PPF Calculator

Build tax-free wealth with
precision

Calculate your Public Provident Fund maturity amount, interest earned, and see the magic of compounding.

Total Maturity Value

₹0

100% Tax-Free (EEE)

Total Invested

₹0

Over 15 Years

Total Interest

₹0

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📈 Investment Details

Yearly Investment (₹)

₹500 (Min)₹1.5L (Max)

Interest Rate (% p.a.)

6%9%

Duration (15Yrs + 5Yr Blocks)

15 yrs50 yrs

🍩 Breakdown

Invested —

Interest —

Maturity Value

—

📈 Growth Chart

Invested Amount Tax-Free Interest

📅 Year-by-Year Schedule

Year	Opening Bal.	Deposited	Interest Earned	Closing Bal.

⚡ PPF Strategies

🛡️

Max Tax Saver

₹1.5L/yr · 15 Yrs

💰

Crorepati Plan

₹1.5L/yr · 25 Yrs

🌱

Modest Start

₹5K/mo · 15 Yrs

🎓

Child's Future

₹1L/yr · 20 Yrs

Calculators

SIP EMI Home Loan Car Loan Personal Loan NPS PPF PF Retirement Salary Eligibility

PPF Pro Tips

Deposit Timing

Invest before the 5th of the month to earn interest for that month.

EEE Tax Status

Exempt on Investment, Interest, and Maturity!

Extensions

Extend in blocks of 5 years to see insane compounding ✓

How it works

How PPF builds tax-free wealth

A government-backed, zero-risk account that gives you guaranteed returns, a tax deduction every year, and a completely tax-free corpus at maturity. No other instrument in India offers all three.

Open your PPF account

Open at any post office, SBI branch, or major nationalised bank. Also available fully online through banks like SBI, PNB, BOB, and HDFC. Minimum ₹500/year to keep active.

Deposit before the 5th each month

Interest is calculated on the lowest balance between the 5th and end of the month. Depositing before the 5th ensures you earn interest for the entire month — a critical rule most investors miss.

Let EEE compounding work

Interest is compounded annually and added to your principal every March 31st. Since the interest is tax-free and reinvested, every rupee of interest earns more interest — tax-free — year after year.

India's only EEE instrument

Triple tax-free:
the unmatched advantage of PPF

PPF is one of the very few investments in India that enjoys EEE — Exempt at investment, Exempt on interest, Exempt at maturity. No other government-backed instrument matches this across all three stages.

₹46,800

Maximum annual tax saving for a 30% tax bracket investor who invests the full ₹1.5L per year in PPF under the old tax regime (includes 4% health & education cess).

Exempt — Investment Section 80C

Up to ₹1.5 Lakh invested per year is fully deductible from taxable income under Section 80C. A 30% slab investor saves ₹46,800 annually just from this deduction — before even counting tax-free interest.

Exempt — Interest earned

Every rupee of interest your PPF earns each year is completely free from income tax — unlike FD interest (taxed as income) or debt fund gains. The current rate of 7.1% p.a. is effectively higher for taxpayers since there's zero tax drag on returns.

Exempt — Maturity amount

When your PPF matures (after 15 years or extended blocks), the entire corpus — principal plus all accumulated interest — is withdrawn tax-free. No Capital Gains Tax. No TDS. Zero taxation at any point on the way out.

The rule most people miss

The 5th of the month rule — worth thousands

PPF interest is calculated on the lowest balance between the close of the 5th day and end of each month. This one rule — buried in the fine print — can cost you a full month's interest if you deposit after the 5th.

If you deposit ₹1.5L on April 10th instead of April 4th, you lose interest on ₹1.5L for the entire month of April. At 7.1% p.a., that's approximately ₹888 lost in a single month — just from poor deposit timing.

Over a 15-year period, consistent late deposits (after the 5th each month) can reduce your final corpus by ₹15,000–₹20,000 compared to early deposits. This is one of the most impactful — and most overlooked — PPF optimizations.

Impact of deposit timing

Deposit ₹1.5L before 5th April

12 months interest ✓

Deposit ₹1.5L on 6th April

11 months interest ✗

Interest lost per late year

≈ ₹888 @ 7.1%

Total loss over 15 years

₹13,000–₹20,000+

April — optimal deposit window

Deposit here — earn full month's interest

5th — last day to deposit for full month interest

Deposit here — lose that month's interest

Pro tip: Set a bank standing instruction to auto-transfer your PPF deposit on April 1st every year. This ensures you never miss the window and earn maximum interest for the entire financial year.

Comparison

PPF vs other tax-saving instruments

How does PPF stack up against ELSS, NPS, NSC, and tax-saver FDs? Here's an honest, complete comparison.

