Skip to main content

PF Interest Rate and NPS Returns

Invest NPS  Online
 
MOST NPS INVESTORS EARNED double-digit returns in the past 3-5 years; central and state govt employees covered by the scheme earned between 9.3% and 10.15%
 
If the 5 basis point hike in interest rate of the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) made subscribers smile, those covered by the New Pension System (NPS) must be laughing. Most NPS investors earned double-digit returns in the past 3-5 years. Central and state government employees covered by the scheme earned between 9.3% and 10.15% during this period.

The performance of individual schemes is not very helpful because NPS investors put money in a combination of funds. Therefore, Economic Times studied the blended returns of four different combinations of the equity , corporate debt and gilt funds. Ultra-safe investors are assumed to have put 60% in gilt funds, 40% in corporate bond funds and nothing in equity funds. A conservative investor would put 20% in stocks, 30% in corporate bonds and 50% in gilts. A balanced allocation would put 33.3% in each of the three classes of funds while an aggressive investor would invest the maximum 50% in the equity fund, 30% in corporate bonds and 20% in gilts. The table shows the average blended returns of the seven pension funds.

 

Admittedly , the short-term picture of the NPS is not very encouraging because of the negative returns from stocks in the past one year. Aggressive investors have earned less than 3% and balanced investors made only 4.93%, though ultra-safe investors who stayed away from stocks got 8.89%.

But the long-term picture is different. On average, gilt funds have given 9.75% annualised returns while corporate debt funds have churned out more than 11% in the past five years. As a result, the average return for ultra-safe investors in the past five years is in double digits. The average NPS fund has given 100-125 basis points more than what the retirement savings of the estimated 3.7 crore EPF subscribers have earned during this period. Even a 100 basis point higher return can make large impact on the corpus in the long term.

Will the good times continue for gilt funds and corporate bond funds?


Experts say this trend will not stay forever. NPS is a long-term investment and the bonds are predominantly held to maturity . Over a longer period, the portfolios will deliver returns similar to the yield-to-maturity of the bonds in the portfolios. The average yield-to-maturity of the bonds is roughly 8.4%, which is higher than the PPF rate but lower than what the EPF offers.

Should you switch from EPF to NPS?

This raises the critical question: should you switch from EPF to the pension scheme? The proposal to switch from EPF to NPS was announced in last year's budget and this year's budget extended a onetime tax exemption to such a shift.A le gislation to amend the Employees' Provident Fund & Miscellaneous Provisions Act has already been framed and is lying with the Law Ministry . The amendment allows EPF subscribers to make a one-time switch to the NPS. Once he shifts to NPS, the employee will have a one-time chance to return to the EPF fold.

But experts believe it may not be a wise move to shift your retirement savings to the NPS because of the difference in tax treatment. While the EPF corpus is completely tax free, this year's budget has proposed to make 40% of the NPS tax free. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) chairman Hemant Contractor says there should be tax parity in all retirement products. Why would anybody want to shift his money from the fully tax-free EPF to the NPS where only 40% of the corpus will escape tax? If there is parity in the tax treatment, a lot of subscribers would shift from EPF to NPS," .

For investors, the tax benefits are an important consideration. The new tax deduction offered on the NPS attracted investors in a big way in 2014-15, with almost 1.2 lakh new voluntary accounts opened during the year. Within nine months, the assets under management of funds for the private sector shot up more than three-fold from Rs 6,361 crore in April 2015 to touch Rs 20,261 crore by December 31, 2015.

Financial advisors see another problem in the NPS. At least 40% of the maturity corpus has to be put in an annuity to earn a monthly pension. Annuity rates in India are very low compared to what other options can offer. The Senior Citizens' Saving Scheme, for instance, gives 8.6% returns compared to 6.75% offered by annuities that return the principal after death. The PFRDA wants that the investor should be allowed to look beyond annuities.

