New PF Rules 2021: No impact for those contributing up to Rs 20,833
Employees having a basic salary up to approximately Rs 1.75 lakh per month would not attract tax on their interest earnings in PF.
Based on Basic salary: Generally, 12 per cent of Basic Salary goes into the PF account each month. So, if your monthly Basic Salary is Rs nearly 1.75 lakh ( just the basic salary and not your total monthly income), your monthly contribution is nearly Rs 20833, which is Rs 2.5 lakh in a year. Nothing changes for you and interest earned on entire PF balance remain tax-exempt. The new PF contribution rules will not impact an employee whose monthly contribution is below Rs 20,833. However, if your Basic Salary is above Rs 1.75 lakh, there’s no escaping tax on interest earned. The only way out is if your employer provides you with an option to divert contribution to NPS.
Based on your voluntary contribution: Some employees contribute more than the mandatory 12 per cent towards PF. The PF rules allow that but it is not mandatory for the employer to match that additional contribution. They do so to earn a safe and tax-free return on their additional contributions. For example, for someone with a Basic Salary of Rs 1 lakh, the monthly contribution is Rs 12,000 which is about Rs 1.44 lakh in a year. The employee contributes an additional 12 per cent into VPF taking the total contribution to Rs 2.88 lakh in the year. In such a case, the interest earned on Rs 38,000 (Rs 2.88 lakh less Rs 2.50 lakh) will now get taxed.