Last Updated on February 4, 2021 at 3:02 pm
From 1st April 2021 onwards, the interest on any contribution above Rs. 2.5 lakh by an employee to a recognised provident fund is taxable as per the provisions of the Finance bill 2021. Here is a simple illustration of how the tax works: How employee contributions over 2.5 lakhs get taxed like an FD. Many have asked if this rule applies to PPF. It does not because you can only invest 1.5 lakh in PPF.
Update 1: Find out taxable EPF Interest with this calculator
Update 2: The Central Board of Direct Taxes has now confirmed that the interest is taxable every year
Case 1: Now if your mandatory PF contribution is more than 2.5 lakh a year, there is not much that you can do. The tax will automatically apply to the interest from contributions above Rs. 2.5 lakh.
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! 🔥
Case 2: If your mandatory PF contribution is more than 2.5 lakh a year and your employer is offering NPS, request (if options are not already available) them to divert part of employee contribution to NPS. The split between EPF and NPS employee contributions is up to your comfort level. Set NPS asset allocation to gilts plus corporate bonds and invest in equity elsewhere.
Case 3: Mandatory PF contribution is less than 2.5 lakh but voluntary contributions (VPF) make the total contribution above Rs. 2.5 lakh. If your employer is offering NPS, you can do the same as mentioned in case 2. If not, you can consider shifting the VPF contributions to a gilt mutual fund (assuming this is a long-term goal).
Note: Gilt mutual funds (like NPS) are market-linked instruments. So please appreciate the risks before investing. This is a related discussion: Why I partially switched from ICICI Multi-Asset Fund to ICICI Gilt Fund
A tax-free instrument with unlimited contribution is simply too good to last forever. At least for those with EPF, the rates should typically be higher than PPF and over the next decade should be higher a bank FD. So taxable EPF( above 2.5L) is still relatively a good deal.
If you want to avoid this taxation, then you will have to embrace market risk via gilts funds or NPS. With some education and experience, this is eminently achievable provided expectations are low and notions of “safety” redefined.
Gilt funds with capital gain based taxation with inflation indexation will be beneficial to those in the 30% and 20% slabs. Also see: PPF vs Gilt mutual funds: Which has done better over 15 years? and Can we invest via SIP in gilt mutual funds for the long term? and Can we get better returns by timing entry & exit from gilt mutual funds?
🔥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)