About the PPF Calculator
The Public Provident Fund (PPF) is a government-backed long-term savings scheme with a standard 15-year lock-in, tax-free interest, and a yearly contribution cap. This calculator projects your maturity value from a fixed annual contribution, current interest rate and chosen period.
How it works
- PPF compounds annually, not monthly.
- Each year, your contribution is added to the balance and then annual interest is applied to the new total.
- This repeats for the number of years you invest, defaulting to PPF's standard 15-year lock-in period.
Assumptions and behaviour
- Assumes the same contribution amount every year for the full period.
- Assumes the interest rate stays constant for the whole period — in reality, the government revises the PPF rate quarterly.
- Interest crediting here is simplified to contribution-then-annual-interest for the year. In practice, PPF interest is calculated monthly on the lowest balance between the 5th and last day of each month, and credited once a year — a more granular process this simplification approximates closely for level annual contributions made early in the year.
Limitations
- Doesn't account for the ₹1.5 lakh/year contribution cap — amounts above this don't earn PPF interest in reality, though this tool won't stop you entering a higher number.
- Doesn't model extensions beyond the initial 15-year term (PPF accounts can be extended in blocks of 5 years).
- Doesn't model partial withdrawals or loans against PPF, both allowed under scheme rules after certain years.
Privacy
The calculation runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
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