Project your EPF retirement corpus and PPF maturity value with year-by-year breakdowns, EPS pension split, 80C tax savings, and EPF vs PPF vs equity SIP comparison.
Plan your Indian retirement savings with India two flagship schemes — Employee Provident Fund (EPF) and Public Provident Fund (PPF). The EPF mode models employee + employer contributions, salary growth, the 8.33% EPS pension carve-out, and compounding at the latest 8.25% rate. The PPF mode handles annual contributions (capped at ₹1.5L), 7.1% interest, the 15-year lock-in (extendable in 5-year blocks), and shows your annual 80C tax savings. A side-by-side comparison panel pits EPF and PPF returns against a 12% equity SIP.
The Employee Provident Fund (EPF) is a mandatory retirement scheme for salaried employees in India. Both you and your employer contribute 12% of your basic salary + DA each month. But there is a catch: while your full 12% goes into EPF, only 3.67% of your employer 12% lands in EPF — the other 8.33% (capped at ₹1,250/month) is diverted to the Employee Pension Scheme (EPS), which pays you a monthly pension after 58 instead of a lump sum.
EEE stands for Exempt-Exempt-Exempt: the contribution is tax-deductible (under Section 80C), the interest accrued is tax-free, and the maturity amount is tax-free. Almost no other long-term investment in India enjoys all three. Equity mutual funds get taxed at 12.5% LTCG above ₹1.25L per year. Fixed deposits get taxed as income at your slab rate. The new tax regime does not allow 80C deductions, which changes the math materially: under the new regime, equity SIPs typically beat PPF on after-tax returns.
The honest answer: do all three. EPF runs on autopilot if you are salaried — you cannot opt out, and the employer match is free money. PPF is the safest place to park money you do not need for 15 years; treat it as your fixed-income, government-guaranteed bedrock. Equity SIPs handle the upside: historically, Indian equity has returned 12-15% nominal over 15+ year horizons, beating PPF 7.1% by a wide margin — but with real volatility along the way.
EPF is mandatory for salaried employees in companies with 20+ staff and gives you employer matching plus a higher 8.25% rate. PPF is open to anyone (including the self-employed and NRIs with restrictions), capped at ₹1.5L/year, and earns 7.1%. If you are salaried, you already have EPF — use PPF on top to fully exhaust your 80C limit. If you are self-employed, PPF is your safest tax-free retirement vehicle.
Of your employer 12% contribution, only 3.67% goes to your EPF account. The remaining 8.33% (capped at ₹1,250/month on a ₹15,000 basic ceiling) is diverted to the Employee Pension Scheme (EPS), which pays a monthly pension after age 58 — it does NOT show up in your EPF lump sum.
EPF: full withdrawal on retirement (58), or after 2 months of unemployment between jobs. Earlier partial withdrawals are allowed for marriage, medical emergency, home purchase, or education with limits and conditions. PPF: full maturity at 15 years; partial withdrawals are allowed from year 7 onwards (max 50% of the balance at the end of year 4 preceding withdrawal).
Both your EPF employee contribution and any PPF deposits qualify under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, with a combined cap of ₹1.5 lakh per year (under the old tax regime). At a 30% marginal rate, contributing ₹1.5L/year saves you ₹45,000 in tax annually. Maturity proceeds and interest are also fully tax-exempt for both — the rare EEE (Exempt-Exempt-Exempt) status. The new tax regime does not allow 80C deductions.
PPF allows one partial withdrawal per year starting in year 7, capped at 50% of the balance at the end of the 4th year preceding withdrawal. EPF allows partial withdrawals for specific life events: home purchase/construction (after 5 years of service), marriage of self/children/siblings (after 7 years), medical treatment (anytime, no minimum service), and higher education (after 7 years).
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