Instrument	Returns	Lock-in	Risk	Tax on returns	Loan facility
PPF 🏆	7.1% fixed	15 years	Zero	Fully exempt (EEE)	Yes (yr 3–6)
ELSS (Mutual Fund)	12–15% (market)	3 years	Market risk	10% LTCG above ₹1L	No
NPS (Tier 1)	9–12% (market)	Till retirement	Low-moderate	Partially taxable	Limited
Tax-saver FD	6.5–7.5% fixed	5 years	Zero	Taxable as income	No
NSC	7.7% fixed	5 years	Zero	Taxable as income	Yes (collateral)
Sukanya Samriddhi	8.2% fixed	21 years	Zero	Fully exempt (EEE)	No

Is PPF right for you?

Who benefits most from PPF?

Risk-averse investors

If capital preservation is your priority, PPF is unmatched. Government-backed, zero default risk, and fully insulated from market volatility — your principal and returns are completely safe.

Self-employed & business owners

Unlike salaried employees who have EPF as a guaranteed long-term savings vehicle, self-employed individuals have no mandatory retirement savings. PPF fills this gap perfectly — with the same government backing and tax benefits.

High tax bracket investors

The EEE benefit is most powerful for people in the 20–30% tax bracket. A 30% slab investor earns an effective pre-tax equivalent yield of ~10.7% on PPF at 7.1% — better than most fixed income instruments after tax.

Parents planning for children

You can open a PPF account in a minor child's name (managed by guardian) to build a tax-free education or marriage corpus over 15–20 years. A ₹50,000/year SIP from birth gives your child a tax-free ₹25L+ corpus at age 15.

Where real wealth is built

The 15+5+5 extension — PPF's secret superpower

Most investors withdraw at 15 years. The ones who extend and stay invested in blocks of 5 years see an exponential acceleration that is hard to replicate anywhere else.

Two ways to extend

Extension with contribution

Recommended

Continue depositing up to ₹1.5L per year while your existing corpus keeps growing. You get the benefit of new tax deductions AND the compounding on the growing balance.

Continue 80C deduction on new deposits

Full interest on old corpus + new deposits

Can make partial withdrawals once per year

Must notify bank within 1 year of maturity

Extension without contribution

Passive growth

Stop making new deposits but let your existing corpus sit and earn 7.1% tax-free interest. A ₹40L corpus earns ₹2.84L per year — completely tax-free — with zero new money going in.

No obligation to deposit anything

Full interest on existing corpus

One full withdrawal per year allowed

No new 80C deduction on this amount

₹1.5L/year · 7.1% interest — stay invested and watch it compound

Year 0 — Start

₹0

Open your PPF account. First deposit of ₹1.5L. Claim ₹46,800 in tax savings.

Year 15 — Maturity

₹40.7L

Total invested: ₹22.5L. Tax-free interest earned: ₹18.2L. Most investors stop here — but the best is yet to come.

Year 20 — First extension

₹66.6L

Five more years of ₹1.5L deposits + interest on ₹40.7L base. Corpus grows by ₹25.9L — nearly as much as in the first 15 years combined.

Year 25 — Second extension

₹1.03 Crore 🎯

Total invested over 25 years: ₹37.5L. You crossed ₹1 Crore — entirely tax-free — with just ₹12,500/month. This is the PPF Crorepati plan.

ℹ️ Assumes 7.1% p.a. throughout. Actual rate is reviewed quarterly by the government and may change. All figures are illustrative.

Key rules

Withdrawal, loan & account revival rules

PPF has specific rules around liquidity — understanding them helps you plan around the lock-in without surprises.

Partial withdrawal

Partial withdrawals are allowed from the 7th financial year onwards (i.e., from year 6 of deposit, in year 7). You can withdraw up to 50% of the balance at the end of the 4th year preceding the year of withdrawal, or the balance at the end of the preceding year — whichever is lower. Only one partial withdrawal is allowed per financial year.

Available from Year 7

Loan against PPF

You can take a loan against your PPF balance between the 3rd and 6th financial year of account opening. The loan amount can be up to 25% of the balance at the end of the 2nd preceding year. The interest rate on this loan is just 1% above the prevailing PPF rate (currently 8.1% p.a.) — far cheaper than personal loans. The loan must be repaid within 36 months.

Available Year 3 to Year 6

Account revival & premature closure

If you miss the minimum ₹500 deposit in any financial year, your account becomes inactive (discontinued). To revive it, pay ₹50 penalty per missed year + ₹500 minimum deposit per missed year. Premature closure (before 15 years) is allowed only in exceptional cases — serious illness, higher education, change of residency — with a 1% penalty on interest earned.

Revival: ₹50/yr penalty

7.1%

Current PPF interest rate p.a. — reviewed quarterly by the Government of India

EEE

Triple exemption — the only government-backed instrument with fully tax-free returns at all three stages

₹1.5L

Maximum annual PPF deposit eligible for 80C deduction — saving up to ₹46,800 in taxes per year

25+yr

At ₹1.5L/year, 25 years of PPF with extensions builds a ₹1 Crore+ entirely tax-free corpus

Maximise your PPF

4 strategies to get the most from your PPF

Deposit between April 1–5 every year

The single highest-impact PPF optimization. Depositing the full ₹1.5L before the 5th of April ensures you earn 12 full months of interest on the entire amount. Set a standing instruction on April 1st and never miss it.

