The Money Decoded

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PPF Maturity Calculator

Educational content only — not financial advice

A PPF account at ₹1.5 lakh per year for the full 15-year lock-in compounds to roughly ₹40.7 lakh at the current 7.1% rate (Q1 2026) — with the entire amount tax-free under the EEE treatment. The calculator below lets you plug in your own annual contribution, lock-in period, and PPF rate to see the maturity for your specific situation. Try 15 years for the standard maturity, or 20-30 years to see the impact of extending the account in 5-year blocks beyond the original lock-in.

PPF allows ₹500 minimum to ₹1,50,000 maximum per financial year.

15-year minimum lock-in. Extendable in 5-year blocks (try 20, 25, 30).

Currently 7.1% (Q1 2026). Set quarterly by the Ministry of Finance.

Maturity amount — tax-free under EEE

₹40,68,209

Total contributed across the period
₹22,50,000
Total interest earned (tax-free)
₹18,18,209

The math behind the calculator

PPF interest is compounded annually using the annuity-due formula (contribution at the start of each year):

FV = PMT × [((1 + r)^n - 1) / r] × (1 + r)
  • FV is the maturity amount.
  • PMT is the annual contribution.
  • r is the interest rate as a decimal (7.1% → 0.071).
  • n is the number of years.

The PPF mechanic in practice is slightly more nuanced. Interest is calculated on the minimum balance in the account between the 5th and the last day of each calendar month, then credited annually at financial-year end. The annuity-due formula approximates this closely if the contribution is made before April 5 each year — which is the standard deposit-timing rule experienced PPF holders use to maximise the year's earned interest.

A worked example

Take the maximum contribution of ₹1.5 lakh per year for the standard 15-year lock-in at the current 7.1% rate:

  • Annual contribution: ₹1,50,000
  • Years: 15
  • Rate: 7.1%
  • Maturity: about ₹40,68,210 — fully tax-free
  • Total contributed: ₹22,50,000
  • Total interest earned: about ₹18,18,210 — fully tax-free

Extending the same contribution for 5 more years (20 years total) grows the maturity to roughly ₹66.6 lakh. Extending to 25 years: roughly ₹103 lakh (₹1.03 crore). Extending to 30 years: roughly ₹154 lakh (₹1.54 crore). The compounding effect accelerates sharply once the corpus is large — each year's interest in year 30 is bigger than the entire first year's contribution.

Pair this calculator with the explainers

For the full PPF rules, eligibility, partial withdrawal mechanics, and EEE tax treatment, see our companion piece: What Is Public Provident Fund (PPF). For comparison with the girl-child-specific scheme at 8.2%, see What Is Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana. For the workplace-linked sibling at 8.25% with employer matching, see What Is Employee Provident Fund (EPF). For the underlying compound interest concept that makes the 15-year growth substantial, see What Is Compound Interest Explained Simply.

The most useful experiment in the calculator is comparing different contribution amounts at the same 7.1% rate over the same 15-year horizon. ₹50,000/year compounds to ₹13.56 lakh. ₹1 lakh/year compounds to ₹27.12 lakh. ₹1.5 lakh/year compounds to ₹40.68 lakh. The proportional relationship is exact because PPF is a fixed-rate instrument — what you contribute directly determines what you receive, with the compounding multiplier the same in every scenario.

Frequently asked questions

What interest rate should I use for the PPF calculator?

Use the current PPF rate notified by the Ministry of Finance. As of Q1 2026 the rate is 7.1%, which has been stable since Q2 2020-21. The rate is reviewed and notified every quarter by the Department of Economic Affairs. For forward-looking projections over a 15-year horizon, it's reasonable to use the current rate as a baseline since PPF rates have been stable in recent years, but historical PPF rates have ranged from 12% in the 1980s down to the current level — long-horizon outcomes will depend on future rate decisions.

Why does the calculator use compound interest?

PPF interest is compounded annually — each year's interest is added to the principal and the next year's interest is calculated on the new larger base. PPF specifically uses the annuity-due formula (contribution at start of each year, compounded annually). The actual PPF mechanic is slightly more nuanced (interest accrues monthly on the minimum balance between the 5th and last day of each month, credited annually), but the annuity-due approximation matches the maturity outcome closely if contributions are made before April 5 each financial year.

How does PPF maturity compare to a regular fixed deposit?

A PPF at 7.1% tax-free is roughly equivalent to a fixed deposit at 10.1% pre-tax for someone in the 30% income tax slab — because FD interest is taxable at the slab rate while PPF interest is tax-free under Section 10(11). Combined with the EEE treatment (80C deduction on contribution + tax-free interest + tax-free maturity), a maxed PPF account substantially out-earns a typical 1-year FD over the 15-year horizon. The trade-off is the 15-year lock-in vs FD's flexible tenure.

Can I extend my PPF account beyond 15 years to keep compounding?

Yes — at the end of the 15-year maturity, you have three options. Close the account and withdraw fully (tax-free). Extend for 5 years without fresh contributions (existing balance keeps compounding at the prevailing PPF rate). Or extend for 5 years with fresh contributions (continue depositing up to ₹1.5 lakh/year). Extensions can repeat indefinitely in 5-year blocks. Try entering 20, 25, or 30 years in the calculator above to see how the maturity grows with extended compounding.

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