What is the Public Provident Fund
(PPF)?
PPF is an
initiative by the government of India. The objective is to encourage you and me
to save a modest amount over a period of time. The intention is to enable you,
to build a retirement corpus.
This is
the safest investment tool available in our country, because it backed by the
Central Government of India. This product is not only secure but also tax-deductible and the returns are fully exempt from tax.
Sounds impressive, let
us get into the details:
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What are the primary features?
- The safest
Investment product in our country.
- Tax benefits are
available, not only during investment but also on Maturity
- The interest
percentage is approximately known, therefore, we can determine the
maturity amount and plan accordingly.
- Even Court order
cannot take the money invested in PPF, even in case of business failure or
personal guarantee. In short, your money will always be your money.
What are the Tax Benefits?
We can
invest up to INR 150,000/- in a financial year and claim a tax rebate under
section 80C of Income Tax Act.
The
interest earned is entirely tax-free, EEE (Exempt-Exempt-Exempt)
Am I
eligible to have a PPF account?
- If you are a resident of India, then YES, you are eligible to open a PPF
account.
- You can open PPF
accounts for your kids (minors) and be a guardian for the same.
- Joint account is
not allowed, hence you should open individual account for self and spouse.
- PPF account is
different from your Employee Provident Fund.
What about NRI’s?
Unfortunately, NRI’s are not eligible to open PPF account
What is the deposit Limit?
For Tax
rebate the limit is INR 150,000/- however you can have Personal accounts for
all your family members.
Example: Rajeev
and Sonia have 2 minor kids Modi and Amit, here Rajeev is allowed to open one
account for self, one for Wife (Sonia) one each for Modi and Amit.
Rajeev
can invest INR 150000/- in each account (150000 * 4), however maximum Tax
Rebate will be INR 150000/-
Best
time to invest?
- 1st April
to 31st March if you want to invest once a year
- 1 -5 April &
1-5 Oct if you want to invest twice a year
- 1-5 April, 1-5
July, 1-5 Oct, 1-5 Jan if you want to invest once a Qtr.
- 1-5 of every
month if you want to invest every month.
Please Note- 1st
to 5th because interest is calculated on the lowest balance between 6th to
month end.
So in simple words, deposit your money between 1 – 5th of the month or
else do it in the next month.
Example: You
deposited INR 50000 in your PPF account on 7th of July.
As per the rule, the system will check the balance from 6th July to month end and interest will be paid for the lowest balance.
In our case, 6th July will have the lowest balance.
Here we lose the entire interest for INR 50000/- deposited this month.
Hence always deposit money between 1st-5th of the month.
As per the rule, the system will check the balance from 6th July to month end and interest will be paid for the lowest balance.
In our case, 6th July will have the lowest balance.
Here we lose the entire interest for INR 50000/- deposited this month.
Hence always deposit money between 1st-5th of the month.
What is the Interest Rate?
Current Interest on PPF is 8%, however,
this rate is not fixed. Central government announces the rate once in quarter.
Can I get a loan in case of an
emergency?
YES, from
the 3rd to the 6th year you are eligible to take a loan. The limit is 25% of
your account balance.
Repayment has to be done within 3
years of taking it, you can pay one time or monthly.
What is
the Maturity period?
PPF matures after 15 financial
years, you can withdraw the entire amount with interest.
Can I
withdraw my money before maturity?
- Partial
withdrawal is allowed from the 7th financial year.
- One withdrawal
per financial year.
- The limit is 50%
of your account balance.
If I want to invest for more than 15 years?
- YES, you can extend
the period in a block of 5 years and keep doing it every 5 years.
- During extension
period you are eligible to withdraw money from your account only once in a
financial year
- You can withdraw up to 60% of your account balance.
What if I want to close the account before Maturity?
- YES, you can.
However, it is on an exception basis like serious illness, higher
education of children etc.
- There will be a
penalty of 1% on the interest of that financial year.
Eg
2018-19 PPF interest is 8% you will be paid (8 - 1 = 7%)
How to
open a PPF account?
All Major Public sector banks offer PPF account eg: SBI, PNB etc. also few private sector banks like HDFC and
ICICI bank helps you start a PPF account.
ICICI Bank gives
an option to open PPF account online. If you have an account with ICICI make
the most of it.
What amount can I expect after 15years?
Yearly Investment INR 150,000/-
After 15years assuming 8% fixed returns = INR 4,398,000/-
After 15years assuming 8% fixed returns = INR 4,398,000/-
Conclusion:
- Even if you have
multiple investments running, we should always have one portion invested in fixed income product.
- In the
fixed-income category, PPF should be the number one option.
- Mutual fund data
will reflect better returns in 10-15 years, however, it is always advisable to have some money parked in a PPF just for that unseen rainy day.
- As this
product has a lock-in, we are forced to hold our investment.
Dear
Readers,
This
blog is my personal attempt to help you. If you found this article to be
helpful, kindly share it with your near and dear ones.
I would
be very glad to hear your feedback, in fact, it will motivate me to
continue my journey of, Blog and Teach.
Thanks
and I wish and hope you make a lot of wealth from your investments.
All the best!! 👍👍👍
Cheers 🍹
Intelligent Investor
Do not forget to hit the follow button!
your articles are so well articulated and easy to comprehend. Thanks for sharing this one as it gave me insights on PPF and it made me contemplate on opening one for me soon.
ReplyDeleteDear Gunpreet,
DeleteYour words are always encouraging, thank you so much.
I'm glad that this blog was helpful, will be happier to know once you move from contemplating to action.
Very well articulated..all queries solved on PPF ��
ReplyDeleteDear Avnish,
DeleteThanks you so much, very happy to know this blog was useful :)
Can I please ask for an appointment to meet you in person...Thanks ! 🤔
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteFeel free to fill the Contact form below, will be happy to guide you in the best possible way!! :)
Thanks for sharing this knowledge. It is indeed very useful for investment.
ReplyDeleteDear Tresa,
DeleteVery happy to read your kind words, I am lucky to have you as a reader :)
Well thought and expressed in words. All ambiguity around investing in PPF solved
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteThank you for taking time to give your feedback, very happy this blog was useful :)
Do hit the follow button :)
I have read my many articles on PPF, some much more detailed than what you have written.
ReplyDeleteHowever, none of them has been to so easy to comprehend.
Hi,
DeleteThank you for your feedback, it is very motivating to read.
Do remember to hit the follow button :)
Cheers
Just when I have opened an account.. don't need to Google this and read on 10 different sites now..thanks to you! ✌️��
ReplyDeleteDear Disha,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your feedback, I am so glad this article was helpful :)
You write absolutely what ppl would want to know. Precise and clear! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteDear Jemy,
DeleteEven your feedback is precise, clear, motivating and it has put a big smile on my face, thank you so much :)