Many salaried employees have an Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) account in which they mandatorily contribute 12% of their basic salary every month. Further, the interest earned is tax free (up to a certain extent) and maturity amount is also tax free (subject to certain conditions).
However, not many understand the finer working details of the scheme. For instance, how long can you keep the money in an EPF account after retirement or after quitting your job – which means there will be no monthly contribution to the account? Will the EPF account balance continue to earn interest if there are no monthly contributions? If yes, then how long it will work and what would be the applicable interest rate on such EPF balance? If you continue to work after retirement, either with the same or a different company, can you continue with the EPF and EPS account contributions?
Here is a look at certain aspects of the EPF account that a contributing member should know.
How long can you keep money in an EPF account after leaving job?
An EPF account remains active when an individual continues to make the monthly contributions from salary. However, if you have quit working or have retired, how long can you keep the money untouched in the EPF account? One should note that the EPF scheme allows an individual to withdraw 100% of their EPF balance and close the account if they do not join another job within two months. Or else, the EPF account can be closed at the time of retirement.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Labour & Employment on July 24, 2017, “The Government via a notification dated November 11, 2016, has amended the EPF Scheme regarding the conditions leading to an EPF account becoming an inoperative account. As per amended definition of ‘Inoperative Account’ (w.e.f November 11, 2016), an account becomes inoperative after the age of 58 years, i.e., 36 months after the retirement age of 55 years.”
Vaibhav Bhardwaj, Partner, INDUSLAW, says, “The money in the EPF account can be left untouched for three years from the date of retirement before the account becomes inoperative. However, if you are retiring at the age of 58, then the EPF account will turn inoperative once there are no monthly contributions to the EPF account. Similarly, if an individual retires at the age of 56 or 57 years, then the EPF account will remain operative till he is 58 years of age.”
It may happen that an individual has quit working before reaching the retirement age. In such a case, how long the EPF account will remain operative. Bhardwaj says, “If an individual has stopped working before the retirement, the EPF account will remain operative for three years from the month in which EPF account contributions have stopped. Post that, the EPF account will become inoperative irrespective of the retirement age.”
Here is an example to understand this. Suppose an individual has stopped working at the age of 40 years. His last contribution to the EPF account was in July 2023. The EPF account will remain operative until July 2026. Post that the account will become inoperative…..Read More
Source By: economictimes
