Retirement fund body EPFO on Thursday started crediting the 8.5 per cent rate of interest on employees’ provident fund (EPF) for 2019-20 for its over six crore members, a senior official said.

A large number of members of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) would be able to see their updated EPF accounts with credit of 8.5 per cent rate of interest for 2019-20, a senior official told PTI.

The official further informed that the labour ministry has already sent the direction to credit the 8.5 per cent interest on EPF for 2019-20 to the EPFO and the body has already started crediting interest into members account for the last fiscal.

Labour minister Santosh Gangwar said, “We had said that it would be our endeavour to provide an -/8.5 per cent rate of interest on EPF for 2019-20. We have issued a notification to provide 8.5 per cent rate of interest on EPF for 2019-20. We have also began the process to credit the said rate of interest into subscribers account.”

The minister also said that he has asked to ensure that all those members who are retiring on December 31 must get an 8.5 per cent rate of interest (for 2019-20).

The process for capital gains for payment of 0.35 per cent interest for 2019-20 has also been completed, he added.

“It (8.5 per cent interest) would comprise 8.15 per cent from debt income and balance 0.35 per cent (capital gain) from the sale of ETFs (exchange traded funds) subject to their redemption by December 31, 2020,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Gangwar had approved the 8.5 per cent rate for the last fiscal after receiving the finance ministry’s concurrence.