The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has started the process of crediting 8.25% annual interest for the financial year 2025-26 into Provident Fund (PF) accounts from July 15. The interest credit follows the completion of EPFO’s nationwide digital transformation under the Centralised IT Enabled Services (CITES) project, which is expected to speed up member services and reduce delays.

Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced that nearly 34 crore EPFO member accounts will receive interest worth an estimated ₹1.44 lakh crore. While the crediting process begins on July 15, subscribers should note that interest is credited in phases, meaning not all accounts will be updated on the same day.

Members can easily check whether the interest has been credited by logging into the EPFO Member Passbook portal using their Universal Account Number (UAN), password, and captcha. After selecting the relevant PF account, users can view the updated passbook, where the credited interest will appear as a separate transaction. The passbook can also be accessed through the UMANG app using registered login credentials.

EPFO has retained the interest rate at 8.25% for FY 2025-26. The actual interest amount depends on the monthly running balance in a member’s PF account rather than the closing balance alone. Since both employer and employee contribute every month, the annual interest is calculated on the monthly balance and credited once every financial year.

For example, a PF balance of ₹5 lakh maintained throughout the year could earn approximately ₹41,250 as annual interest, although the final amount may vary depending on monthly contributions, withdrawals, and account activity.

Subscribers who do not see the interest reflected immediately need not worry. EPFO processes interest credits in batches, and passbook updates may take several days to appear. Members are advised to check their accounts again after some time before raising any grievance.

The latest interest credit marks one of the first major initiatives under EPFO’s new centralized CITES platform, which replaces the earlier regional database system. The upgraded digital infrastructure is expected to ensure faster claim settlements, smoother account transfers, and quicker annual interest credits in the future.