Public Provident Fund (PPF) is a long-term savings plan in India, which is tax-exempt and risk-free with returns. A government backed scheme, it comes with a 15-year lock-in and pays compounded interest to its users.
A PPF calculator t estimates investors' maturity value, interest accrued, and overall returns as a function of the annual deposit, current PPF interest rate, and duration. It helps investors plan their investments, project earnings over a 15-year period, and maximize returns by making deposits prior to the 5th of every month in order to benefit from maximum interest accumulation.
Using a PPF interest calculator simplifies financial planning, helping investors make informed decisions and maximize their savings.
A PPF calculator uses a similar formula that’s used for calculating the future of an annuity. Simply put, it calculates the future value of your investment, depending on the annual contribution you make towards the PPF and the prevailing interest rate.
The calculation formula that a PPF calculator uses is as follows:
M = P [ ( { (1 + i) ^ n } - 1 ) / i ]
Where,
The part after the P in the formula is the annuity factor, which when multiplied with the annual contribution, provides the maturity value of the PPF investment.
Let’s say, you make annual contributions of Rs 1,00,000 for 15 years and the PPF account interest rate is 7.1%.
By using the above-mentioned PPF calculation formula:
M= Rs 1,00,000 [({(1+0.071)^15}-1)/i] = Rs 27,12,139
The concept of the power of compounding and how it works in favour of an investor when it comes to PPF calculation could be explained with the following table, which highlights the PPF interest earned, the principal invested and the PPF maturity value for 15, 20, and 30 year tenures.
Investment Period | Total PPF Investment | Total Interest Earned | Maturity Value |
15 years | Rs 1.5 lakh | Rs 18,18,209 | Rs 40,68,209 |
20 years | Rs 1.5 lakh | Rs 36,58,288 | Rs 66,58,288 |
30 years | Rs 1.5 lakh | Rs 1,09,50,911 | Rs 1,54,50,911 |
In this PPF calculation example, it is assumed that the annual investment amount is Rs 1,50,000, and the PPF interest rate is 7.1% per annum (the current PPF interest rate is 7.1% for Q4 of FY 2024-25).
The above example highlights the power of compounding when investing in PPF – your maturity amount rises from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 1 crore merely by investing Rs. 1.5 lakh over a 15-year period to a 30-year period.
A PPF calculator offers several benefits, making it an essential tool for smart financial planning. Here’s why you should use it: