Public Provident Fund · 7.1% (Jul–Sep 2026 quarter)

PPF calculator — year by year

Deposit up to ₹1.5 lakh a year, lock it for 15 years, and the government pays a guaranteed, tax-free 7.1%. Enter your yearly deposit and see exactly what comes back.

The rules this calculator applies

• Rate: 7.1% per annum, compounded yearly — set by the Finance Ministry every quarter; unchanged for nine consecutive quarters through July–September 2026.
• Limits: minimum ₹500 and maximum ₹1,50,000 per financial year. Deposits made by the 5th of a month earn that month's interest — the calculator assumes deposits at the start of each year (the best case).
• Tenure: 15 years from the end of the year of opening; extendable in 5-year blocks, with or without fresh deposits.
• Tax — the EEE status: deposit deductible under 80C (old regime only), interest tax-free, maturity tax-free. In the new regime the 80C deduction is gone, but interest and maturity remain tax-free — which still beats a taxable FD for many people.
• Loans and withdrawals: a loan from year 3, partial withdrawals from year 7.

Worked example

₹1,50,000 every year for 15 years at 7.1%: you deposit ₹22,50,000 and receive about ₹40,68,000 — roughly ₹18,18,000 of tax-free interest. Extend to 25 years and the same habit ends near ₹1.03 crore: compounding does most of its work in the last ten years.

Edge cases to know

• The rate can change every quarter — projections assume 7.1% throughout. Historically it has moved between 7.1% and 8.7% in the last decade.
• Deposit timing matters: money in after the 5th earns nothing that month; a lump sum in April beats twelve monthly instalments.
• Minor's account: the ₹1.5L cap is combined across your own and your minor child's PPF accounts.
• Freelancers: PPF is often the only long-term retirement product you fund yourself — and it is fully protected from attachment by court decree.

Related tools

• Old vs new regime comparator — does the 80C deduction change your regime choice?
• Sukanya Samriddhi calculator — the 8.2% scheme for a daughter.
• EPF calculator — for salaried readers.

Last verified: 18 September 2026 — 7.1% rate for the July–September 2026 quarter cross-checked (Finance Ministry announcement of 30 June 2026 via three reports); scheme rules per the PPF Scheme 2019 · Projections, not guarantees; not investment advice.