Read from the Ministry of Finance notice and the National Savings Institute table on 17 October 2026. Updated in place every quarter. We make a money-tracking app; we do not sell any of these schemes and we are not financial advisers.
Post office interest rates for 1 October to 31 December 2026 are unchanged from the quarter before: 1-year time deposit 6.9%, 2-year 7.0%, 3-year 7.1%, 5-year 7.5%; 5-year RD 6.7%; monthly income account 7.4%; senior citizens' scheme 8.2%; NSC 7.7%; PPF 7.1%; Sukanya Samriddhi 8.2%; Kisan Vikas Patra 7.5%, maturing in 115 months; savings account 4.0%. Source: Ministry of Finance notice dated 30 September 2026.
| Scheme | Oct–Dec 2026 | Apr–Jun 2022 | Does a later change reach you? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savings account | 4.0% | 4.0% | Applies to the whole balance |
| 1-year time deposit | 6.9% | 5.5% | Locks on the day you open |
| 2-year time deposit | 7.0% | 5.5% | Locks on the day you open |
| 3-year time deposit | 7.1% | 5.5% | Locks on the day you open |
| 5-year time deposit | 7.5% | 6.7% | Locks on the day you open |
| 5-year recurring deposit | 6.7% | 5.8% | Locks on the day you open |
| Senior Citizens Savings Scheme | 8.2% | 7.4% | Locks on the day you open |
| Monthly Income Account | 7.4% | 6.6% | Locks on the day you open |
| National Savings Certificate (5-year) | 7.7% | 6.8% | Locks on the day you open |
| Public Provident Fund | 7.1% | 7.1% | Floats: a revision applies to your whole balance |
| Sukanya Samriddhi Account | 8.2% | 7.6% | Floats: a revision applies to your whole balance |
| Kisan Vikas Patra | 7.5% (matures in 115 months) | 6.9% (matures in 124 months) | Locks on the day you open |
Rates are per year. Source: the Ministry of Finance notice dated 30 September 2026 and the National Savings Institute rate table, both read on 17 October 2026.
The Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs (Budget Division) issued Office Memorandum F.No.1/4/2019-NS dated 30 September 2026. Its operative sentence reads: “The rates of interest on various Small Savings Schemes for the third quarter of FY 2026-27 starting from 1st October, 2026 and ending on 31st December, 2026 shall remain unchanged from those notified for the second quarter (1st July, 2026 to 30th September, 2026) of FY 2026-27.” Read the notice on dea.gov.in.
The last change to any scheme was in Jan–Mar 2024. Since then, 11 quarterly announcements in a row have left every rate as it was. Going back to Apr–Jun 2022, the biggest rise is the 3-year time deposit: 5.5% then, 7.1% now (+1.6 points). The table lists only the quarters in which something moved.
| Quarter | Savings | 1-yr TD | 2-yr TD | 3-yr TD | 5-yr TD | 5-yr RD | SCSS | MIS | NSC | PPF | Sukanya | KVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr–Jun 2022 | 4.0% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 6.7% | 5.8% | 7.4% | 6.6% | 6.8% | 7.1% | 7.6% | 6.9% 124 mo |
| Oct–Dec 2022 | 4.0% | 5.5% | 5.7% | 5.8% | 6.7% | 5.8% | 7.6% | 6.7% | 6.8% | 7.1% | 7.6% | 7.0% 123 mo |
| Jan–Mar 2023 | 4.0% | 6.6% | 6.8% | 6.9% | 7.0% | 5.8% | 8.0% | 7.1% | 7.0% | 7.1% | 7.6% | 7.2% 120 mo |
| Apr–Jun 2023 | 4.0% | 6.8% | 6.9% | 7.0% | 7.5% | 6.2% | 8.2% | 7.4% | 7.7% | 7.1% | 8.0% | 7.5% 115 mo |
| Jul–Sep 2023 | 4.0% | 6.9% | 7.0% | 7.0% | 7.5% | 6.5% | 8.2% | 7.4% | 7.7% | 7.1% | 8.0% | 7.5% 115 mo |
| Oct–Dec 2023 | 4.0% | 6.9% | 7.0% | 7.0% | 7.5% | 6.7% | 8.2% | 7.4% | 7.7% | 7.1% | 8.0% | 7.5% 115 mo |
| Jan–Mar 2024 | 4.0% | 6.9% | 7.0% | 7.1% | 7.5% | 6.7% | 8.2% | 7.4% | 7.7% | 7.1% | 8.2% | 7.5% 115 mo |
| Apr–Jun 2024 → Oct–Dec 2026 | No change to any scheme in 11 quarterly announcements | |||||||||||
Shaded, bold cells are the ones that changed from the quarter before. The KVP column also shows the months to maturity, which moves with the rate.
