Distinction between EPF and PPF -Curiosity Price & Tax Advantages

Introduction

Through the years, the Authorities of India has launched a number of financial savings schemes to encourage folks to take a position and construct a safe monetary future. These schemes have helped promote monetary literacy and instil a way of economic self-discipline among the many inhabitants. Amongst these schemes, the Worker’s Provident Fund and the Public Provident Fund are the most well-liked ones. Right here, we’ll discover the various areas EPF vs PPF differ from each other, together with which means, returns, tax advantages, and execs and cons of every.

What’s EPF?

EPF stands for the Workers’ Provident Fund. It’s a necessary retirement and financial savings scheme for salaried people. The primary objective of the EPF is to offer salaried people monetary safety of their post-retirement years. Listed here are some factors that may enable you to perceive what’s epf precisely:

The EPF is run by the Workers’ Provident Fund Group (EPFO) below the Ministry of Labour and Employment. This group is answerable for the administration and regulation of the EPF scheme.
The EPF is a sort of necessary scheme, which goals to assist salaried people construct a retirement fund throughout their working years. Salaried people should contribute to the EPF, and any organisation with 20 or extra workers should register with the EPFO.
Contribution in the direction of the fund is made by each – the worker in addition to the employer. Each contribute 12% of the worker’s wage (primary wage + dearness allowance).
Of the 12% contribution made by the employer, 8.33% goes in the direction of the Workers’ Pension Scheme, and three.67% to EPF. Your complete worker contribution goes in the direction of EPF.
These financial savings accumulate curiosity which is compounded yearly and credited to the worker’s EPF account. This rate of interest is said yearly by the EPFO.
The newest rate of interest is 8.25% each year.
Workers can exceed the obligatory 12% EPF contribution by going for the Voluntary Provident Fund. Underneath this scheme, workers can contribute a bigger share of their primary wage and dearness allowance voluntarily, however employers should not required to match this contribution.
When altering jobs, workers can switch their stability from the outdated employer to the brand new one. Because the Common Account Quantity for EPF stays the identical throughout all jobs, salaried people can simply observe their accounts/ IDs utilizing them.
Full withdrawal is allowed when the worker reaches retirement age, which is about at 55 years by the EPFO. Partial withdrawals from the account are additionally permitted in case of emergencies or mortgage reimbursement.
In case the person is unemployed for a month, a withdrawal of 75% is allowed. Full withdrawal might be made if the unemployment continues for 2 months.
EPF falls below the Exempt, Exempt, Exempt basket, so the contributions, curiosity, and withdrawals are all exempt from tax.
Part 80C of the Earnings Tax Act permits people to assert deductions as much as Rs. 1.5 lakh on contributions made to EPF. The curiosity earned on EPF can be free from tax. Nonetheless, in accordance with the adjustments made on 1st April 2021, the curiosity earned on EPF contributions exceeding Rs. 2.5 lakh each year is now topic to tax (solely impacts non-government workers).
Withdrawal after 5 years is tax free as properly. Any withdrawals made earlier than this mark appeal to tax on the curiosity earned.

What’s PPF?

PPF stands for Public Provident Fund, which is one other long-term financial savings scheme launched and controlled by the federal government. The important thing issue that units it other than the EPF is that it’s a voluntary scheme and is open to all residents of India. Listed here are some info that may enable you to perceive what’s ppf scheme:

Any Indian citizen, whether or not salaried or self-employed can open a PPF account. Even minors can have an account opened of their title (with guardians related).
People holding EPF also can open a PPF account.
Residents can open a PPF account via any nationwide or authorised non-public banks and submit workplaces.
Non-resident Indians can’t open any new PPF accounts, nevertheless, they’ll nonetheless function any present PPF accounts till maturity.
Solely 12 contributions might be made to the PPF account in a monetary 12 months. The minimal quantity that one has to take a position is Rs. 500, whereas the utmost funding quantity per 12 months is Rs. 1.5 lakh.
When a guardian opens a PPF account on behalf of a minor, the full contribution restrict of Rs. 1.5 lakh for tax deductions applies to all accounts held by the person, which incorporates the minor’s PPF account. For instance, you can not contribute Rs. 1.5 lakh to your private account and likewise Rs. 1.5 lakh to your minor little one’s account in the identical 12 months, because it totals Rs. 3 lakh.
The federal government decides the rate of interest of PPF each quarter. For Quarter 4 of the monetary 12 months 2024-25 (January 2025 to March 2025), the rate of interest was set at 7.1% compounded yearly.
The PPF has a maturity of 15 years. After this mark, people can both withdraw their funds or lengthen the length by 5 years at a time. Throughout these extensions, it’s not necessary to make any additional contributions and the fund will proceed to build up curiosity.
If one doesn’t withdraw their funds after maturity, the default choice, i.e. an extension of 5 years is routinely activated. From right here, just one withdrawal might be made per 12 months.
After the PPF enters its seventh 12 months, partial withdrawals might be made. The utmost quantity that may be withdrawn is as much as 50% of the stability on the finish of the 4th 12 months or 50% of the stability on the finish of the instantly previous 12 months, whichever is decrease.
The PPF can be an Exempt, Exempt, Exempt scheme. Thus the principal quantity, curiosity earned, and withdrawals are all tax-exempt.
The outdated tax regime permits additional reduction from tax burden. As much as Rs. 1.5 lakh price of PPF contributions per 12 months might be deducted from one’s revenue below Part 80C.

