Wage ceiling for EPF raised to Rs.15,000: Minimum Monthly Pension and wage ceiling hiked by EPFO

Minimum Monthly Pension and wage ceiling hiked by EPFO

Wage ceiling for EPF raised to Rs.15,000

The much-awaited minimum monthly pension of Rs.1,000 and a higher wage ceiling of Rs.15,000 for social security schemes run by retirement fund manager Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will be implemented from September 1.

The government’s decision to fix pension entitlement of Rs.1,000 under the Employees’ Pension Scheme 1995 (EPFS-95) will immediately benefit 28 lakh pensioners who get less than this amount at present. The move to enhance the minimum wage ceiling for becoming a subscriber of the EPFO to Rs.15,000 a month is expected to bring 50 lakh additional formal sector workers under the ambit of the body.

“The government has notified enhancement of wage ceiling to Rs.15,000 per month, fixed minimum monthly pension at Rs.1,000 under EPS-95 and enhanced the maximum sum assured under the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) Scheme to Rs.3 lakh,” EPFO’s Central Provident Fund Commission K. K. Jalan told PTI.

Mr. Jalan said: “Now the maximum sum assured under the EDLI works out to be Rs.3.60 lakh, including 20 per cent ad hoc benefit over the prescribed amount under the notification.” This means that in case an EPFO subscriber dies, his family will be entitled to a maximum sum assured of Rs.3.60 lakh instead of existing Rs.1.56 lakh.

Mr. Jalan said the notification regarding minimum pension, wage ceiling and EDLI would be effected from September 1. Thus all pensioners getting less than Rs 1,000 per month would get at least this much pension from October.

Source: The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/minimum-pension-of-rs-1000-under-epfo-wage-ceiling-up-at-rs-15000/article6359907.ece

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PF(Provident Fund) Interest Rate 8.75%

Provident Fund Interest Rate 8.75% for 2014-15

EPFO retains interest rate at 8.75% for current fiscal

NEW DELHI: Retirement fund body EPFO’s trustees on Tuesday decided to retain interest payment on provident fund deposits for 2014-15 at 8.75 per cent.

“It has been decided to pay 8.75 per cent interest in the current fiscal,” Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC) K K Jalan told PTI after the meeting of the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), the apex decision making body of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO).

The EPFO has about 5 crore subscribers and the decision will have a bearing on their retirement fund.The decision to retain the interest rate on the provident fund deposits at last year’s level was taken despite some protest by the trade union members of the CBT, sources said.

The final notification for payment of the interest rate for the current fiscal will be issued by the finance ministry later.

The EPFO had provided 8.75 per cent rate of interest on PF deposits for 2013-14, which was higher than 8.5 per cent paid for the previous fiscal.

Source: Times of India

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