EPFO - Employee Provident Fund Organization

Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) is a social security organization of India which deals with high-value financial transactions with a vast number of beneficiaries and recipients. Ministry of Labor and Employment sets the rules and policies related to this judicial organization. EPFO was set up through an Act passed in 1951, known as the Employees' Provident Fund Ordinance which was later reframed as Employees' Provident Fund Act, 1952. It now works as Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Act, 1952 which is except Jammu and Kashmir, applicable all over India.

The Central Board of Trustees (CBT) governs the schemes offered under the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Act, 1952. The schemes which include Employees' Provident Fund Scheme (EPF), Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme (EDLI) and Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) are carried out by Central Board of Trustees and make sure that the schemes are materialized and executed in a proper way.

EPFO Structure

EPFO is distributed in each state of India under several categories which are governed by an Additional Central Provident Fund Commissioner. And each state is provided with at least Regional Office headed by Grade-1 Regional Provident Fund Commissioners (RPFC). The Regional Office is distributed into further Sub-Regions which are managed by the Grade-2 Regional Provident Fund Commissioners who work under the Assistant Provident Fund Commissioners.

Services provided by EPFO

Employers

The Schedule-1 of Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Act, 1952 states and explains that organizations and establishments like factories or manufacturing plants have to work under this Act provided with the rules and regulations. Organizations, where the employees tally is more than 20, have to make contributions in order to work under this scheme. EPFO provides the benefits of carrying out the activities related to these organizations online.

Contributions made to the EPF

An employees' 10% salary is accumulated as PF by the employer which is basically the employees' food concessions, monthly wage, travel expenses, etc. For some establishments, the PF imposed by the central government is 12%. The employer contributing to the EPF scheme is equal to the employee contributing to the PF.

The monthly income which includes the basic wage, food concessions, travel expenses, personal expenses, etc. is used to calculate the percentage of the contribution made monthly. The contribution is altogether paid by the employer which includes the contribution made by the employer and the employee.