Hyderabad |: In a major relief for nearly 80 million Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) subscribers across India, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has begun the process of crediting 8.25% annual interest on Provident Fund deposits for Financial Year 2025–26 after receiving final approval from the Government of India.
The EPFO has instructed all of its regional offices to begin transferring the interest amount into members’ accounts at the earliest. Thanks to a recently completed software and database upgrade, the process is expected to be significantly faster than in previous years.
Government Approves 8.25% Interest Rate
The Central Government has officially approved an 8.25% interest rate on EPF deposits for FY 2025–26, maintaining the same rate for the third consecutive year.
Earlier this year, the Central Board of Trustees (CBT) of the EPFO recommended retaining the interest rate during its meeting in March 2026. The proposal later received final clearance from the Ministry of Finance in June 2026, allowing EPFO to begin crediting interest to members’ accounts.
Faster Interest Credit After Major Technology Upgrade
One of the biggest improvements this year is EPFO’s modernized software infrastructure.
The organization has completed a major database enhancement and software upgrade, enabling interest calculations and account updates to be processed much more efficiently.
In previous years, it often took one to two months for interest to be reflected in every subscriber’s account. With the upgraded digital system, EPFO expects to complete the crediting process in a much shorter time, allowing members to access their updated balances sooner.
How Members Can Check Their Updated PF Balance
Once the interest has been credited, EPF subscribers can verify their updated account balance through several official methods:
1. EPFO Passbook Portal
Members can visit the official EPFO Passbook portal, log in using their Universal Account Number (UAN), password, and captcha, and view their updated passbook by selecting their Member ID.
2. Missed Call Service
Subscribers can give a missed call from their registered mobile number to 9966044425. After the call disconnects automatically, EPFO will send an SMS containing the latest PF balance details.
3. SMS Service
Members can send the message:
EPFOHO UAN ENG
to 7738299899 from their registered mobile number. Users may replace ENG with the language code of their preferred language to receive balance information in that language.
4. UMANG Mobile App
Subscribers can also check their balance through the UMANG mobile application by:
- Logging into the app.
- Selecting All Services.
- Searching for EPFO.
- Clicking View Passbook.
- Verifying their identity using the One-Time Password (OTP) sent to their registered mobile number.
What This Means for EPF Members
The faster interest credit process is expected to benefit nearly 80 million EPFO members, reducing waiting times and improving the overall digital experience.
The modernization initiative reflects the government’s broader effort to strengthen digital public services and improve efficiency in managing retirement savings. By maintaining the 8.25% interest rate for a third consecutive year while accelerating the credit process, EPFO aims to provide greater convenience and financial transparency to millions of salaried employees across India.
