EPF interest for FY 2025-26 credited at 8.25% — how to check if your passbook is updated

If your Employees’ Provident Fund passbook still shows last year’s closing balance, don’t panic — EPFO’s interest crediting for FY 2025-26 has been rolling out in stages since mid-July and, for some of the roughly 34 crore subscriber accounts, is still catching up in August.

The rate: 8.25%

The Central Board of Trustees recommended an 8.25% annual interest rate for EPF deposits in FY 2025-26, the Labour Ministry conveyed the government’s approval on June 17, 2026, and EPFO issued the formal notification on July 1, 2026. This is the same rate that applied in FY 2024-25, marking another year of stability after a period of steady increases.

When it lands in your passbook

EPFO aimed to complete the bulk of interest crediting to accounts by July 15, 2026. But because the exercise covers tens of crores of accounts, the process happens in batches — some members saw the credit in mid-July, while others may only see it reflected through August.

Important: a delayed credit does not mean lost interest. Interest for the full financial year is calculated on your closing balance as of March 31, 2026, and once processed, it is posted in full regardless of when it actually appears in the passbook.

How to check your passbook

1. Go to the EPFO Member e-Sewa portal or the UMANG app.
2. Log in using your 12-digit Universal Account Number (UAN) and password.
3. Enter the captcha and verify via OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
4. Open “Passbook Lite” or the regular passbook view to see the FY 2025-26 interest entry against your member ID.

If the current financial year’s contributions show up but the interest line is missing, it simply hasn’t been processed for your account yet — check back after a few weeks rather than raising a grievance immediately.

What this rate means for your retirement math

At 8.25%, EPF continues to be one of the highest guaranteed, government-backed returns available to salaried employees, well ahead of most bank fixed deposits and in the same range as the Public Provident Fund’s 7.1%. Because EPF is compounded annually and contributions are mandatory (12% of basic pay from both employee and employer, subject to ceilings), it remains the backbone of most salaried Indians’ retirement corpus.

If you want to see how this rate compounds over your remaining working years, or how it stacks up against voluntary PPF contributions, run the numbers through the PPF calculator or the retirement calculator using 8.25% as your EPF assumption.

Sources: EPFO circular INV-11/2/2021-INV/E-41960/2519 dated July 1, 2026; Ministry of Labour & Employment communication dated June 17, 2026; EPFO Member e-Sewa portal.