The Fundamental Concept of EPF
Contents
EPF’s third and final component, also known as EDLI, is a type of life insurance. Luckily, you don’t need to register separately for each of these benefits. Enrolling in EPF automatically entitles you to EPS and EDLI.
EPF and Salary: The Operation
Employees contribute a portion of their salary to the EPF program. It is common for your company to match this amount with a contribution of equal value. Upon deposit, the Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) receives the total sum. Each year, you continue to earn interest on the sum you have deposited with EPFO.
As an example, suppose you pay 5,000 per month to the EPF programme from your paycheck. As a match, your company will add an additional 5,000 each month. Afterwards, 10,000 of the total is deposited with EPFO. With this sum placed with EPFO, you will receive an interest payment of 8.5% (the current rate under the EPF plan). This interest rate is determined by the EPFO once a year, so it may fluctuate.
Here are the fundamentals of the Epf Scheme:
* As per the new legislation, EPF deductions must now be 12% of your base salary
* In the EPF, salary refers solely to your basic salary and Dearness Allowance (DA).
* This salary does not include your HRA, transportation allowance, special allowance, or any other benefit listed on your pay stub
* Due to the lack of a dearness allowance component in private sector businesses, EPF is calculated based solely on the basic salary.
Employers match employee contributions in full. As a result, that adds another 12%. Thus, the programme receives 24% of your basic wage. However, the initial portion of the EPF, where retirement benefits are accumulated, does not receive the full 24%.
Withdrawing EPF: Rules and regulations
In three situations, the entire EPF may be withdrawn:
* Upon reaching the age of 58
* Over two months without a job
* The designated nominee receives the full corpus upon the untimely death of the member
When withdrawing from your EPF account before retirement, you need to be aware of quite a few limitations and conditions. Premature withdrawals are permitted only in certain circumstances. They include situations that are highly unique, such as paying off a home loan, buying land, getting married, or going to school.
Know about: EPFO Member Registration
EPF Will Allow You To Take A Partial Withdrawal In These 10 Cases:
* A member of EPFO may take up to 50% of the EPF account’s balance for their own marriage, as well as for the marriages of their daughter, son, sister, or brother. In order to qualify, the individual must have contributed to the EPF for seven years
* It is also possible for EPFO members to withdraw funds for the post-secondary education of their children
* In the event that a company is locked up or closed down for more than fifteen days and its employees have gone without pay for more than two months, EPFO members may withdraw funds from EPF. It cannot exceed the member’s own contribution, including interest
* Employees who have been fired by their employers may withdraw up to 50% of their EPF funds if they contest the firing in court
* A member of EPFO may request a withdrawal from their EPF if they suffer from conditions such as tuberculosis, leprosy, paralysis, cancer, mental illness, heart disease, etc., if they have to spend a month or more in the hospital, or if they have to undergo major surgery. To qualify for Employees’ State Insurance Scheme benefits, the member must demonstrate that he is ineligible and has been advised to undergo surgery or hospitalization by a medical professional
* Members may be eligible to claim either 5,000 or 50% of their contribution from the EPF purse if their property is damaged by unforeseeable natural disasters like floods or earthquakes.
* A physically disabled member may receive a non-refundable EPF advance to purchase equipment that will lessen his suffering
* A member of EPFO can take up to 90% of their EPF balance after turning 54 or within one year of actual retirement on superannuation, whichever comes first
* Members of EPFO who turn 55 can withdraw up to 90% of their EPF balance at any time and invest it in Life Insurance Corporation of India’s Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana.
* There is an option for EPFO members to withdraw funds for the purchase or construction of a home. For five years, the member must have been an EPFO member.