Skip to main content

Things to know about the Public Provident Fund (PPF)

Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

The Public Provident Fund (PPF) is one of the most popular tax saving schemes, which can be opened in a post office or designated bank branches. Here's how to familiarise yourself with this investment option


1 How much is the interest rate?

The interest rate offered on the PPF is linked to the market. It is 0.25% above the 10-year government bond yield.
This does not mean that the rate will change on a day-today basis. It will be announced every year in April, based on the average bond yield in the previous year. For the current financial year, it is 8.8%, but could recede next year. Bond yields have fallen below 8% in recent weeks and the average for 2012-13 has dropped to 8.25%. Analysts don't expect the PPF rate to be more than 8.5% in 2013-14.

 

2 How does the interest accrue?

The interest on your PPF balance is compounded annually, but the calculation is done every month. It is calculated on the lowest balance between the fifth and last day of every month. So, if you invest before the 5th, the contribution will earn interest for that month too. Otherwise, it's like an interest-free loan to the government for a month. If you are investing through a cheque, deposit it 3-4 days before the cut-off date. If your bank is lethargic in crediting the amount to your PPF account, your investment might miss the deadline.

 

3 What are the tax benefits?

The PPF corpus is tax-free at all three stages. The investment is eligible for tax deduction under Section 80C. The interest earned is also tax-free, and so are withdrawals. The original draft of the Direct Taxes Code, introduced in 2010, had proposed withdrawal of tax benefit. Though it would have been with prospective effect and existing investments would have been exempt, there was strong opposition to the move. The revised draft DTC nixed the proposal. However, with P Chidambaram back as finance minister, the original DTC proposals may come back in some form.

4 How much can you invest?


The investment limit is 1 lakh in a year through a maximum of 12 instalments. If your minor child has a PPF account, the combined limit for both accounts will be 1 lakh. Don't invest more than the 1 lakh in a year, because if it is discovered, any interest earned by the excess amount will be reversed. There is also a minimum investment required. An investor has to put in at least 500 in his PPF account in a year. You will be levied a small penalty of 50 if you fail to do so.

5 When does it mature?

A PPF account matures in 15 years, but you can extend the tenure in blocks of five years after maturity. The balance continues to earn interest at the normal rate. The minimum investment of 500 has to be maintained even for accounts extended beyond 15 years. The lock-in period falls with every passing year. In the 14th year, it will only be one year. If you need money, you can withdraw after the sixth year, but it cannot exceed 50% of the balance at the end of fourth year, or the immediate preceding year, whichever is lower. You can also withdraw only once in a financial year. You can also take a loan against it, but this cannot exceed 25% of the balance in the preceding year. The loan is charged at 2% till 36 months, and 6% for longer tenures

 

Happy Investing!!

We can help. Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them

OR

You can write back to us at PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot] Com

---------------------------------------------

Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds ( ELSS Mutual Funds ) to upto Rs 1 lakh and Save tax under Section 80C.

Invest Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

These links can be used to Purchase Mutual Funds Online that are regular also (Investment, non-tax saving)

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms from all AMCs

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Applications

These Application Forms can be used for buying regular mutual funds also

Some of the best Tax Saving Mutual Funds available ( ELSS Mutual Funds )

  1. ICICI Prudential Tax PlanInvest Online
  2. HDFC TaxSaverInvest Online
  3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver FundInvest Online
  4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  5. Birla Sun Life Tax Relief '96 Invest Online
  6. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  7. SBI Magnum Tax Gain Scheme 1993Invest Online
  8. Sundaram Tax SaverInvest Online
  9. Edelweiss ELSS Invest Online

------------------

Best Performing Mutual Funds

    1. Largecap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock Top 100 Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Focused Blue Chip Fund
      3. Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund
    2. Large and Midcap Funds Invest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan
      2. HDFC Top 200 Fund
      3. UTI Dividend Yield Fund
    1. Mid and SmallCap Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund
      2. DSP BlackRock Small & Midcap Fund
      3. Sundaram Select Midcap
      4. IDFC Premier Equity Fund
    1. Small and MicroCap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock MicroCap Fund
    1. Sector Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Banking Fund
      2. Reliance Banking Fund
    1. Tax Saver MutualFundsInvest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Tax Plan
      2. HDFC Taxsaver
      3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund
      4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund
    2. Gold Mutual Funds Invest Online
      1. Relaince Gold Savings Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund
      3. HDFC Gold Fund

