Though it keeps a low profile, the Employees' Provident Fund is one of the most effective ways to save for retirement. Find out how you can gain big from it. The Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) managed by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) ensures that an individual puts away enough for retirement every month. With 12% of his basic salary and a matching contribution by his employer, a subscriber to the EPF should be able to accumulate a decent amount by the time he retires. If someone started working at the age of 25 in April 2000 at a basic salary of Rs 20,000 a month and got a raise of 10% every year, he would roughly have accumulated Rs 32 lakh in his PF account by now. If the trend continues, he would have saved about Rs 2.46 crore by the time he is 55 years old (see graphic) and more than Rs 3.5 crore of tax-free money on retirement at 58.

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