How often do post-office scheme interest rates change?

The Government of India reviews small-savings rates every quarter — in the last week of March, June, September, and December — and notifies the rates for the coming quarter. The rates are linked to the yields of government securities, so they can rise or fall, though the government sometimes holds them steady for stability. For Oct–Dec 2025 the rates are SSY 8.2%, SCSS 8.2%, NSC 7.7%, and KVP 7.5%, unchanged for roughly two years. This calculator uses the current quarter’s rates; confirm the latest rate at the post office before investing, especially for a new SSY deposit whose future years will earn whatever rate applies then.

Why does SSY keep growing after I stop depositing?

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana has a two-stage timeline. You deposit into the account every year for the first fifteen years, but the account does not mature until twenty-one years from opening. During the final six years you make no further deposits, yet the accumulated balance continues to compound at the notified rate. This is why the maturity value is so much larger than the total deposited — the money has up to twenty-one years to grow, and the last six years of pure compounding add substantially to the corpus. The calculator models both stages, so the maturity reflects the full term.

How is SCSS different from the other schemes?

The Senior Citizen Savings Scheme pays interest out rather than compounding it. Every quarter, the scheme credits the interest on your deposit to your account as income, and at the end of the five-year term it returns your original principal. This makes SCSS a regular-income product rather than a growth product, which is exactly what many retirees want. Because the interest is paid out, there is no compounding, so the calculator reports the quarterly payout and the principal returned rather than a compounded maturity value. The other three schemes — SSY, NSC, and KVP — compound the interest instead.

Are post-office schemes tax-free?

It varies by scheme. SSY enjoys the full EEE (Exempt-Exempt-Exempt) status — the deposit qualifies under Section 80C, the interest is tax-free, and the maturity is tax-free. NSC deposits also qualify under Section 80C, but the interest is taxable (though it is deemed reinvested and itself qualifies for 80C in the intervening years). SCSS deposits qualify under Section 80C up to the limit, but the quarterly interest is fully taxable as income. KVP offers no tax deduction and its interest is taxable. This calculator shows gross returns before tax; consult a chartered accountant to work out the after-tax position for your situation.

Are these schemes safe compared with bank deposits or mutual funds?

They are among the safest investments available in India because they carry the direct guarantee of the Government of India, unlike bank deposits which are insured only up to ₹5 lakh per depositor per bank, or mutual funds which carry market risk. The trade-off is that returns are fixed and modest — you will not beat a good equity fund over the long run — but you also cannot lose your capital. Post-office schemes suit money you cannot afford to risk: a child’s education corpus, a retiree’s income, or the safe portion of a portfolio. For higher long-term growth with volatility, a market-linked option like an SIP is the alternative.

Are the figures I enter stored anywhere?

No. The entire calculation runs in JavaScript inside your own browser. Nothing you enter — the scheme or the deposit amount — is uploaded, logged, or stored on any server. The tool is free, needs no login, and closing the tab clears everything. There is no account and no saved history.

Finance

Post-Office Schemes Calculator

Work out the maturity of SSY, SCSS, NSC, and KVP at the current government rates — one calculator for every post-office small-savings scheme. Free, in your browser, nothing uploaded.

By the Samastam teamLast updated 2026-07-20Editorial standards

Scheme details

Scheme

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) — Deposits for 15 years; account matures 21 years from opening. Interest is tax-free (EEE). One account per girl child.

Yearly deposit (₹)

₹

Current rate: 8.2% per year (Oct–Dec 2025 (Q3 FY2025-26)). Annual limit ₹1.5 lakh.

Maturity

Maturity value: —
Amount invested: —
Interest earned: —

Choose a scheme and enter your deposit. The maturity and interest update here as you type, at the current government rate.

Government rates for Oct–Dec 2025 (Q3 FY2025-26). Confirm the current rate at the post office before investing.

A post-office schemes calculator works out what India Post’s small-savings schemes grow to at the government-notified interest rates. It covers the four most popular schemes — Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) for a girl child, the Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS), the National Savings Certificate (NSC), and Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) — each of which compounds or pays out differently. Pick a scheme, enter your deposit, and the tool shows the maturity value, the amount you invest, and the interest earned, using the rate notified for the current quarter. Everything runs in your browser, so nothing you type is sent anywhere.

What this is and why it matters

Post-office small-savings schemes are government-backed savings products offered through India Post, designed for conservative savers who want guaranteed returns with no market risk. Because they carry the sovereign guarantee of the Government of India, they are effectively the safest place to park money, and their interest rates — reviewed every quarter and linked to government bond yields — are usually higher than comparable bank deposits. The four covered here serve very different goals: SSY builds a long-term corpus for a girl child, SCSS gives retirees a regular income, NSC is a five-year tax-saving certificate, and KVP simply doubles a lump sum over a fixed period.

A single calculator for all four matters because each scheme computes returns in its own way, and confusing them leads to badly wrong expectations. SSY takes a deposit every year for fifteen years but keeps compounding until the account matures at twenty-one years, so its maturity value depends on a long two-stage timeline. SCSS does not compound at all — it pays the interest out to the investor every quarter as income, and returns only the principal at maturity. NSC compounds annually and pays everything at the end of five years, while KVP is defined by the time it takes to double rather than an ordinary maturity. Applying one generic formula to all of them would misstate the result for at least three of the four, so the tool models each scheme’s actual mechanics.

The calculator also makes the quarterly rate regime concrete. Because the government can revise these rates every three months, the maturity you are quoted when you open an account is locked for schemes like NSC and KVP but can vary for future SSY deposits. Seeing the maturity at the current notified rate helps you compare a post-office scheme against a bank fixed deposit or a market-linked option, and decide whether the guaranteed, government-backed return is worth choosing over a potentially higher but riskier alternative.