-----------------------------------------------
Invest Rs 1,50,000 and Save Tax under Section 80C. Get Great Returns by Investing in Best Performing ELSS Mutual Funds

Top 10 Tax Saver Mutual Funds to invest in India for 2016

Best 10 ELSS Mutual Funds in india for 2016

1. BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund

2. Axis Tax Saver Fund

3. Franklin India TaxShield

4. ICICI Prudential Long Term Equity Fund

5. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund

6. Birla Sun Life Tax Relief 96

7. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund

8. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund

9. Religare Tax Plan

10. Birla Sun Life Tax Plan

Invest in Best Performing 2016 Tax Saver Mutual Funds Online

Invest Online

Download Application Forms

For further information contact Prajna Capital on 94 8300 8300 by leaving a missed call

---------------------------------------------

Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them

OR

You can write to us at

PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot] Com

OR

Leave a missed Call on 94 8300 8300

-----------------------------------------------

Popular posts from this blog

What is Electronic Clearing Service (ECS)?

  As the name suggests, it's an electronic process through which money can be transferred from one bank account to another. According to RBI, this mode is usually used for regular payments and receipts, like distribution of dividend, interest, salary, pension etc. This mode is also used for collection of bills for telephone, electricity, water, various types of taxes, payment of EMIs , investments in mutual funds , payment of insurance premium etc. There are two types of ECS , like most other banking transactions, ECS credit and ECS debit. An ECS credit is used by a bank account holder , usually a large company or an institution for services like payment of dividend, in terest, salary, pension etc. If your mutual fund pays you dividend to your bank account, of all probability it is being paid through ECS credit.ECS debit, on the other hand, is used when a company or an institution is getting money from a large number of people. For example if you are investing in a mutual fund sc...

WEALTH TAX

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online Buy Gold Mutual Funds Leave a missed Call on 94 8300 8300 WEALTH TAX   WHAT CONSTITUTES WEALTH? For wealth tax purposes, "wealth" means property , urban land, car, jewellery , yacht, boat, aircraft and cash in hand in excess of Rs 50,000. CAUTION POINT | Do not think you will have an easy escape from wealth tax by transferring your `wealth' without consideration to your spouse or minor child. Such assets will also be considered as your wealth. HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR TAXABLE WEALTH Add the taxable value of the above assets (computed as per the detailed rules for valuation) owned by you as on March 31 (for FY 2014-15, it will be March 31, 2015). In case you sold your car during the year, it will not be taxable wealth. Deduct loans if any obtained by you to acquire any of the taxable assets from the value of gross tax out for at least 300 days in a...

Equity Savings Fund

Invest Equity Savings Fund Online   The best part about these funds is that they are subject to equity fund taxation and at the same time are structured like MIP like funds . This new category, equity savings funds , offer a little of everything. They allocate money to equities & equity related instruments, and fixed income. They aim to generate returns by diversification. Such funds invest in fixed income and arbitrage to protect the investors from short term volatility and equity for capital gains. The best part of these funds is that they are subject to equity fund taxation and at the same time are structured like MIP funds.   MIP funds however are subject to debt fund taxation. Investors Equity savings funds are suitable for the following: First time investors who seek partial exposure to equity with less volatility and greater stability Investors seeking moderate capital appreciation with relatively lower risk Those wh...

How to Pick Top Performing Mutual Fund Schemes

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online Buy Gold Mutual Funds Leave a missed Call on 94 8300 8300   How to Pick Performing Schemes  Funds that continue to stay in the top grade of performance over longer periods are the ones to bet on, advise investment experts   The mutual fund performance charts of the past few months make for an impressive reading. Funds across all categories boast of stellar returns. Sample this: The mid and small cap category has averaged 77 percent return over the past 12 months, with the best fund delivering a staggering 120 percent. The tax-saving funds also average an impressive 51 percent, including a fund which has soared 92 percent. Many of the table-toppers are funds of proven quality and track record. However, there are also schemes that are not that well-known. Some of these have rarely made it to the performance charts in the past, yet, of late, they bo...

8% Government of India Bonds quick guide

For those seeking comfort in safety of returns, the Government of India issued 8% savings bond once again comes to the fore. First launched in 2003, these bonds are issued by the government with a maturity of 6 years. The bonds are available at all times with specified distributors through whom you can apply to invest in them. Here is a quick guide to what the bond offers and its features to ascertain to check for suitability. What are Government of India bonds Government of India bonds are like any other government bonds with specified rate of interest. The rate is fixed at 8% per annum paid half yearly, or you can opt for cumulative payment of interest at the end of the tenure. You can buy these bonds from State Bank of India and its associates, other nationalized banks and some private sector banks such as HDFC Bank Ltd and ICICI Bank Ltd, among others. The bonds can be bought from the offices of Stock Holding Corporation of India as well. They are available in physical form onl...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now