General Provident Fund: Rules and GPF Interest Rates 2024

Government jobs come with some great benefits, and we all know the effort it takes to get into this field is significant. But have you ever wondered how government employees save for retirement? Just like the EPF (Employee Provident Fund) for others, there’s a special plan for government employees too. It’s called the General Provident Fund. It helps you set aside a portion of your salary each month. You can use this fund during retirement or in times of need.

GPF offers a dependable source of retirement income for all government employees.

What is the GPF interest rate, and what are the GPF withdrawal rules for you?

Let us take a look!

What is GPF?

The GPF full form in salary is the General Provident Fund. GPF is a special savings scheme designed just for government employees in India. If you’re eligible, you can contribute a portion of your salary to this fund every month. Over the course of your career, this fund grows with your contributions and earns interest. The GPF interest rate is revised by the finance ministry every quarter. When you retire, you’ll receive the total amount accumulated.

The GPF interest rate for July-September 2024 is 7.1%.

The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare manages this savings plan under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions. GPF offers government employees several benefits. These include tax savings, secure long-term investments, and guaranteed returns.

How a General Provident Fund (GPF) Account Works

The General Provident Fund (GPF) works in a simple way:

Opening a GPF Account

• Employees need to open a GPF account with their employer, usually when they join the service.
• The account is managed by the Accountant General (AG) office of the respective state or by the Central government for central government employees.

GPF Monthly Contributions

• A percentage of the employee’s basic salary is deducted monthly and deposited into their GPF account.
• The standard deduction rate is 6% of the basic salary, with a minimum contribution of Rs. 500 per month.
• Employees can choose to increase their contributions up to 100% of their basic salary if they wish.

GPF Withdrawals and Advances

One of the benefits of the General Provident Fund is its flexibility.

• As a government employee, you can withdraw money for various purposes. These can include weddings, education, or medical emergencies.
• The GPF interest rates on this fund are updated periodically.

Legal Protections

The Provident Fund Act of 1925 provides legal protection for GPF accounts against the recovery of government dues.

Nomination for GPF

• Employees must nominate a family member to receive the GPF benefits in case of their demise.
• In the case of minor nominees, they can only be nominated once they attain adulthood. 

If there are multiple nominees, the government employee must specify the share of each nominee.

Features of GPF- General Provident Fund

Here are a few characteristics of this long-term saving scheme:

1. As of Q3 July-September 2024, the GPF interest rate is 7.1%.
2. The GPF minimum contribution is 6% of the basic pay, and the maximum is 100% of the basic pay plus dearness allowance. 
3. General Provident Fund requires a monthly contribution. However, there is an exception during periods of suspension for the subscriber.
4. According to the pensioners’ portal, GPF subscriptions are halted three months before the superannuation date.
5. GPF withdrawal is processed automatically upon the subscriber’s retirement.
6. Upon retirement, the final balance is promptly paid to the general provident fund subscriber.
7. For the nomination of GPF, you must add a family member’s name when joining GPF. In the unfortunate event of your untimely death, they can receive the GPF withdrawal.
8. As per GPF regulations, the nominee receives an additional payment. This amount is equal to the average balance in the deceased’s account over the three years before the employee’s death.
9. The maximum additional amount payable under the GPF rule is Rs. 60,000.

Eligibility for GPF

As per the latest general provident fund rules, here are the eligibility criteria:

To be eligible to contribute to the General Provident Fund (GPF) account, individuals must meet the following criteria:

1. The individual must be a government employee and a resident of India.
2. GPF is mandatory for government employees falling within a particular salary class.
3. Employees of private sector companies are not eligible to participate in the General Provident Fund.
4. Government employees become members of the General Provident Fund by contributing a specific percentage of their salary.
5. Employees must not be the beneficiary of any other government or organizational provident fund scheme.
6. Employees currently on deputation outside India cannot participate in the GPF.

How can you open the GPF account?

Here are a few steps that you must follow for opening a General Provident Fund (GPF) account:

• You must contact your department’s Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) for the GPF account opening.
• Next, fill in the form from the DDO with your name, designation, date of joining, etc.
• You must submit the completed form and necessary documents to the DDO. They will verify them and forward them to the Accountant General’s office.
• Once processed, you will get a unique GPF account number and login details.

GPF Rules – 2024

According to the GPF rules, all temporary government employees with one year of continuous service can subscribe to this fund.

• Re-employed pensioners, except those eligible for the contributory provident fund, can also subscribe.
• Permanent government employees are eligible to subscribe to the fund.

