If you have wondered, “are PPF investments good?” then a careful analysis of your reason for investing can help you find the answer. You might also be wondering, “is PPF relevant in the age of cryptocurrencies?”
To know more about PPF, let's understand PPF investments, how to open a PPF account and how to invest in PPF in detail.
PPF was floated by the Government of India to encourage people to save money for the long term. It is backed by the Government of India and can be considered among safe investments. Providing interest higher than bank fixed deposits is one of the aims of PPF. Moreover, to further promote investing in a PPF investment plan, the government has made PPF principal and interest tax exempt.
A PPF investment plan is designed to be a long-term one. The initial tenure for a PPF account is fifteen years. After the initial fifteen years tenure, it can be extended to five years.
You can open a PPF account from a bank which offers a PPF account facility. You may even open it from the post office. You may use either online or offline modes for opening a PPF account.
A Public Provident Fund (PPF) account is exclusively available for opening at specific bank branches, including those of:
To initiate the online procedure for opening a PPF account, you'll need an active savings account with a participating bank or Post Office, and internet banking or mobile banking activated for the same.
Here's a step-by-step guide for the online method:
The offline method involves the following steps:
Feel free to choose the method that best suits your convenience and needs.
The following documents are required to be produced to open a PPF account:
As such, the withdrawal period for PPF is after fifteen years of account opening. However, you may be allowed partial premature withdrawal after five years of account opening.
Up to 50% of the balance of the preceding year can be withdrawn once in each financial year after five years of account opening.
You may avail of a loan against your PPF account between the third and fifth years. You can avail a loan of up to 25% of your account balance at the end of the year before. If you repay the first loan, a second loan can be taken till the 6th year.
PPF is a long-term conservative investment yielding returns higher than bank fixed deposits. It is backed by the Government of India. The principal invested, the interest earned, and the final withdrawal amount are income tax exempt. You can open a PPF account at a bank which offers a PPF account facility or at the post office.
You can invest in PPF at a branch offering a PPF account facility or the post office. You can use both the offline and online modes of account opening. Choose a mode that suits you best.
Do you have a financial goal, but you want to reach it through regular and small savings? The Fi Money app brings to you short-term and medium-term deposits named Jars. Create a Smart Deposit Jar named after your goal, say, “Marriage Jewellery”, and start your savings journey.
PPF is a long-term conservative investment yielding returns higher than bank fixed deposits. It is backed by the Government of India. The principal invested, the interest earned, and the final withdrawal amount are income tax exempt. Very few investments enjoy such generous tax exemption benefits. You can open a PPF account at a bank which offers a PPF account facility or at the post office.
All of these taken together are a very attractive package for the conservative, risk-averse or even the moderate, risk-neutral investor. It is a good idea to invest in PPF if you are looking for a long-term, safe, convenient, tax-exempt investment avenue which offers interest rates better than bank fixed deposits.
Interest is calculated every month in a PPF account. It is computed based on the lowest balance held in the account between the fifth day of the month and the last day of the month.
Interest is credited to the PPF account at the end of each financial year.
Got your PPF amount after maturity? Want to boost your investments even further? You can consider investing it in mutual funds with the Fi Money app. Make informed investing decisions with extensive investment knowledge and insights at your fingertips.
How much you will make after investing in a PPF for 15 year entirely depends on the amount you invest. The current PPF rate is 7.1%, you can calculate your earnings keeping this rate in mind.
Some disadvantages of PPF are -
Products on our platform | Details |
---|---|
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) | Epifi Technologies Pvt. Ltd ('Epifi Tech') is a Third-Party App Provider ('TPAP') - and acts as a service provider and participates in UPI through a Payment Service Provider ('PSP') Bank (Federal Bank). |
Savings Account and Deposits | Federal Bank offers savings account, fixed deposits and smart deposits to users on the Fi App (through Epifi Tech). Users' savings account and deposits are securely opened with Federal Bank. |
Cards | Fi Brand Pvt. Ltd. markets and distributes co-branded cards in partnership with Federal Bank and Visa. Cards are issued by Federal Bank. |
Loans | Epifi Tech facilitates loan distribution and acts as a lending service provider and/or digital lending application for various Banks, registered NBFCs and NBFC-P2P ('Lenders') List of Lenders. |
Mutual Funds | Epifi Wealth Pvt. Ltd. ('Epifi Wealth') is a registered investment adviser and provides a platform for mutual funds investment. Epifi Wealth has partnered with MFCentral to provide mutual funds analyser to users. |
Loans Against Mutual Funds | Epifi Tech in partnership with regulated entities including Epifi Wealth and Bajaj Finserv provides a platform for loans against mutual funds. |
US Stocks | Epifi Tech has partnered with US stock broker Alpaca Securities LLC to provide users the option to invest in US stocks. |
Connected Accounts | Epifi Wealth (as a financial information user), in partnership with Finvu and Onemoney, provides users the option to link their existing financial accounts on Fi. |
Credit Analyser | Epifi Tech (as a non-specified user) in partnership with Experian and CIBIL provides insights on users' credit scores |
Fi-Coins | Fi-Coins are earned under a reward programme for engaging with products and services on the Fi App. |
Fi Store | Fi-Coins can be redeemed on products and services listed on Fi Store such as merchandise, gift cards, air miles, among other things. |
1. Net Worth: Helps users get a view of their financial Net Worth — in accordance with their assets & liabilities
2. Wealth Maximiser: Analyses your finances, shares financial reports to make informed money decisions
These products are governed by our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and any other product and partner specific terms and conditions as communicated to you.
©epiFi Technologies Pvt. Ltd. 2025
Fi is a money management platform that offers the perfect solution for all your financial needs. The Federal Bank Savings Account offered through Fi is an online savings account that you can open in 3 minutes! It goes beyond online account opening, as it has helped reimagine the banking experience in India
Through Fi, you can do more: apply for an instant personal loan, pick from many types of Mutual Funds, select the best SIP to invest in US Stocks, apply for a forex-free Debit Card (works for select account plans) to use while travelling abroad, analyse/improve their portfolio, get a 360-degree view of your spend insights and take steps building wealth.
You can also utilise Fi's free personal loan resources, such as the Personal Loan and EMI calculator, before proceeding to the quick loan application process. All of this is why over 35 lakh Indians feel that Fi is the only financial app you will ever need.