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PPF Interest Calculator — Annual Interest Breakdown — FY 2026-27

See your year-by-year tax-free interest earnings on your PPF account at the current 7.1% GoI rate. Understanding the annual interest breakdown helps you plan deposit timing — since PPF interest is calculated on the minimum monthly balance, depositing before the 5th of each month adds meaningful interest over 15 years.

PPF inputs

₹1.50 lakh

Current GoI rate is 7.1% (Apr–Jun 2026 quarter). Revised every quarter.

Base PPF tenure is 15 years; extendable in 5-year blocks (20, 25, 30…).

Maturity amount
₹40.68 L
Total deposited
₹22.50 L
Total interest
₹18.18 L
Effective CAGR
4.03%

Section 80C tax savings (old regime)

  • Annual deduction (capped at ₹1.5L 80C cap): ₹1,50,000
  • Lifetime tax savings over 15 yr: ₹6,75,000
  • Maturity amount & interest are fully tax-exempt u/s 10(11).

New regime forfeits 80C — these savings apply only if you opt for old regime.

Year-by-year compounding

PPF year-wise projection — annual contribution, interest credited, and closing balance.
YearOpeningDepositInterestClosing
Year 1₹0₹1,50,000₹10,650₹1,60,650
Year 2₹1,60,650₹1,50,000₹22,056₹3,32,706
Year 3₹3,32,706₹1,50,000₹34,272₹5,16,978
Year 4₹5,16,978₹1,50,000₹47,355₹7,14,334
Year 5₹7,14,334₹1,50,000₹61,368₹9,25,701
Year 6₹9,25,701₹1,50,000₹76,375₹11,52,076
Year 7₹11,52,076₹1,50,000₹92,447₹13,94,524
Year 8₹13,94,524₹1,50,000₹1,09,661₹16,54,185
Year 9₹16,54,185₹1,50,000₹1,28,097₹19,32,282
Year 10₹19,32,282₹1,50,000₹1,47,842₹22,30,124
Year 11₹22,30,124₹1,50,000₹1,68,989₹25,49,113
Year 12₹25,49,113₹1,50,000₹1,91,637₹28,90,750
Year 13₹28,90,750₹1,50,000₹2,15,893₹32,56,643
Year 14₹32,56,643₹1,50,000₹2,41,872₹36,48,515
Year 15₹36,48,515₹1,50,000₹2,69,695₹40,68,209

Current PPF interest rate — 7.1% p.a. (Apr–Jun 2026 quarter)

The Public Provident Fund (PPF) interest rate is set quarterly by the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) under the Ministry of Finance, reviewed against the 10-year G-Sec yield plus a spread. The current PPF interest rate for the Apr–Jun 2026 quarter (FY 2026-27) is 7.1% p.a., unchanged for eleven consecutive quarters since Q2 FY 2023-24.

The rate is identical across all PPF custodians — SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak, India Post, and every other authorised bank. Choosing your custodian affects workflow (app quality, branch accessibility, SI reliability) but not the interest earned.

PPF interest rate history — last 10 years

PPF rates are a lagging proxy for the RBI policy cycle. Rates have fallen steadily since 2015 as inflation and the repo rate moderated, but have been held steady at 7.1% for over two years even through repo-rate hikes — a political choice to protect small savers.

Historical PPF interest rates notified by the Department of Economic Affairs each financial year from 2015 onwards
Financial yearPPF rateNotes
FY 2026-27 (Apr–Jun)7.1% p.a.Current rate; unchanged since Q2 FY 2023-24
FY 2025-267.1% p.a.Held despite repo moderation
FY 2024-257.1% p.a.All four quarters
FY 2023-247.1% p.a.Held through repo hike cycle
FY 2022-237.1% p.a.All four quarters
FY 2021-227.1% p.a.Proposal to cut to 6.4% withdrawn after public outcry
FY 2020-217.1% p.a.Reduced from 7.9% at start of FY
FY 2019-207.9% → 7.1% p.a.Rate cut within the year
FY 2018-197.6% → 8.0% p.a.One mid-year bump
FY 2017-187.9% → 7.6% p.a.Started 8.0%, cut across year
FY 2016-178.1% → 8.0% p.a.First year of quarterly-reset regime
FY 2015-168.7% p.a.Fixed annual rate; pre-quarterly-reset regime

How PPF interest is calculated — the 5th-of-month rule

PPF interest in a given month is calculated on the minimum balance between the close of the 5th day and the close of the last day of that month. This single-sentence rule drives every deposit-timing optimisation in the PPF world:

Interest accrues month by month but is only credited on 31 March each year (end of financial year). Until then the interest is a running balance; you can’t withdraw it separately.

