PPF calculator — 15 years of tax-free compounding.
Public Provident Fund is the gold standard for risk-free Indian tax-saving. 15-year lock-in, 7.1% compounded annually (Q4 FY26), ₹500–₹1.5L per year, entirely tax-free under EEE — exempt at deposit (80C), exempt on interest accrual, exempt at withdrawal.
Your PPF
Current rate (Q4 FY26): 7.1%. PPF rate is reset quarterly by Min of Finance — usually tracks 10Y G-Sec with a small spread.
Year-by-year growth
| Year | Deposited | Interest | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ₹1.50 L | ₹10,650 | ₹1.61 L |
| 2 | ₹1.50 L | ₹22,056 | ₹3.33 L |
| 3 | ₹1.50 L | ₹34,272 | ₹5.17 L |
| 4 | ₹1.50 L | ₹47,355 | ₹7.14 L |
| 5 | ₹1.50 L | ₹61,368 | ₹9.26 L |
| 6 | ₹1.50 L | ₹76,375 | ₹11.52 L |
| 7 | ₹1.50 L | ₹92,447 | ₹13.95 L |
| 8 | ₹1.50 L | ₹1.10 L | ₹16.54 L |
| 9 | ₹1.50 L | ₹1.28 L | ₹19.32 L |
| 10 | ₹1.50 L | ₹1.48 L | ₹22.30 L |
| 11 | ₹1.50 L | ₹1.69 L | ₹25.49 L |
| 12 | ₹1.50 L | ₹1.92 L | ₹28.91 L |
| 13 | ₹1.50 L | ₹2.16 L | ₹32.57 L |
| 14 | ₹1.50 L | ₹2.42 L | ₹36.49 L |
| 15 | ₹1.50 L | ₹2.70 L | ₹40.68 L |
The PPF rules
- • Minimum ₹500/year. No deposit → account inactive, ₹50 penalty to reactivate.
- • Maximum ₹1,50,000/year across all PPF accounts you hold. This is also the 80C cap — so ₹1.5L PPF = full 80C used up.
- • 15-year lock-in, extendable in 5-year blocks indefinitely.
- • Partial withdrawal allowed from year 7 (50% of 4-year-prior balance).
- • Interest credited on the lowest balance between the 5th and last day of the month. Deposit by the 5th of any month to earn full-month interest.
- • Loan facility from year 3 to year 6 — up to 25% of 2-year-prior balance at 1% spread over PPF rate.
- • Joint account not allowed. One per person. Parents can open for minors, combined with own 80C cap.
PPF vs ELSS vs NPS — which 80C to pick
- PPF — 7.1%, 15-yr lock-in, EEE. For conservative savers who want certainty + zero tax.
- ELSS — ~15-20% expected, 3-yr lock-in, 12.5% LTCG on gains above ₹1.25L. Best for long-horizon young investors.
- NPS — 10-11%, retirement-only, 60% tax-free exit + 40% taxable pension. Best with employer match.
- Tax-saver FD — 6.5-7.5%, 5-yr lock-in, interest fully taxable. Usually dominated by PPF.
Reminder: 80C only exists under the OLD tax regime. Under the new regime (FY26 default), PPF still compounds tax-free but you don't get the upfront deduction.
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Research tool · not investment advice.
Axel Markets is an information + analytics product. We are not a SEBI-registered Research Analyst (RA) or Investment Adviser (IA). Nothing on this page is a buy, sell, or hold recommendation. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Verify all data against the authoritative source (NSE, BSE, AMFI, SEBI, company RHP / factsheet) before acting. PPF rate is revised quarterly by Ministry of Finance. Q4 FY26 rate is 7.1%. Historical rates have ranged 7.1% – 8.7% since 2016. Use current rate for fresh calculations.