Popular posts from this blog

SBI Magnum Tax Gain Scheme 1993 Applcation Form

    https://sites.google.com/site/mutualfundapplications/tax-saving-mutual-funds-elss     Investment Details Basics Min Investment (Rs) 500 Subsequent Investment (Rs) 500 Min Withdrawal (Rs) -- Min Balance -- Pricing Method Forward Purchase Cut-off Time (hrs) 15 Redemption Cut-off Time (hrs) 15 Redemption Time (days) -- Lock-in 1095 days Cheque Writing -- Systematic Investment Plan SIP Yes Initial Investment (Rs) -- Additional Investment (Rs) 500 No of Cheques 12 Note Monthly investment of Rs 1000 for 6 months and quarterly investment of Rs 1500 for 4 quarters.
Read more

Birla Sun Life Tax Plan Online

Invest Birla Sun Life Tax Plan Online   An Open-ended Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) with the objective to achieve long-term growth of capital along with income tax relief for investment.   After a bad patch from 2008 to 2010, Birla Sun Life Tax Plan has made a big comeback in the last five years, with a particularly good run since 2014. The fund's rankings, which had slipped to two stars in 2011-12, recovered sharply to three-four stars in the last three years. The fund has delivered a particularly large outperformance over its benchmark and peers in the last couple of years. The fund's investment strategy focuses on a diversified and high-quality portfolio, with parameters such as capital ratios and balance-sheet strength used to judge quality. It uses a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches to take sector/stock positions. The fund avoids highly leveraged plays. Staying more or less fully invested at all times, the fund parks roughly half of its portfoli
Read more

Should you Roll Over 1 year Fixed Maturity Plans?

The period between January and March typically sees an uptick in the launch of fixed maturity plans, or FMPs. Not this year. Instead, fund houses are busy rolling over or extending the tenure of their one- year FMPs launched last year to three years. Investors in one- year FMPs have a choice. Either redeem units or roll over to three years. If you exit now, your gains will be added to your income and taxed in line with your individual slab rate of 10, 20 or 30 per cent. If you stay invested for two more years, you pay 20 per cent tax with indexation benefit. Yields have softened in the past few months on expectations of a rate cut. If the central bank continues its soft monetary stance, yields are likely to fall further. In such a scenario, it makes sense for investors, particularly those in the 30 per cent tax bracket, to roll over their investments and lock in at a higher yield now. In a surprise move, the Reserve Bank of India cut repo rate by 25 basis
Read more

Mutual Fund Review: IDFC Premier Equity Fund

  IDFC Premier Equity Fund, which falls under the presumed high risk group of mid- and small-cap schemes, can rely on astute and timely equity picks. These make it less vulnerable to fluctuations compared with others in the category   IDFC Premier Equity Fund is designed to invest in upcoming, but promising businesses available at cheap valuations, and hold on to these businesses until they reap desired returns. The experiment has been successful so far, and IDFC Premier Equity has emerged as one of the top performing mutual fund schemes in the mid- and smallcap category of equity schemes.    While the scheme is an open-ended equity fund, i.e. open for subscriptions throughout the year, it has a unique philosophy to limit fresh inflows. Thus, while an investor can always take the systematic investment plan ( SIP ) route to invest in the scheme throughout the year, inflows through a lumpsum investment have been restricted. Since inception, IDFC Premier Equity has been opened for l
Read more

IDFC Premier Equity Fund dividend

  IDFC Mutual Fund   has announced dividend under the dividend option of   IDFC Premier Equity Fund Direct-D . The quantum of dividend shall be   R 4.3464 per unit.   The record date has been fixed as May 06, 2015. Best Tax Saver Mutual Funds or ELSS Mutual Funds for 2015 1. ICICI Prudential Tax Plan 2. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund 3. HDFC TaxSaver 4. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund 5. Religare Tax Plan 6. Franklin India TaxShield 7. Canara Robeco Equity Tax Saver 8. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund 9. Axis Tax Saver Fund 10. BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund You can invest Rs 1,50,000 and Save Tax under Section 80C by investing in Mutual Funds Invest in Tax Saver Mutual Funds Online - Invest Online Download Application Forms For further information contact Prajna Capital on 94 8300 8300 by leaving a missed call --------------------------------------------- Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them OR You can write to us at PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot]
Read more
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now