PPF Calculator
See what a Public Provident Fund account grows to over its 15-year term, and what each five-year extension adds.
Fifteen years of tax-free compounding
Enter what you plan to deposit each financial year and when you pay it in — PPF credits interest on the lowest balance of each month, so timing genuinely changes the answer.
Understanding the Public Provident Fund
How interest is really credited
PPF interest is calculated each month on the lowest balance between the 5th and the last day of that month, then credited as a single lump sum on 31 March. A deposit reaching the account on 6 April therefore earns nothing for April. Because the credit happens only once a year, money added mid-year does not compound until the next financial year begins.
The term and how it is counted
- The 15 years run from the end of the financial year in which the account was opened, so the real span is 15 years plus the part year of opening
- At maturity you may withdraw everything, or extend
- Extensions come in five-year blocks only
- To keep depositing during an extension, submit Form H within one year of maturity
- Miss that window and the account is extended without contributions — it keeps earning interest, but fresh deposits are not allowed
Getting at the money early
- Loan: available from the third to the sixth financial year, up to 25% of the balance two years earlier
- Partial withdrawal: from the seventh year, once a year, capped at 50% of the balance at the end of the fourth preceding year
- Premature closure: allowed after five years for serious illness, higher education or a change of residence status, at a 1% interest penalty on the whole account
Why the EEE status matters
Exempt-exempt-exempt means the deposit qualifies for a Section 80C deduction in the old tax regime, the annual interest is exempt, and the maturity proceeds are exempt. Very few Indian products give all three. The new tax regime drops the 80C deduction, so a taxpayer there gets no relief on the way in — but the interest and maturity value stay untaxed, which is still worth more than a fixed deposit paying the same headline rate.