Calculate your Public Provident Fund maturity amount with year-by-year breakdown. Current PPF interest rate: 7.1% per annum (Q1 2026).
| Year | Opening Balance | Contribution | Interest | Closing Balance |
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Open PPF account instantly via SBI YONO, HDFC NetBanking, or India Post. Start with just ₹500/year.
The PPF interest rate for Q1 2026 (January-March 2026) is 7.1% per annum, compounded annually. The government reviews and announces PPF rates quarterly. The rate has remained stable at 7.1% since April 2020. Interest is calculated on the minimum balance between the 5th and last day of each month, so always deposit before the 5th of the month to maximize interest for that month.
The maximum annual PPF contribution is ₹1,50,000 per account. The minimum is ₹500 per year. You can make contributions in a maximum of 12 installments per year. Contributions qualify for Section 80C tax deduction up to ₹1.5L. PPF has EEE (Exempt-Exempt-Exempt) tax status — contributions are tax-deductible, interest earned is tax-free, and maturity amount is completely tax-free.
Yes. After the initial 15-year lock-in, you can extend PPF in blocks of 5 years indefinitely. You have two options: extend with contributions (continue depositing and earning interest) or extend without contributions (existing balance earns 7.1% but no new deposits). Extension must be applied for within one year of maturity. Each 5-year extension allows partial withdrawals of up to 60% of the balance at the start of that extension period.
Loan against PPF: Available from 3rd to 6th year at 1% above PPF interest rate (currently 8.1%). Loan amount is up to 25% of balance at end of 2nd preceding year. Partial withdrawal: Allowed from 7th year onwards — up to 50% of balance at end of 4th preceding year or end of preceding year, whichever is lower. Full premature withdrawal before 15 years is not allowed except in cases of serious illness or higher education.
PPF offers guaranteed 7.1% tax-free returns — effectively ~10.1% pre-tax equivalent at 30% tax bracket. Bank FDs offer 7-7.5% but interest is fully taxable. Equity mutual funds historically give 12-15% but with market risk. PPF is ideal for risk-averse investors who want guaranteed, inflation-beating, tax-free returns for long-term goals. For higher returns with some risk tolerance, a combination of PPF + equity mutual funds works best.