Estimate your Public Provident Fund maturity amount, yearly interest, and total investment growth.
⚠️ Calculations are approximate and for illustration purposes only.
A simple side-by-side comparison of India’s most popular retirement options.
| Feature | 🏦 EPF | 🏛️ PPF | 📈 NPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | Salaried employees (EPFO members) | Any Indian resident | 18–70 years (Indian citizens) |
| Returns | ~8.25% (Declared annually by Govt) |
~7.1% (Quarterly fixed rate) |
~9–12% (Market-linked equity + debt) |
| Employer Contribution | 12% employer match | No employer contribution |
Government: Mandatory employer contribution Private sector: Optional (corporate NPS) |
| Lock-in Period |
Until retirement (~58 yrs) Partial withdrawal allowed after 5 yrs |
15 years Extendable in blocks of 5 yrs |
Non-Government: • Normal exit after 15 years of subscription or at age 60, whichever earlier • Premature exit allowed with annuity conditions Government Employees: • Locked until age 60 (retirement) |
| Tax Benefit |
Section 80C (₹1.5L) Employer contribution tax-free |
Section 80C (₹1.5L) |
80C (₹1.5L) + 80CCD(1B) extra ₹50K |
| Withdrawal / Exit |
Full withdrawal at retirement Partial withdrawal allowed |
Partial withdrawal after 7 years Full maturity after 15 years |
Non-Government: • Exit after 15 yrs or age 60 • ≤ ₹8L → 100% lump sum • ₹8–12L → ₹6L lump sum + phased withdrawal • > ₹12L → up to 80% lump sum + ≥20% annuity Government: • Exit only at age 60 • Minimum 40% annuity required |
| Maturity Tax | Tax-free* | Tax-free |
60% lump sum tax-free Annuity income taxable |
| Pension | EPS pension | No pension | Annuity-based pension after retirement |
| Risk Level | Low | Low | Medium (market linked) |
| Calculate Returns | 🧮 Use EPF Calculator | 🧮 Use PPF Calculator | 🧮 Use NPS Calculator |
*Subject to service conditions and prevailing tax laws.
Maximize your Public Provident Fund returns with India's most trusted tax-free savings scheme. Plan your 15-year journey to build substantial wealth with government-backed security and guaranteed returns.
PPF offers Exempt-Exempt-Exempt tax benefits — the best in India:
PPF is 100% government-guaranteed with zero market risk. Interest rate is declared quarterly by the government — currently offering competitive returns that often beat inflation. Unlike market investments, your principal and returns are completely secure, making it ideal for conservative investors and retirement planning.
Maximum ₹1.5L per year — invest before 5th of any month to earn interest for the entire month. Minimum ₹500 annually to keep account active. Pro tip: Invest in the first week of April to earn interest for the entire financial year on your contribution.
From 3rd to 6th financial year:
You can take a loan up to 25% of your PPF balance.
After 6 years: You can withdraw up to 50% of your balance for purposes like education or medical needs.
These features offer liquidity while still promoting disciplined, long-term wealth creation.
Continue earning tax-free interest by extending your PPF in 5-year blocks. Choose to contribute or just let existing money grow. Many investors extend multiple times to build retirement corpus of ₹1+ crore through the power of long-term compounding.
₹1.5L annual investment for 15 years = ₹22.5L invested. At 7.1% interest, your maturity value = ₹40+ lakhs (tax-free). That's ₹18+ lakhs of pure tax-free gains! Extend for another 15 years and reach ₹1.5+ crore.
PPF (Public Provident Fund) is a government-backed savings scheme that offers tax-free interest and guaranteed returns. It’s ideal for individuals looking for safe, long-term investments.
A PPF calculator estimates the maturity value of a Public Provident Fund account based on yearly contributions, interest rate, and investment duration. It helps investors understand how their savings grow over the 15-year PPF lock-in period and how much tax-free wealth they can accumulate through compounding.
PPF offers fixed, government-backed returns and is completely tax-free (EEE). NPS provides market-linked returns and can potentially generate higher retirement wealth but requires partial annuity purchase at retirement. Use our NPS Calculator to compare outcomes.
SIP investments in mutual funds historically generate higher returns than PPF because they are market-linked. However, PPF offers guaranteed and tax-free returns. You can estimate potential mutual fund growth using our SIP Calculator.
EPF is meant for salaried employees and includes employer contributions, while PPF is an individual voluntary savings scheme open to all Indian residents. Compare potential retirement savings using our EPF Calculator.
PPF has a 15-year lock-in period. After maturity, you can extend it in blocks of 5 years, with or without further contributions.
Minimum deposit is ₹500/year and maximum ₹1.5 lakh/year. Deposits can be made in one lump sum or in installments throughout the year.
Interest is calculated monthly on the lowest balance between the 5th and the last day of each month and credited annually to your PPF account.
Partial withdrawals are allowed from the 7th financial year. Loans can be availed from the 3rd to 6th year of account opening.
The account becomes inactive. You can reactivate it by paying ₹50 penalty per missed year plus ₹500 minimum deposit for each missed year.
Yes. A parent or guardian can open a PPF account on behalf of a minor child. However, only one account is allowed per person.
NRIs cannot open new PPF accounts. However, if you become an NRI after opening an account, you can continue it until maturity but not extend it further.
Yes, PPF enjoys Exempt-Exempt-Exempt (EEE) status — deposits, interest, and maturity proceeds are all tax-free.