PPF Calculator

What is PPF?

The Public Provident Fund is a government-backed savings scheme available at post offices and banks. It offers a guaranteed interest rate set by the government every quarter, a 15-year lock-in, and one of the most tax-efficient structures in India: deposits qualify for section 80C in the old regime, and both interest and maturity are tax-free (often called EEE status).

Key rules

• Minimum deposit ₹500 and maximum ₹1.5 lakh per financial year.
• Matures after 15 full financial years; can be extended in blocks of 5 years, with or without fresh deposits.
• Interest is calculated monthly on the lowest balance between the 5th and the end of the month, and credited once a year.
• Partial withdrawals are allowed from the 7th year, and loans against the balance in earlier years, subject to limits.
• Only one PPF account per person; accounts for minors are allowed with a guardian.

How this calculator works

It assumes you deposit the yearly amount at the start of each year, before 5 April, so the full amount earns interest for the year, and that the rate stays constant. ₹1.5 lakh a year for 15 years at 7.1% grows to about ₹40.7 lakh, of which ₹22.5 lakh is your contribution. The rate is stored in our admin config; the government revises it quarterly, so check the latest rate.

Tip: deposit early

Because interest depends on the balance after the 5th of each month, depositing before 5 April each year, or before the 5th of a month for monthly deposits, earns noticeably more over 15 years.

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For a girl child, Sukanya Samriddhi often offers a higher rate. For market-linked growth, see the SIP calculator. Estimates only; actual returns depend on future rates.

Quick answer

Can NRIs open a new PPF account? No, but existing accounts can usually continue until maturity.