Never withdraw at 15 years — extend

The biggest PPF mistake: withdrawing at maturity out of habit. The corpus at Year 15 earns more interest in the next 5 years (extension) than you deposited in the first 5 years. Extend in 5-year blocks unless you truly need the money.

Open a PPF for your minor child

A guardian can open a PPF in a child's name. However, the combined limit across your own PPF and the child's PPF is ₹1.5L per financial year. This is best used for building a dedicated education corpus over 15–20 years — which matures around the time they need it most.

Use PPF as the debt component of your portfolio

In a balanced portfolio, PPF serves as the "safe debt" component — replacing FDs, debt funds, or bonds that have tax drag. Pair PPF (guaranteed, tax-free debt) with equity mutual fund SIPs (growth, market-linked) to build a complete, tax-efficient portfolio.

Getting started

How to open a PPF account

Opening a PPF account today takes less than 15 minutes online — and locks in your tax-free compounding journey for decades.

Through a bank (online or branch)

SBI, PNB, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, HDFC, ICICI, and Axis Bank all offer PPF accounts — many with full online opening via net banking or their mobile app. SBI's YONO app and HDFC NetBanking are the most widely used digital options.

Through a Post Office

Any India Post branch offers PPF accounts. Ideal for those without access to major bank branches. The account can later be transferred to a bank for better digital access.

Online — fastest method

If you have a net banking or mobile banking account at SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis, or PNB, you can open a PPF account entirely online in minutes — no physical form, no branch visit required. Deposits can be made instantly via NEFT/UPI.

Transfer your existing PPF account

If you have an old post office PPF account and want better digital access, you can transfer it to any authorized bank. Submit Form SB-10(b) at your post office and the receiving bank will process the transfer without any penalty or loss of lock-in tenure.

Documents required

Identity & address proof (any one each)

PAN Card (mandatory)

Aadhaar Card

Passport / Voter ID / Driving licence

Utility bill for address (if different)

For minor's PPF account

Child's birth certificate

Guardian's KYC documents (same as above)

Declaration of guardianship

Eligibility: Any Indian resident individual can open a PPF account. NRIs cannot open new PPF accounts (those opened before becoming NRI can continue till maturity). HUFs are no longer eligible to open new PPF accounts as of 2005. One account per individual — holding multiple PPF accounts is not permitted and additional accounts earn no interest.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about PPF — rules, limits, and common edge cases.

Can I invest more than ₹1.5L in PPF?

Yes, but only up to ₹1.5L qualifies for the Section 80C tax deduction. Any amount deposited beyond ₹1.5L in a financial year earns no interest and is returned without any tax benefit. The effective maximum is ₹1.5L per year. This limit applies to the combined deposits across your own PPF and any minor child's PPF account you manage as guardian.

Is PPF available under the new tax regime?

The Section 80C deduction (which includes PPF) is available only under the old tax regime. If you've opted for the new tax regime, you cannot claim 80C deductions — which means the tax-saving benefit of PPF investment disappears. However, the interest and maturity exemption still applies regardless of regime. Evaluate both regimes with a tax calculator before deciding.

What happens to my PPF if I become an NRI?

NRIs cannot open a new PPF account. If you had a PPF account as a resident Indian and subsequently become an NRI, you can continue the account till its original maturity (15 years from opening date) — but you cannot extend it beyond maturity. The account earns the prevailing PPF interest rate until maturity, after which the balance must be withdrawn.

Can I have two PPF accounts?

No. An individual is permitted to hold only one PPF account. If a second account is inadvertently opened, it will be treated as irregular and will earn no interest. It will not be merged with the primary account and the excess deposits will be returned without any benefit. A minor child's PPF account (opened by a parent as guardian) is separate — but the combined yearly deposit limit across both accounts is still ₹1.5L.

How is the PPF interest rate decided?

The Government of India sets the PPF interest rate quarterly, based on government bond yields plus a spread. The rate has historically ranged from 7.1% (current) to 12% (early 2000s). While the rate is not guaranteed to stay the same, it is reviewed and announced quarterly — giving investors advance notice. Historically, the government has kept rates stable for extended periods rather than changing them every quarter.

What is the nominee and succession process for PPF?

You can nominate one or more individuals when opening a PPF account or at any time during the account's life by submitting Form E. In the event of the account holder's death, the nominee can claim the balance (along with accrued interest) without going through probate. If no nominee is designated, the legal heir must produce a succession certificate — which can be a lengthy legal process. Always add a nominee at account opening.

Start your PPF journey — the earlier, the better

Every year you delay costs you a year of tax-free compounding that can never be recovered. Use the calculator above to see your maturity amount — then open your account today.

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