PPF Calculator.
Enter how much you will deposit each year, the interest rate and the number of years. We build the year-wise table of deposits, interest and closing balance and show the tax-free maturity amount. Runs entirely in your browser.
PPF interest is credited once a year on 31 March, calculated monthly on the lowest balance between the 5th and the last day of each month. Deposits made before the 5th earn interest for that month. The rate is 7.1% as of the current quarter; the government revises it quarterly.
What you'll get.
A real example of what this tool produces. Run it above with your own inputs.
The Public Provident Fund is the long-term savings account that almost every Indian family with a salaried or self-employed earner keeps: deposits qualify under Section 80C, the interest is tax-free, the maturity is tax-free, and the balance cannot be attached by a court order. For a freelancer or shop owner with no employer provident fund, it is the closest thing to a guaranteed retirement account, backed by the central government.
The catch is the time horizon. The account runs for 15 financial years from the end of the year you open it, and the money compounds slowly in the early years and fast in the later ones. This calculator shows exactly how. Enter the yearly deposit, the interest rate, currently 7.1 percent, and the number of years, and it builds a table of opening balance, deposit, interest and closing balance for every year, with the total deposited, the total interest and the maturity value.
You can model monthly deposits, which earn slightly less than a single April deposit because later instalments earn interest for fewer months, and you can extend beyond 15 years in five-year blocks to see what continuing the account does. The interest rate is set by the government every quarter, so revisit the figure when the rate changes.
How to use the ppf calculator
Enter the deposit per year, between Rs 500 and the Rs 1,50,000 annual limit. A monthly saver can enter the yearly total and pick monthly below.
Leave the interest rate at the current 7.1 percent or change it to test a different assumption.
Set the number of years: 15 for the standard term, or 20, 25 or 30 to include five-year extensions with deposits.
Choose whether you deposit once a year in April or monthly before the 5th; the first earns a little more.
Click Calculate maturity and read the year-wise table to see when the compounding really kicks in.
Why this matters for your business
It is the self-employed person's EPF. A consultant, a shop owner or a doctor in private practice has no employer contribution; a full Rs 1.5 lakh a year in PPF builds about Rs 40 lakh in 15 years and about Rs 1 crore in 25, entirely tax-free.
Timing within the year matters. A deposit on 5 April earns a full year of interest; the same deposit on 31 March earns nothing for that year. Over 15 years that is worth several lakh.
The extension decision is the big one. The table makes it obvious that years 16 to 25 add more than years 1 to 15, which is why most advisers suggest extending rather than withdrawing at maturity.
Tips for better results
- Deposit before the 5th of the month, ideally the 5th of April, so the whole deposit earns interest for the month and the year.
- The Rs 1,50,000 limit is per person across all PPF accounts, including a minor child account you operate; excess deposits earn no interest and are refunded.
- A minimum of Rs 500 a year keeps the account active; a lapsed account can be revived with Rs 50 per year of default plus the Rs 500 minimum for each year.
- Partial withdrawals are allowed from the seventh financial year, up to 50 percent of the balance at the end of the fourth preceding year or the preceding year, whichever is lower.
- A loan is available between the third and sixth year at 1 percent above the PPF rate, up to 25 percent of the balance two years earlier.
- On maturity, submit Form H within a year to extend with deposits; if you do nothing, the account continues earning interest without further deposits and you can withdraw once a year.
Example
A real-world walkthrough
A freelance designer in Hyderabad, 30 years old, opens a PPF account and plans to deposit Rs 1,50,000 every April to use the full Section 80C limit under the old regime. She enters Rs 1,50,000, 7.1 percent, 15 years, deposit once a year.
The table shows Rs 10,650 of interest in the first year and Rs 2,69,000 in the fifteenth, with a closing balance of about Rs 40,68,209 on Rs 22,50,000 deposited. She changes the years to 25 and sees the balance cross Rs 1 crore, so she decides now that she will extend the account at maturity rather than withdraw, and sets a calendar reminder for Form H in the fifteenth year.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current PPF interest rate?
