Find your own monthly PF contribution.
Your standard 12% contribution rate is applied to your basic salary plus DA.
Contribution: Basic + DA × 12%
The employee contribution calculator shows how much of your own salary goes into the Employees' Provident Fund each month and each year. Under EPF rules, a covered employee contributes 12% of basic pay plus dearness allowance, and the employer deducts it from salary before paying you. The whole of this share goes into your EPF account, where it earns the rate EPFO declares each year.
People use it to check the PF line on a payslip, to see how a change in basic affects take-home, and to decide whether to add voluntary contributions. Because the rate field is editable, you can also test the reduced rate that applies to certain notified establishments, or a higher rate if you contribute voluntarily through VPF, which your employer can deduct along with the mandatory share.
1. Find your monthly basic pay plus dearness allowance from your payslip. Some employers add retaining allowance too.
2. Check whether your employer computes PF on full basic or on the ₹15,000 wage ceiling; this changes the base.
3. Monthly contribution = PF wage × Rate ÷ 100, usually 12%.
4. Annual contribution = Monthly contribution × 12.
5. If you opted for VPF, add it separately or enter a combined rate.
EPF contributions are calculated on basic wages, dearness allowance and retaining allowance, not on HRA, special allowance, overtime or bonus. That is why a salary structure with a low basic and a high special allowance leads to smaller PF deductions and higher take-home. Rules and court rulings have looked at structures that split pay into allowances mainly to reduce PF. The safe reading is that allowances paid universally to all employees may be treated as part of basic wages for PF.
EPF membership is mandatory for employees whose PF wages are within the statutory wage ceiling of ₹15,000 a month when they join. For them, the employer may contribute on ₹15,000 or on actual wages. Many employers also restrict the employee's share to 12% of ₹15,000, which is ₹1,800 a month, while others deduct on the full basic. Both are allowed. This calculator applies the rate to whatever base you enter, so enter ₹15,000 if your employer caps it.
Your own EPF contribution qualifies for deduction under the old tax regime within the combined limit for specified savings. The new regime does not give this deduction. The balance and interest are generally tax-free on withdrawal after five years of continuous service, while early withdrawal can attract tax and TDS. Interest on very large yearly employee contributions above a limit set in the tax law is taxable each year. The contribution itself is still your money, and it remains in your account if you change jobs.
Pooja's payslip at a Noida IT firm shows basic plus DA of ₹42,000 a month, and her employer deducts PF at 12% on the full basic.
Answer: Employee's monthly contribution ₹5,040; Annual ₹60,480
Calculating PF on gross salary instead of basic plus DA.
Assuming the employer caps PF at ₹15,000 when it deducts on full basic, or the reverse.
Thinking your share is split between EPF and pension; only the employer's share is split.
Forgetting to include VPF when reconciling the payslip deduction.
Checking the PF deduction on each payslip.
Estimating the effect of a basic salary increase on take-home.
Planning voluntary PF contributions for retirement.
Working out yearly EPF contributions for old-regime tax planning.
Does the employee contribution have a wage ceiling like EPS?
By default, many employers use the same ₹15,000 limit. Some employers instead use your full basic salary, so this depends on your employer's own policy.