After the recent supreme court ruling on the Employee Pension Scheme (EPS), EPFO subscribers, as of 1st Sep 2014, can retrospectively contribute 8.33% of their basic + DA to the EPS via a deduction from the EPF.
The option to do this has been opened only to a section of employees and is expected to be expanded soon. In this article, we shall not get into the nitty-gritty of the judgement or eligibility criterion.
Instead, we shall focus on what eligible employees should do. Before we begin, it is important to point out that this option is not eligible to those who joined the EPF after 1st Sep. 2014 as they are not part of the EPS.
- A substantial sum of several lakhs needs to be paid from the EPF to the EPS to avail higher pension. This will interrupt the compounding of the EPF corpus for those who still have a few years of service left.
- Suppose you pay the lump sum and opt for a higher EPS pension, estimate what it would be at the time of retirement.
- Instead, if you let that money compound in EPF and use it to purchase a govt bond via RBI Retail Direct upon retirement, how much would be the interest payout? For example, I used RBI Retail Direct to buy government bonds and create an income source.
- Suppose the RBI bond payout is not much different from the EPS pension. In that case, the RBI bond is the superior option because the bonds can be held jointly with your spouse in either or survivor mode, and the same interest payout will continue for the lifetime of both holders, and the money will go to heirs.
- Contrast this with the EPS pension, where the corpus cannot be recovered; worse, the payout to the surviving spouse will drop by 50% upon the subscriber’s demise.
- Not opting for the enhanced EPS pension has another advantage. There is extra liquidity to opt for a pension at a later age. Insurance annuity payouts after 70 are often more lucrative than government bond coupon rates. See: I need a pension: Should I buy an annuity or a govt bond?
Our opinion is for those in the highest tax slab, not opting for the enhanced EPS pension is more beneficial. There is a higher corpus to work with to combat inflation via a bucket strategy, and even if one wants fixed income/pension, government bonds are more advantageous.
The higher EPS pension option could possibly benefit those in lower tax slabs, but this will have to be decided on a case-by-case basis, depending on the individual’s circumstances. At the very least, we urge readers not to be in a hurry to opt for the higher EPS pension and compare the abovementioned scenarios.
Join 32,000+ readers and get free money management solutions delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to get posts via email! (Link takes you to our email sign-up form)
🔥Enjoy massive discounts on our robo-advisory tool & courses! 🔥
🔥Enjoy massive discounts on our courses, robo-advisory tool and exclusive investor circle! 🔥& join our community of 7000+ users!
Use our Robo-advisory Tool for a start-to-finish financial plan! ⇐ More than 2,500 investors and advisors use this!
Track your mutual funds and stock investments with this Google Sheet!
We also publish monthly equity mutual funds, debt and hybrid mutual funds, index funds and ETF screeners and momentum, low-volatility stock screeners.
- Do you have a comment about the above article? Reach out to us on Twitter: @freefincal or @pattufreefincal
- Have a question? Subscribe to our newsletter using the form below.
- Hit 'reply' to any email from us! We do not offer personalized investment advice. We can write a detailed article without mentioning your name if you have a generic question.
Join 32,000+ readers and get free money management solutions delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to get posts via email! (Link takes you to our email sign-up form)
About The Author
Dr M. Pattabiraman(PhD) is the founder, managing editor and primary author of freefincal. He is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He has over ten years of experience publishing news analysis, research and financial product development. Connect with him via Twitter(X), Linkedin, or YouTube. Pattabiraman has co-authored three print books: (1) You can be rich too with goal-based investing (CNBC TV18) for DIY investors. (2) Gamechanger for young earners. (3) Chinchu Gets a Superpower! for kids. He has also written seven other free e-books on various money management topics. He is a patron and co-founder of “Fee-only India,” an organisation promoting unbiased, commission-free investment advice.Our flagship course! Learn to manage your portfolio like a pro to achieve your goals regardless of market conditions! ⇐ More than 3,000 investors and advisors are part of our exclusive community! Get clarity on how to plan for your goals and achieve the necessary corpus no matter the market condition is!! Watch the first lecture for free! One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos! Reduce fear, uncertainty and doubt while investing! Learn how to plan for your goals before and after retirement with confidence.
Our new course! Increase your income by getting people to pay for your skills! ⇐ More than 700 salaried employees, entrepreneurs and financial advisors are part of our exclusive community! Learn how to get people to pay for your skills! Whether you are a professional or small business owner who wants more clients via online visibility or a salaried person wanting a side income or passive income, we will show you how to achieve this by showcasing your skills and building a community that trusts and pays you! (watch 1st lecture for free). One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos!
Our new book for kids: “Chinchu Gets a Superpower!” is now available!
Must-read book even for adults! This is something that every parent should teach their kids right from their young age. The importance of money management and decision making based on their wants and needs. Very nicely written in simple terms. - Arun.Buy the book: Chinchu gets a superpower for your child!
How to profit from content writing: Our new ebook is for those interested in getting side income via content writing. It is available at a 50% discount for Rs. 500 only!
Do you want to check if the market is overvalued or undervalued? Use our market valuation tool (it will work with any index!), or get the Tactical Buy/Sell timing tool!
We publish monthly mutual fund screeners and momentum, low-volatility stock screeners.
About freefincal & its content policy. Freefincal is a News Media Organization dedicated to providing original analysis, reports, reviews and insights on mutual funds, stocks, investing, retirement and personal finance developments. We do so without conflict of interest and bias. Follow us on Google News. Freefincal serves more than three million readers a year (5 million page views) with articles based only on factual information and detailed analysis by its authors. All statements made will be verified with credible and knowledgeable sources before publication. Freefincal does not publish paid articles, promotions, PR, satire or opinions without data. All opinions will be inferences backed by verifiable, reproducible evidence/data. Contact information: letters {at} freefincal {dot} com (sponsored posts or paid collaborations will not be entertained)
Connect with us on social media
- Twitter @freefincal
- Subscribe to our YouTube Videos
- Posts feed via Feedburner.
Our publications
You Can Be Rich Too with Goal-Based Investing
Published by CNBC TV18, this book is meant to help you ask the right questions and seek the correct answers, and since it comes with nine online calculators, you can also create custom solutions for your lifestyle! Get it now.Gamechanger: Forget Startups, Join Corporate & Still Live the Rich Life You Want
This book is meant for young earners to get their basics right from day one! It will also help you travel to exotic places at a low cost! Get it or gift it to a young earner.Your Ultimate Guide to Travel
This is an in-depth dive into vacation planning, finding cheap flights, budget accommodation, what to do when travelling, and how travelling slowly is better financially and psychologically, with links to the web pages and hand-holding at every step. Get the pdf for Rs 300 (instant download)