFO website and login using UAN
Step 2: Click on View on top left corner of the page
Step 3: From the drop down menu, select Passbook Lite
Step 4: You can view the last five contributions
Step 5: For detailed view, select the member ID and click View Passbook

Do you lose any EPF interest if there is a delay in the crediting of interest to your EPF account?

In previous instances, EPFO has clarified that there would be no interest loss for EPF members in such cases.
EPFO amended its rules in November 2024 to minimise the loss of interest to EPF members in case of EPF claim settlement. As per the new rules, an EPF member will get the interest on EPF balances till the date of settlement instead of till the preceding month earlier.