Key Variations Between EPF and PPF

Take a look on the distinction between epf and ppf summarised under:

Issue	Workers’ Provident Fund	Public Provident Fund
Kind of Scheme	For salaried people, EPF is a compulsory financial savings scheme.	PPF is a voluntary scheme.
Who can make investments?	Solely salaried people can spend money on the EFP.	Any Indian citizen can open a PPF account.
Minimal Funding Quantity	12% of wage (primary + dearness allowance) have to be contributed.	A contribution of at the least Rs. 500 per 12 months is necessary.
Most Funding Quantity	By means of the Voluntary Provident Fund, workers can contribute any quantity above the necessary 12% of their primary wage and dearness allowance.	A most contribution of Rs. 1.5 lakh might be made towards PPF.
Price of Return	EPF rate of interest is set by the Workers’ Provident Fund Organisation yearly. The latest fee is 8.25% each year.	The federal government declares the PPF rate of interest on a quarterly foundation. For This autumn of 2024-25, the rate of interest is 7.1% each year.
Lock-in Interval	Till retirement, which is taken into account as 55 years by EPFO. Partial withdrawals are allowed below particular situations.	Funds are locked in for 15 years.
Withdrawals	Full withdrawals might be made after retirement. Funds may also be totally withdrawn after 2 months of unemployment.Partial withdrawals are allowed for sure emergency conditions.	Full withdrawal after maturity, nevertheless, partial withdrawals might be made after the account has been maintained for six years.
Tax	EPF falls below the EEE class, so there isn’t a taxation on the principal quantity, curiosity, or withdrawals. Nonetheless, curiosity on contributions over Rs. 2.5 lakh per 12 months attracts tax ranging from April 2021. If funds are withdrawn earlier than 5 years, a tax on curiosity is charged.	PPF can be an EEE instrument, which makes it some of the tax-efficient choices accessible.

EPF or PPF: Which is Higher?

Each EPF and PPF are good long-term financial savings devices and helpful for monetary objectives like constructing a retirement fund or planning kids’s weddings. They each permit Rs. 1.5 lakh tax deductions below Part 80C of the Earnings Tax Act and are backed by the federal government, which makes them protected funding devices. The primary distinction between epf and ppf is that the previous is a compulsory scheme for salaried people, whereas the latter is a voluntary financial savings scheme for all Indian residents. There’s no clear reply to epf or ppf which is healthier of the 2.

If you’re a salaried worker, you should have an EPF the place you and your employer will make common contributions. Self-employed people merely can’t contribute to EPF. Being a salaried particular person, nevertheless, doesn’t bar you from contributing to PPF and you might be allowed to carry each accounts.

If you’re a self-employed particular person, you’ll solely have the ability to spend money on PPF. It’s a tax-efficient choice because it doesn’t appeal to any tax on contributions, curiosity, or withdrawals.

EPF vs PPF Curiosity Charges

The PPF rate of interest is introduced quarterly by the Authorities of India. For This autumn of the monetary 12 months 2024-25, the speed is 7.1% each year.

Then again, the EPF rate of interest is yearly declared by the Workers’ Provident Fund Group. The 2023-24 rate of interest is 8.25% each year.

Tax Advantages of EPF and PPF

EPF Tax Advantages:

EPF falls below the Exempt, Exempt, Exempt class. Tax is thus not levied on contributions, curiosity, or withdrawals.
As much as Rs. 1.5 lakh contribution might be claimed as tax deductions yearly below Part 80C of the Earnings Tax Act.
No tax is levied on withdrawals after 5 years. Withdrawals earlier than this mark, nevertheless, appeal to tax on curiosity earned.
After April 2021, contributions above Rs. 2.5 lakh per 12 months additionally attracts tax on the curiosity earned on the surplus quantity.

PPF Tax Advantages:

PPF can be an Exempt, Exempt, Exempt instrument, so there’s no tax charged on contributions, curiosity, or withdrawals.
PPF additionally provides Part 80C advantages, permitting people to assert a tax deduction of as much as Rs. 1.5 lakh per monetary 12 months on contributions.

Benefits and Disadvantages of EPF

Benefits of EPF:

A protected, government-backed financial savings scheme with a relatively greater rate of interest.
A protected long-term instrument for constructing a retirement fund for salaried people.
The employer matches worker contribution. VPF permits people to contribute extra to the fund.
Exempt, Exempt, Exempt scheme which makes it extremely tax-efficient. Permits Rs. 1.5 lakh deductions per 12 months below Part 80C.

Disadvantages of EPF:

EPF is simply accessible to salaried people. Self-employed or retired people are ineligible for this scheme.
Withdrawing funds earlier than 5 years attracts taxes on curiosity earned.
Solely contributions as much as Rs. 2.5 lakh per 12 months are exempt from tax.

Benefits and Disadvantages of PPF

Benefits of PPF:

PPF is a voluntary and protected long-term scheme backed by the federal government.
All Indian residents, together with salaried and self-employed people, can entry the PPF.
The minimal contribution quantity per 12 months is simply Rs. 500, which makes PPF fairly versatile.
PPF can be a tax-efficient Exempt, Exempt, Exempt car. Account holders also can take pleasure in Part 80C deduction advantages with this scheme.

Disadvantages of PPF:

A lock-in interval of 15 years could also be thought of too lengthy by some buyers.
The utmost quantity one can make investments per 12 months is low, solely Rs. 1.5 lakh.
The rate of interest provided by PPF is decrease in comparison with EPF.
Partial withdrawals might be made solely after finishing 6 years, which can be thought of fairly lengthy.

Conclusion

The Workers’ Provident Fund and Public Provident Fund are government-backed financial savings schemes. Whereas the EPF is designed to assist workers construct a retirement corpus, the PPF is a long-term financial savings scheme for salaried and self-employed people. Each these schemes encourage long-term financial savings. The important thing distinction between EPF vs PPF is that the EPF is a compulsory scheme for salaried workers solely, whereas the PPF is a voluntary scheme open to all Indian residents. Each schemes are labeled as EEE and provide Part 80C advantages, making them tax-efficient.