An electric power steering apparatus that calculates a current command value (Iref) based on a steering torque and a vehicle speed, drives a motor based on said current command value, and performs assist control of a steering system by drive-control of said motor, comprising: a steering wheel return control section that calculates a steering wheel return control current by a steering angle (θ), said steering torque, said vehicle speed and a steering angle velocity (ω), and drives said motor by a compensation current command value (Irefn) made by adding said steering wheel return control current to said current command value, characterised in that said steering wheel return control section comprises an angular acceleration calculating that calculates an angular acceleration (α) corresponding to said steering angle, said vehicle speed and said steering torque, a correcting section (121, 103, 102, 101, 112, 111) that corrects a double integral value of said angular acceleration by a square of an angle velocity corresponding to said steering torque, a target steering angle velocity setting section that sets a target steering angle velocity ( ω 1) based on a square root of a correction value from said correcting section, a steering wheel return control gain calculating section that calculates a steering wheel return control gain by multiplying a deviation between said target steering angle velocity ( ω 1) and an actual steering angle velocity ( ω a) by a vehicle speed gain (k p) and a steering torque gain (Th), and a steering wheel return control current calculating section that performs at least one control calculation among a P-control calculation, an I-control calculation and a D-control calculation to said steering wheel return control gain, and calculates said steering wheel return control gain that is limited by means of said vehicle speed gain (Kp) and said steering torque gain (Th). a steering wheel return control section that calculates a steering wheel return control current by a steering angle (θ), said steering torque, said vehicle speed and a steering angle velocity (ω), and drives said motor by a compensation current command value (Irefn) made by adding said steering wheel return control current to said current command value, characterised in that said steering wheel return control section comprises an angular acceleration calculating that calculates an angular acceleration (α) corresponding to said steering angle, said vehicle speed and said steering torque, a correcting section (121, 103, 102, 101, 112, 111) that corrects a double integral value of said angular acceleration by a square of an angle velocity corresponding to said steering torque, a target steering angle velocity setting section that sets a target steering angle velocity ( ω 1) based on a square root of a correction value from said correcting section, a steering wheel return control gain calculating section that calculates a steering wheel return control gain by multiplying a deviation between said target steering angle velocity ( ω 1) and an actual steering angle velocity ( ω a) by a vehicle speed gain (k p) and a steering torque gain (Th), and a steering wheel return control current calculating section that performs at least one control calculation among a P-control calculation, an I-control calculation and a D-control calculation to said steering wheel return control gain, and calculates said steering wheel return control gain that is limited by means of said vehicle speed gain (Kp) and said steering torque gain (Th).