EPF Interest at 8.25% Credited in July: Why Isn't It in Your Passbook?

EPFO's Central Board of Trustees recommended 8.25% interest for 2025-26 on 2 March 2026. After the government approved the rate, EPFO told its field offices in early July 2026 to credit it to members' accounts, as Business Today reported on 6 July. If your passbook still doesn't show it, the reason is usually one of five things: the passbook hasn't refreshed, you are looking at the wrong member ID, your PF is with a private trust, the account was settled during the year, or the account is inoperative.

Interest for a year is credited once, after the year ends, for the full year. Nothing is lost by the wait: interest is worked out on balances up to 31 March 2026, whatever date it reaches your passbook.

How EPF interest is calculated

The rule is the same in the 1952 scheme, under which 2025-26 interest is being credited, and in paragraph 42 of the EPF Scheme, 2026 that replaced it on 29 June 2026. Interest is credited on the monthly running balance at the end of each year:

• the balance at the end of the previous year earns 12 months of interest, less anything withdrawn during the year,
• money withdrawn during the year earns interest up to the end of the month before the withdrawal,
• each contribution credited during the year earns interest from the first day of the month after it was credited, to the end of the year,
• the total is rounded to the nearest rupee.

Worked example: what your credit should roughly be

Sunita's PF balance on 31 March 2025 was ₹2,40,000. Her wage is ₹15,000 a month, so each month ₹1,800 comes from her and ₹550 from her employer into PF (the rest of the employer's share goes to the pension scheme). That is ₹2,350 a month.

The second line is ₹2,350 × 66 × 8.25% ÷ 12. If your employer pays late, your contributions are credited later and earn a little less in the year they arrive. If your passbook figure is close to your own estimate, the credit is fine. If it is zero, read on.

Five reasons the interest isn't showing

1. The credit or the passbook hasn't caught up

Interest is credited account by account. In 2025 EPFO said it finished crediting all members by July 2025, earlier than in past years. For 2025-26, the instruction to credit went out in early July 2026. If your passbook still shows nothing, log out, wait a few days and check again from a second channel (below) before assuming a problem.

2. You are looking at the wrong member ID

A UAN can hold several member IDs, one per employer. The passbook shows each member ID separately, and each earns its own interest. If you changed jobs during 2025-26, the interest on last year's balance may sit under the old employer's member ID. Select each member ID in the passbook, then transfer the old balances into your current account (Form 13, filed online on the EPFO Member Portal) so they are in one place. See PF transfer on a job change and two UANs and old PF accounts.

3. Your employer runs a private PF trust

Some large employers are exempted establishments. They manage PF through their own trust instead of EPFO. The trust's board declares its own rate and credits interest in its own records, so EPFO's passbook won't show it. Ask HR or the trust for your annual statement.

4. The account was settled during the year

If you took a final settlement during the year, the interest was paid with it, up to the date the payment was authorised. There is no separate annual credit afterwards. Partial withdrawals reduce interest only on the amount taken out.

5. The account is inoperative

An account stops earning interest once it becomes inoperative. Under the 2026 scheme, this covers members who retired after 55, migrated abroad permanently or died, if no withdrawal claim was made within 36 months of the money becoming payable. A working member's account doesn't become inoperative just because a job changed. EPFO's FAQ is clear that accounts keep earning interest up to age 58.

How to check your balance and interest

1. Passbook portal. Log in at passbook.epfindia.gov.in with your UAN and password, select each member ID and look for the interest entry for 2025-26.
2. UMANG app. The EPFO service in UMANG shows the same passbook. If your UAN is not activated, you can activate it in UMANG with face authentication.
3. Missed call or SMS. A missed call to 9966044425 from your UAN-registered mobile, or an SMS of EPFOHO UAN ENG to 7738299899, returns your last contribution and balance. These give the balance, so compare it with last year's figure.

The passbook needs an activated UAN. If you can't log in, fix that first through the EPFO Member Portal or UMANG.

If the interest is still missing or wrong

• Check the annual statement. The 2026 scheme requires EPFO to publish an electronic annual statement showing opening balance, contributions, interest and closing balance. Members should report errors in it within three months of its publication on the portal.
• Raise a grievance. File on EPFiGMS under your UAN, mentioning the member ID, the year (2025-26) and what is missing. Attach a screenshot of the passbook.
• For a private trust, write to the trust, which keeps your account.

Is the interest taxable?

EPF interest is tax-free for most members. Two exceptions: interest on the part of your own contributions, including VPF, above ₹2.5 lakh in a year (₹5 lakh where the employer doesn't contribute) is taxable, and a withdrawal before five years of continuous service is generally taxable unless an exception applies. See PF interest above ₹2.5 lakh and PF withdrawal before 5 years.

FAQ

When was the 2025-26 EPF interest credited?

The CBT recommended 8.25% on 2 March 2026, the government approved it, and EPFO instructed its offices in early July 2026 to credit it.

Do I lose interest because it was credited late?

No. Interest for 2025-26 is computed on balances to 31 March 2026, whatever date it is credited.

Why does my passbook show interest under an old employer?

Each employer has its own member ID under your UAN, and each earns interest separately. Transfer the old balance to your current member ID to consolidate it.

My employer has its own PF trust. Where do I see my interest?

In the trust's statement, not the EPFO passbook. The trust declares and credits its own rate.

Does a job change stop interest?

No. The account keeps earning interest while you are of working age. An account becomes inoperative only after retirement, permanent migration or death, if no claim is made within 36 months.

Sources

• PIB, 2 March 2026: 239th CBT meeting recommends 8.25% interest for 2025-26
• Business Today (news report; no official EPFO circular was found online), 6 July 2026: EPFO orders credit of 8.25% interest for 2025-26
• PIB, 13 October 2025: interest for 2024-25 credited to all members by July 2025
• Gazette of India: Employees' Provident Fund Scheme, 2026, G.S.R. 525(E) (paragraphs 30, 42 and 55)
• EPFO FAQs: interest on running balance, interest after leaving a job
• EPFO member passbook