PPF Tenure and Extension Explained

The maturity clock starts from the end of the opening financial year

The PPF Scheme allows closure after the expiry of 15 years from the end of the financial year in which the account was opened. An account opening date and a generic 15-year calculator input therefore answer different questions.

The calculator accepts a whole number of years to build a mathematical projection. It does not calculate a statutory maturity date from an opening date or determine whether an account has matured.

An account may continue after maturity without further deposits

The verified scheme allows an account holder to retain the account after maturity without making further deposits. The balance continues to earn interest at the rate applicable to the scheme, subject to the operative rules.

Once the account has continued without deposits for more than a year, the scheme says the holder cannot later switch back to continuation with deposits. This is an account-rule decision, not a calculator setting.

Extension with deposits uses five-year blocks

After the initial maturity period, the scheme permits extension with deposits for a further block of five years. The account holder must exercise the option through the prescribed process before one year expires from maturity.

The five-year framework can apply again after an extended block, subject to the scheme. Current forms and account-office instructions should be checked when an actual election is made.

Compare access to your money after maturity

Post-maturity choices reviewed on 20 October 2026 against paragraphs 11-13 of the PPF Scheme and G.S.R. 831(E), dated 7 November 2023.

These options concern eligible regular accounts; check residency or irregular-account cases separately. Interest on money retained follows the rate applicable to the scheme. The 60% limit below covers the whole five-year block; it does not reset each year.

An extension with deposits cannot later be cancelled on request. Closure during the block is restricted to the scheme's exceptional grounds and documentation, not unrestricted access. Check with the account office before choosing an extension if you may need the full balance.

A 20-year projection is not an extension election

Entering 20 years in the PPF Calculator merely asks the engine to repeat its fixed annual contribution and constant-rate convention for 20 modeled years. It does not verify maturity, submission of the prescribed option, the one-year deadline or the status of an actual account.

Use the PPF Calculator only for numerical scenarios. Return to PPF Explained for the broad scheme overview, or read the interest calculation guide for the engine's timing convention.