How to use this tool

Choose the scheme. Select SSY, SCSS, NSC, or KVP from the scheme selector. The input label and the result adapt to the scheme you pick, because each one works differently — SSY asks for a yearly deposit, while the others take a one-time amount. A short note explains the key features of the scheme you have chosen.

Enter your deposit. For SSY, type the amount you plan to deposit each year (up to the ₹1.5 lakh annual limit). For SCSS, NSC, or KVP, type the one-time amount you are investing. The maturity updates as you type, with nothing sent anywhere.

Read the result at the current rate. The tool applies the government-notified rate for the current quarter — shown on the result — and computes the maturity the way that scheme actually works: compounding for SSY, NSC, and KVP, and a quarterly payout for SCSS. You do not enter the rate yourself, so the figure reflects the official rate rather than a guess.

Compare the breakdown. The panel shows the maturity value (or the quarterly payout and principal, for SCSS), the total you invest, and the interest earned. Switch schemes to compare them on the same deposit, and use the figures to weigh a post-office scheme against a bank FD or a market-linked investment.

Examples and use cases

Building a corpus for a daughter with SSY

A parent opens a Sukanya Samriddhi account for their daughter and deposits the maximum ₹1,50,000 every year. Selecting SSY and entering ₹1,50,000 shows, at the current 8.2% rate, deposits of ₹22.5 lakh over fifteen years growing to a maturity of roughly ₹72 lakh when the account matures at twenty-one years. Seeing the interest component — nearly ₹50 lakh — makes clear why SSY is regarded as one of the best fixed-return options for a girl child’s future.

A retiree drawing quarterly income from SCSS

A senior citizen invests ₹10,00,000 in the Senior Citizen Savings Scheme. Choosing SCSS and entering ₹10,00,000 shows a quarterly payout of about ₹20,500 at 8.2%, with the full ₹10 lakh principal returned at the five-year maturity. Because SCSS pays interest out rather than compounding it, the calculator reports the regular income the scheme provides — the figure a retiree actually cares about — rather than a single maturity number.

A five-year NSC for tax saving

A salaried investor puts ₹1,00,000 into a National Savings Certificate to use the Section 80C deduction. Selecting NSC and entering ₹1,00,000 shows a maturity of about ₹1,44,900 after five years at 7.7%, with the interest compounding annually and paid with the principal at the end. The calculator makes the compounding effect visible, and the deposit also reduces taxable income in the year of investment.

Doubling a lump sum with KVP

An investor with a ₹2,00,000 windfall wants a simple, safe way to double it. Choosing KVP and entering ₹2,00,000 shows the amount growing to about ₹4,00,000 in 115 months — nine years and seven months — at the current 7.5% rate. Seeing the exact doubling period helps them decide whether the guaranteed, government-backed return fits their timeline better than a market-linked alternative.

Frequently asked questions

How often do post-office scheme interest rates change?: The Government of India reviews small-savings rates every quarter — in the last week of March, June, September, and December — and notifies the rates for the coming quarter. The rates are linked to the yields of government securities, so they can rise or fall, though the government sometimes holds them steady for stability. For Oct–Dec 2025 the rates are SSY 8.2%, SCSS 8.2%, NSC 7.7%, and KVP 7.5%, unchanged for roughly two years. This calculator uses the current quarter’s rates; confirm the latest rate at the post office before investing, especially for a new SSY deposit whose future years will earn whatever rate applies then.
Why does SSY keep growing after I stop depositing?: Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana has a two-stage timeline. You deposit into the account every year for the first fifteen years, but the account does not mature until twenty-one years from opening. During the final six years you make no further deposits, yet the accumulated balance continues to compound at the notified rate. This is why the maturity value is so much larger than the total deposited — the money has up to twenty-one years to grow, and the last six years of pure compounding add substantially to the corpus. The calculator models both stages, so the maturity reflects the full term.
How is SCSS different from the other schemes?: The Senior Citizen Savings Scheme pays interest out rather than compounding it. Every quarter, the scheme credits the interest on your deposit to your account as income, and at the end of the five-year term it returns your original principal. This makes SCSS a regular-income product rather than a growth product, which is exactly what many retirees want. Because the interest is paid out, there is no compounding, so the calculator reports the quarterly payout and the principal returned rather than a compounded maturity value. The other three schemes — SSY, NSC, and KVP — compound the interest instead.
Are post-office schemes tax-free?: It varies by scheme. SSY enjoys the full EEE (Exempt-Exempt-Exempt) status — the deposit qualifies under Section 80C, the interest is tax-free, and the maturity is tax-free. NSC deposits also qualify under Section 80C, but the interest is taxable (though it is deemed reinvested and itself qualifies for 80C in the intervening years). SCSS deposits qualify under Section 80C up to the limit, but the quarterly interest is fully taxable as income. KVP offers no tax deduction and its interest is taxable. This calculator shows gross returns before tax; consult a chartered accountant to work out the after-tax position for your situation.
Are these schemes safe compared with bank deposits or mutual funds?: They are among the safest investments available in India because they carry the direct guarantee of the Government of India, unlike bank deposits which are insured only up to ₹5 lakh per depositor per bank, or mutual funds which carry market risk. The trade-off is that returns are fixed and modest — you will not beat a good equity fund over the long run — but you also cannot lose your capital. Post-office schemes suit money you cannot afford to risk: a child’s education corpus, a retiree’s income, or the safe portion of a portfolio. For higher long-term growth with volatility, a market-linked option like an SIP is the alternative.
Are the figures I enter stored anywhere?: No. The entire calculation runs in JavaScript inside your own browser. Nothing you enter — the scheme or the deposit amount — is uploaded, logged, or stored on any server. The tool is free, needs no login, and closing the tab clears everything. There is no account and no saved history.

Sources

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