Year-by-year interest for the classic ₹1.5 lakh × 15 years scenario

Assuming ₹1,50,000 deposited on 1 April each year at the current 7.1% rate, here is how the interest component grows versus the running principal:

Year-by-year PPF running balance, annual interest earned, and cumulative interest for ₹1.5 L annual deposit at 7.1% over the 15-year base tenure
YearDepositOpening balanceInterest earnedClosing balance
1₹1,50,000₹0₹10,650₹1,60,650
2₹1,50,000₹1,60,650₹22,056₹3,32,706
3₹1,50,000₹3,32,706₹34,272₹5,16,978
5₹1,50,000₹7,15,313₹61,438₹9,26,751
10₹1,50,000₹19,25,617₹1,47,319₹22,22,936
14₹1,50,000₹33,10,728₹2,45,011₹37,05,739
15 (maturity)₹1,50,000₹37,05,739₹2,72,470₹40,68,209

Notice that in year 15 alone the interest earned (₹2.72 L) is almost 2× the fresh deposit (₹1.5 L). The later years of a PPF account are where compounding does its heaviest lifting — which is why extending the PPF with Form H at year 15 is one of the highest-ROI decisions in Indian personal finance.

PPF interest vs bank FD, ELSS, and inflation

7.1% tax-free is equivalent to 10.28% pre-tax at the 30.9% (30% + 4% cess) slab — among the highest risk-free pre-tax yields available to Indian individual savers. Comparison at April 2026 rates:

PPF post-tax yield compared against bank FD, tax-saver FD, ELSS, and retail inflation at prevailing April 2026 rates
InstrumentNominal rate / returnPost-tax (30% slab)Real (post 6% inflation)
PPF7.1% tax-free7.1%1.1%
SBI 5-yr FD6.75%4.66%−1.34%
SBI 5-yr Tax-saver FD6.75% (80C-eligible)4.66%−1.34%
ELSS (long-run equity)11% expected9.63% (post 12.5% LTCG above ₹1.25 L)3.63%
Retail inflation (CPI target)4% (tolerance 2–6%)

PPF wins on post-tax return vs every other debt instrument. ELSS wins on real return but carries equity volatility. The typical recommendation: use PPF for the risk-free bedrock + ELSS for the growth engine within the ₹1.5 L 80C cap.

Related PPF calculators + custodian pages

PPF Interest Calculator — Annual Interest Breakdown — FAQ

What is the current PPF interest rate?

7.1% per annum for Q1 FY 2026-27 (Apr-Jun 2026). PPF rates are revised quarterly by the Department of Economic Affairs based on the 10-year G-Sec yield + spread. The rate has been 7.1% continuously since FY 2020-21 — one of the longest stable periods in PPF history.

How is PPF interest calculated monthly or annually?

Mechanically: monthly. Credited: annually. Each month, interest = (minimum balance between 5th and last day) × 7.1% / 12. These monthly figures accumulate and are CREDITED to your account on 31st March. So while interest accrues monthly, it compounds annually — not monthly.

What is PPF interest on ₹1 lakh deposit?

For a ONE-TIME ₹1 lakh deposit (made on April 1st to capture full-year interest), first-year interest = ₹7,100 at 7.1%. Over 15 years with no further deposits, the ₹1 L grows to ₹2,79,929 (₹1.79 L of tax-free interest). With annual ₹1 L deposits for 15 years: corpus = ₹27.12 L.

Is PPF interest compounded monthly or annually?

Annually. Interest is calculated on monthly minimum balances (as above), but ACCUMULATED and CREDITED once a year on 31st March. This is a common misconception — PPF "compounding" is annual, not monthly. Over 15 years, monthly compounding would add only ~₹5-7 K to a ₹22 L contribution — the difference is immaterial vs timing your deposit before the 5th.

When does PPF interest get credited?

31st March of each financial year. The interest calculated on monthly minimum balances throughout April to March gets posted as a single credit entry dated 31st March. You see the year-on-year jump in your passbook at that date, not monthly.

Other PPF calculators