Project your EPF (Provident Fund) corpus at retirement — from your monthly basic + DA, age, annual increment and the 8.25% interest rate — with a clear year-by-year breakdown and the EPS pension shown separately.
EPF corpus at retirement
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Your total contribution—
Employer EPF contribution—
Total interest earned—
EPS pension pool (separate)—
The EPS pool funds a monthly pension after retirement — it is not part of the EPF lump sum above.
Year-by-year EPF growth
| Year | Age | Your contribution | Employer (EPF) | Interest | Balance |
|---|
How EPF contributions split
The Employees' Provident Fund is a forced-savings scheme that almost every salaried employee in India is enrolled in. Each month two equal contributions go in:
- Your share — 12% of basic + DA. This is deducted from your salary and goes entirely into your EPF account.
- Employer share — 12% of basic + DA, but it is split. 8.33% of your wage (capped at ₹15,000) is diverted to the EPS pension scheme — a maximum of ₹1,250 a month. The remaining employer money (3.67% of full wage, plus anything above the EPS cap) is added to your EPF balance.
This is why the calculator above shows your contribution and the employer's EPF contribution as two separate lines, and keeps the EPS pension pool in a line of its own — it is real money set aside for you, but it pays a monthly pension later rather than adding to the lump sum.
The 8.25% interest and how it is credited
EPF earns interest at a rate the EPFO notifies once a year — 8.25% for FY 2024-25, the default in this calculator. Two details matter for the maths:
- Interest is computed on your monthly running balance, so contributions made early in the year earn for longer.
- It is credited only once a year, at year-end — there is no month-on-month compounding within a year. This calculator follows the same EPFO method, which is why a clean spreadsheet using monthly compounding will show a slightly higher number.
VPF — voluntary top-ups
You can voluntarily contribute more than the mandatory 12% through the Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF). VPF earns the same EPF interest rate and enjoys the same tax treatment, but the employer is not obliged to match it. Note that interest on employee contributions (EPF + VPF) above ₹2.5 lakh in a year is taxable, so very high VPF top-ups lose part of the tax-free advantage. To model VPF here, simply raise the basic+DA figure so that 12% of it equals your total intended monthly contribution.
Withdrawal and taxability basics
EPF sits in the EEE (exempt-exempt-exempt) bucket — contributions, interest and maturity are all tax-free provided you complete 5 years of continuous service (service across employers counts if you transferred the balance). Withdraw before 5 years and the amount becomes taxable, with TDS if the taxable sum crosses ₹50,000 without PAN/Form 15G. The full balance is payable at retirement (age 58) or after two months of unemployment; partial advances are allowed for housing, medical treatment, marriage, education and home-loan repayment.
The rate is notified yearly
The headline 8.25% is not fixed in law — the EPFO Central Board of Trustees reviews and notifies the rate each financial year, and it has drifted between roughly 8.1% and 8.65% over the last decade. Because the projection runs over many years, even a small change in the rate moves the final corpus noticeably, so treat the figure above as an estimate and re-run it whenever a new rate is announced.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is contributed to EPF every month?
You contribute 12% of your basic salary + DA every month, and your employer matches it with another 12%. The catch is on the employer side: out of the employer's 12%, 8.33% of your wage (capped at ₹15,000) goes to the EPS pension scheme and only the remaining amount is added to your EPF balance. So if your basic is ₹15,000 or less, ₹1,250 of the employer's share goes to EPS; above that the EPS part stays fixed at ₹1,250 and the rest flows into EPF.
What is the EPF interest rate for 2025-26?
The EPFO interest rate for FY 2024-25 was 8.25%, and this calculator uses 8.25% as the default — you can edit it. The rate is notified by the EPFO Central Board of Trustees once a year, so it can change annually. Interest is calculated on the monthly running balance but is credited to your account once a year, not month by month.
What is the ₹15,000 EPS wage ceiling?
EPS (the Employees' Pension Scheme) only counts wages up to ₹15,000 a month. So the pension diversion from your employer's contribution is capped at 8.33% × ₹15,000 = ₹1,250 per month, no matter how high your basic is. Everything above that cap from the employer's 12% goes into your EPF balance instead, which is why high earners build a larger EPF corpus relative to EPS.
Is EPF withdrawal taxable?
EPF is in the EEE (exempt-exempt-exempt) category if you complete 5 years of continuous service — the maturity amount, including interest, is then tax-free. If you withdraw before 5 years of continuous service, the withdrawal becomes taxable and TDS may apply (TDS is deducted if the taxable amount exceeds ₹50,000 and no PAN/Form 15G is given). Service with a previous employer counts toward the 5 years if you transferred the balance.
When can I withdraw my EPF?
The full balance can be withdrawn at retirement (age 58) or after 2 months of unemployment. Partial advances are allowed for specific needs — buying or building a house, medical treatment, marriage, education, and home-loan repayment — each with its own eligibility and limit. The EPS pension portion follows separate pension rules and is generally paid as a monthly pension after age 58, not as part of this lump sum.
EPF vs PPF — which is better?
They serve different people. EPF is automatic for salaried employees, is funded by both you and your employer (so you effectively get a matching contribution), and earns 8.25%. PPF is open to anyone, has a ₹1.5 lakh annual cap, a 15-year lock-in, and a lower rate (around 7.1%). EPF wins on the employer match and rate; PPF is the go-to 80C option for the self-employed or for topping up beyond EPF. Many people use both.
Estimates are for information and education only — not financial, tax or investment advice. Verify current rates and rules with official sources.