The PPF rate is 7.1 percent per annum, compounded yearly, and has been at that level since April 2020. The Ministry of Finance reviews small savings rates every quarter and can change the rate for the coming quarter, so the rate on your balance can change during the life of the account. Interest is calculated each month on the lowest balance between the 5th and the last day of the month and is credited once a year on 31 March. The calculator uses 7.1 percent by default; change it if a new rate has been announced or if you want to test a more conservative assumption for a long-term plan.
How is PPF interest calculated?
Each month the post office or bank takes the lowest balance in your account between the 5th and the last day of the month, applies one twelfth of the annual rate to it, and adds up the twelve monthly amounts to credit on 31 March. This is why a deposit made on or before the 5th counts for that month and a deposit on the 6th does not. A single deposit in early April earns interest for all twelve months; monthly deposits earn interest for twelve, eleven, ten and so on down to one month. The calculator models both patterns, so you can see that monthly deposits of the same yearly total end up a little lower, about Rs 36,000 less over 15 years on a Rs 1.5 lakh annual contribution.
What is the maximum and minimum PPF deposit per year?
The minimum is Rs 500 in a financial year and the maximum is Rs 1,50,000, in any number of instalments. The limit applies per individual across all accounts they hold, including an account opened for a minor child; a parent who deposits Rs 1 lakh in their own account and Rs 1 lakh in a child account has breached the limit, and the excess earns no interest and is returned without interest. The Rs 1,50,000 figure matches the Section 80C deduction limit, which is why many people deposit exactly that amount. Deposits can be made by cash, cheque, online transfer or standing instruction.
Is PPF maturity tax-free?
Yes. PPF has exempt-exempt-exempt status: the deposit is deductible under Section 80C up to Rs 1,50,000 if you are in the old tax regime, the yearly interest is exempt under Section 10(11), and the amount received on maturity or withdrawal is exempt from tax. There is no TDS on PPF. Under the new tax regime the 80C deduction is not available, but the interest and maturity remain tax-free, so the account still makes sense as a guaranteed, tax-free long-term instrument. The interest should still be shown as exempt income in your return for completeness.
What happens after 15 years, and how do extensions work?
The account matures after 15 complete financial years from the end of the year in which it was opened. You then have three choices. Withdraw the whole balance tax-free. Extend the account for a block of five years with further deposits by submitting Form H within one year of maturity, in which case you can make one withdrawal a year of up to 60 percent of the balance at the start of the block. Or do nothing, in which case the account is extended without deposits, continues to earn interest, and allows one withdrawal of any amount each year. Extensions can be repeated indefinitely in five-year blocks. The calculator treats any number of years above 15 as extension with deposits.
Can I withdraw money from PPF before 15 years?
Partially, from the seventh financial year onwards. One withdrawal a year is allowed, up to 50 percent of the balance at the end of the fourth year preceding the withdrawal year or at the end of the preceding year, whichever is lower. Before that, a loan is available from the third to the sixth year, up to 25 percent of the balance at the end of the second preceding year, repayable within 36 months at a rate 1 percent above the PPF rate. Premature closure of the whole account is allowed after five years only for treatment of a serious illness, higher education of the account holder or a dependent child, or a change in residency status, with a 1 percent reduction in the interest rate.
Is PPF better than a fixed deposit for a self-employed person?
For money you will not need for 15 years, PPF usually wins. The 7.1 percent rate is tax-free, which for someone in the 30 percent bracket is equivalent to a taxable FD at more than 10 percent, the deposit earns an 80C deduction under the old regime, and the balance is protected from creditors. A fixed deposit wins on liquidity: you can choose any tenure, break it with a small penalty, and take interest monthly. Most self-employed people use both, PPF for the retirement core and FDs for money needed within a few years. Use the FD calculator on this site to compare the after-tax figure for your bracket.
Does this calculator save anything or connect to my PPF account?
No. It is an estimate tool that runs in your browser; it does not connect to the post office, any bank or the NSDL system, and nothing you enter is stored. The year-wise table assumes the same deposit and rate every year, which is a simplification: the actual rate will move with quarterly revisions and your deposits may vary. Check the real balance in your passbook or net banking and rerun the calculator with the current figures when you want an updated projection.
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