<p>In a move that could hit about six crore subscribers, the Retirement fund manager EPFO Thursday decided to cut interest rate by 15 basis points to 8.5% on provident fund deposits for 2019-20. The decision is expected to get Finance Ministry's approval soon.</p>.<p>"The EPFO has decided to provide 8.5 per cent interest rate on EPF deposits for 2019-20 in the CBT meeting today," Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar said here after the meeting. The minister also said that the EPFO will have a surplus of over Rs 700 crore on providing 8.5 per cent rate of interest on EPF for this fiscal.</p>.<p>The decision was taken in the EPFO Board meeting after the fund complained of its earnings getting affected in the economic slowdown. Other than fixed deposits, the EPFO invests in debt market and government securities.</p>.<p>Its investment in the debt market tops 85% of the total of Rs 18 lakh crore.</p>.<p>A ministry source said, "The EPFO would have left with a surplus of over Rs 300 crore if it had provided 8.55 per cent rate of interest on EPF for this fiscal. There would have been a deficit if the EPFO had provided a rate of more than 8.55 per cent for current fiscal."</p>.<p>The EPF interest rate announced for the current fiscal is lowest since 2012-13, when it was 8.5 per cent.</p>.<p>The EPFO had provided 8.65 per cent interest rate to its subscribers for 2016-17 and 8.55 per cent in 2017-18. The rate of interest was slightly higher at 8.8 per cent in 2015-16.</p>.<p>It had given 8.75 per cent rate of interest in 2013-14 as well as 2014-15, higher than 8.5 per cent for 2012-13.</p>.<p>Now, the labour ministry requires the finance ministry's concurrence on the matter. Since the Government of India is the guarantor, the finance ministry has to vet the proposal for EPF interest rate to avoid any liability on account of shortfall in the EPFO income for a fiscal.</p>.<p>The finance ministry has been nudging the labour ministry for aligning the EPF interest rate with other small saving schemes run by the government like the public provident fund and post office saving schemes.</p>.<p>(With inputs from PTI)</p>
<p>In a move that could hit about six crore subscribers, the Retirement fund manager EPFO Thursday decided to cut interest rate by 15 basis points to 8.5% on provident fund deposits for 2019-20. The decision is expected to get Finance Ministry's approval soon.</p>.<p>"The EPFO has decided to provide 8.5 per cent interest rate on EPF deposits for 2019-20 in the CBT meeting today," Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar said here after the meeting. The minister also said that the EPFO will have a surplus of over Rs 700 crore on providing 8.5 per cent rate of interest on EPF for this fiscal.</p>.<p>The decision was taken in the EPFO Board meeting after the fund complained of its earnings getting affected in the economic slowdown. Other than fixed deposits, the EPFO invests in debt market and government securities.</p>.<p>Its investment in the debt market tops 85% of the total of Rs 18 lakh crore.</p>.<p>A ministry source said, "The EPFO would have left with a surplus of over Rs 300 crore if it had provided 8.55 per cent rate of interest on EPF for this fiscal. There would have been a deficit if the EPFO had provided a rate of more than 8.55 per cent for current fiscal."</p>.<p>The EPF interest rate announced for the current fiscal is lowest since 2012-13, when it was 8.5 per cent.</p>.<p>The EPFO had provided 8.65 per cent interest rate to its subscribers for 2016-17 and 8.55 per cent in 2017-18. The rate of interest was slightly higher at 8.8 per cent in 2015-16.</p>.<p>It had given 8.75 per cent rate of interest in 2013-14 as well as 2014-15, higher than 8.5 per cent for 2012-13.</p>.<p>Now, the labour ministry requires the finance ministry's concurrence on the matter. Since the Government of India is the guarantor, the finance ministry has to vet the proposal for EPF interest rate to avoid any liability on account of shortfall in the EPFO income for a fiscal.</p>.<p>The finance ministry has been nudging the labour ministry for aligning the EPF interest rate with other small saving schemes run by the government like the public provident fund and post office saving schemes.</p>.<p>(With inputs from PTI)</p>