However, those entering government service post-2004 do not qualify for GPF.

Instead, they are covered by the National Pension System (Central Government) or National Pension System (State Government), as applicable.

GPF Minimum Contribution Amount 2024

According to the General Provident Fund Rules, 1960, for Central Services:

• The GPF minimum contribution is 6% of your basic salary.
• The maximum contribution can be up to 100% of your basic salary.

Some state governments and public sector organizations may have different contribution limits.

GPF subscribers have the flexibility to determine the amount of their GPF contribution. However, the GPF deduction in salary is 6% of the total salary.

On the other hand, the maximum contribution can be as high as 100% of the employee’s salary.

Advances from the General Provident Fund

Subscribers with at least 5 years of service can apply for an advance. Here are some of the GPF detection rules:

• You can get up to 12 months’ salary or three-fourths of your GPF balance, whichever is lower. In special cases, up to 90% can be withdrawn with approval.
• Advances are allowed for illness, higher education, and wedding expenses.
• You need approval for the GPF advance. The advance should be credited within 15 days, and there is no proof required for claim.
• Advances must be repaid in up to 60 months through instalments.
• No interest is charged on GPF advances. However, you can request multiple advances during your career.
• New advance requests can be made even if you are currently repaying an existing one.
• Outstanding amounts from previous advances are added to new ones, with instalments adjusted accordingly.

Advances from the fund are permissible for the following reasons:

1. Treatment expenses for the illness and travel-related costs of the government servant’s family during the illness.
2. Pursuing higher education outside of India.
3. Higher education within India with a minimum duration of three years.
4. Expenses related to marriage, funerals, or other ceremonies.
5. Legal expenditures.
6. Acquisition of items such as TV, washing machine, cooking range, geyser, computer, etc.
7. Pilgrimage.

It’s important to note that these advances are subject to specific conditions and guidelines outlined in the GPF rules and regulations.  

GPF Withdrawal Rules in India

GPF Withdrawal Rules – Maturity and Process 2024

Withdrawals from the General Provident Fund (GPF) become permissible under the following conditions:

1. After working for ten years. These include any breaks in service, or before reaching the superannuation retirement age, whichever happens first.
2. You can withdraw the amount equivalent to twelve months’ pay or three-fourths of the credited amount, whichever is lower. In cases of illness, a withdrawal of up to 90% of the credited amount is permissible.
3. The limit can be extended to 90% of the GPF balance. However, it should be approved by the sanctioning authority.
4. Resignation allows immediate withdrawal of the full GPF balance, regardless of service length.
5. After maturity, you can either withdraw the total balance or opt for a monthly pension. 
6. In the event of your death, the GPF balance is paid to the nominee or legal heir. 

How is GPF different from EPF? 

GPF full form is General Provident fund whereas EPF stands for Employee Provident Fund.

1. Who Can Join:
   • GPF is for government employees.
   • EPF is for employees in companies with more than 20 workers.
2. Interest Rates:
   • GPF interest rate is 7.1%.
   • EPF interest rate is 8.15%.
3. Contributions:
   • GPF minimum contributors is 6% of their basic pay.
   • EPF contributors must give 10% or 12% of their basic pay.
4. Tax Benefits:
   • Both GPF and EPF contributions get tax benefits under Section 80C.
5. Management:
   • GPF is managed by the Department of Pension and Pensioner’s Welfare.
   • The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation manages EPF.

Difference between GPF, EPF, and PPF

Basis	GPF	EPF	PPF
Meaning	A savings-cum retirement scheme for government employees.	A savings-cum retirement scheme for employees in the organised sector.	A savings scheme for anyone willing to lock in vest for long term.
Eligibility	Only government employees.	Employees in companies with more than 20 workers.	All resident Indians.
Interest Rate	7.1% per annum, revised quarterly by the government.	8.25% per annum, decided by the EPFO.	7.1% (Q2 of FY 2024-25).
Maturity Period	Age of retirement.	Age of 58 years.	15-year term.
Premature Closure	On leaving government service.	On 2 months of unemployment.	After 5 years on medical grounds and children’s higher education.
Tax Benefits	Exempt from income tax under Section 80C.	Exempt from income tax under Section 80C.	Exempt from income tax under Section 80C.
Management	Department of Pension and Pensioner’s Welfare.	Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation.	Post offices and banks.

FAQs| General Provident Fund

Source- TheEconomicTimes

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