What is EPF payment?
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EPF payment is the payment made for EPF contributions into an individual's EPF account by their employer.
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We live in an age where there is an ever rising awareness about the significance of retirement planning. Irrespective of one's profession, retirement is an inevitable event, and the sooner retirement planning begins, the better. There is no dearth of avenues and tools through which you can plan your retirement and build a substantial corpus while you are still earning; one such avenue is the Employees’ Provident Fund or EPF.
The Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) is a scheme designed to help individuals build a retirement corpus from their earnings. Under the EPF scheme, salaried employees and their employers have to contribute a certain proportion of their monthly salary towards EPF payment. If you are a salaried employee with an organisation that has more than 20 employees, your employer must enrol you in the EPF scheme and contribute 12% of your monthly basic salary plus dearness allowance in the fund. Notably, you have to make an equivalent payment into the fund.
Let us now discuss EPF payment in detail. Once your employer has enrolled you in the Employees' Provident Fund scheme, they will start contributing 12% of your monthly salary (basic plus dearness allowance) to your EPF account. This monthly payment into an employee's EPF account is termed as EPF payment.
Since September 2015, all organisations making EPF payments must make the payment online. This can be done directly on the website of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation or through any bank's Internet Banking platforms. Online pf payments are fast, safe, and transparent, and leave a clear digital footprint. Not only does digital completion of EPF payment make the process cost-effective, it also helps in the reduction of paper work and human error.
Let us understand how EPF payments work through an example. P works with company X and earns ₹40,000 per month (of which ₹25,000 is basic pay plus DA). Each month, their employer would deposit ₹3,000 into their EPF account (12% of basic pay plus DA). Furthermore, the same amount will be deducted from X’s salary and deposited as online pf payment (employee's contribution). When X retires, the entire amount plus the interest accrued on it can be withdrawn by them. In the event of resignation, they can either withdraw the corpus (subject to EPF rules) or transfer their EPF account to another employer.
There are several benefits of the EPF for employees, including hassle-free savings, significant returns, and tax benefits. In addition to the mandatory 12% deduction, employees can choose to increase their EPF contribution through the Voluntary Provident Fund. The following table highlights the key benefits of contribution to EPF for employees.
Benefit | Scope |
Tax benefits |
|
Partial withdrawals |
|
Transferability |
|
Safety of savings |
|
Pension |
|
Insurance and nomination |
|
Monthly EPF Payment: Employee and Employer Contributions
The monthly EPF payments are completed by the employer either directly through an EPF challan payment on the official website of the EPFO or through the organisation’s bank account.
As stated earlier, a minimum of 12% of an employee's monthly salary (basic plus DA) is allocated towards PF. The net salary is computed after taking EPF payment into account. Should an employee wish to contribute a higher sum to their EPF account, they can start doing so through the Voluntary Provident Fund.
Employers must contribute 12% of each employee's monthly remuneration (their basic salary and dearness allowance) in their EPF account. The responsibility of depositing the EPFO payment on a timely basis rests with employers.
Let us now understand how online EPF payments work. As stated earlier, all EPFO payments must be completed online either through the EPFO’s website or through any of the banks which have a tie-up with the EPFO. These banks include leading banks such as State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, ICICI Bank, etc. Here is how an organisation can complete EPF payments for their employees:
Visit the official portal of the EPFO.
Log in using the company's Electronic Challan cum Return credentials.
Select the option for payment.
Click on ECR upload.
Enter details such as salary month, disbursal date, etc. using the drop-down.
Upload the relevant Electronic Challan cum Return (ECR) file and complete the steps for file validation.
Click on verify, followed by prepare challan.
Enter admin cost details and click on generate challan.
Verify the challan number and click on finalise.
Choose the relevant TRRN and click on pay, then select the payment method from the subsequent drop-down.
Enter your bank's Internet Banking credentials and complete the payment.
Check the EPFO payment details on the portal and download the confirmation.
Employers must complete the online EPF payments by the fifteenth of the month following the month of the contribution.
Consequences of Late EPF Payment
The following table highlights the penalties that employers can face if they do not make EPF payments on time.
Period of delay in EPF payments | Interest rate |
0 to 2 months | 5% pa |
2 to 4 months | 10% pa |
4 to 6 months | 15% pa |
6 months and above | 25% pa |
EPF has several key goals, key amongst which are as follows
Helping salaried individuals channelise their savings towards a relatively safe and reliable investment avenue.
Offering salaried individuals a streamlined option for retirement planning.
Ensuring effective implementation of the mandatory PF contributions.
The Employees’ Provident Fund is an easy and systematic pathway for salaried individuals to deploy their savings in a safe and profitable manner. With online pf payments, it is easy for employers to make EPF payments with a high degree of accuracy, transparency, and efficiency.
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EPF payment is the payment made for EPF contributions into an individual's EPF account by their employer.
You can make an EPF payment online by using the official portal of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation.
The benefits of EPF contributions include substantial returns, tax savings, option for partial withdrawals, pension, etc.
Yes, you can withdraw your EPF balance before you retire provided you fulfill the requirements for premature withdrawal of EPF balance.
EPF interest rates are determined by the EPFO every year.
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