Most post office schemes lock the rate on the day you open them: a 5-year time deposit opened in Apr–Jun 2022 keeps 6.7% for its whole term, even though a deposit opened now gets 7.5%. PPF and Sukanya Samriddhi are different: they float, and a revision applies to your entire existing balance from the next quarter. That is why a PPF projection is only ever “at today's rate”.
| Scheme | What you put in | What comes back | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-year time deposit at 7.5% | ₹1,00,000 once | ₹1,44,995 | Compounded quarterly for 5 years. Interest earned: ₹44,995. |
| NSC at 7.7% | ₹1,00,000 once | ₹1,44,903 | Compounded yearly for 5 years. Interest earned: ₹44,903. |
| KVP at 7.5% | ₹1,00,000 once | about ₹2,00,000 | Compounded yearly for 115 months: the certificate roughly doubles. |
| 5-year RD at 6.7% | ₹5,000 a month (₹3,00,000 in total) | ₹3,56,829 | Compounded quarterly for 5 years. Interest earned: ₹56,829. |
| MIS at 7.4% | ₹1,00,000 once | ₹617 a month | Interest paid out monthly; the ₹1,00,000 comes back at the end. Not compounded. |
| SCSS at 8.2% | ₹1,00,000 once | ₹2,050 a quarter | Interest paid out each quarter; the ₹1,00,000 comes back at the end. |
| PPF at 7.1% | ₹1,50,000 at the start of each year for 15 years | ₹40,68,209 | Compounded yearly, with today's rate assumed to hold. It will not: PPF floats. |
Computed on 17 October 2026 with the same formulas as our FD, RD and PPF calculators; rounded to the rupee. Check the exact maturity value with your post office, which may round differently.
At the published rates in the table, the post office time deposit pays more than a State Bank of India FD at all four tenors. Where the other side can be better:
| Tenor | Post office time deposit | State Bank of India FD (general public) | Post office minus SBI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 6.9% | 6.25% SBI FD, 1 to under 2 years | +0.65 points |
| 2 years | 7.0% | 6.40% SBI FD, 2 to under 3 years | +0.60 points |
| 3 years | 7.1% | 6.30% SBI FD, 3 to under 5 years | +0.80 points |
| 5 years | 7.5% | 6.05% SBI FD, 5 to 10 years | +1.45 points |
SBI figures are its published retail domestic term-deposit rates, read on 29 September 2026 (SBI). SBI is one bank; other banks quote different rates, so compare with the bank you would actually use.
6.9% for 1 year, 7.0% for 2 years, 7.1% for 3 years and 7.5% for 5 years, unchanged from the previous quarter. These apply to deposits opened from 1 October to 31 December 2026.
6.7% a year for the 5-year recurring deposit. The rate locks on the day you open the account, so a later revision does not change an RD you already hold.
7.4% a year on the 5-year Monthly Income Account, paid out monthly. On ₹1,00,000 that is ₹617 a month.
The Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (8.2%) and Sukanya Samriddhi (8.2%) pay the most, but they are meant for senior citizens and for a girl child's account, so they are not open to everyone. Among the schemes anyone can use, National Savings Certificate (5-year) pays the most at 7.7%.
Nobody can say in advance. The government announces each quarter's rates close to the end of the previous quarter, and the last change to any scheme was in Jan–Mar 2024; the 11 announcements since have all left every rate as it was. That is a record, not a promise. This page is updated in place when the next notice is published.
It depends on the scheme. Time deposits, RD, MIS, SCSS, NSC and KVP lock the rate on the day you open them. PPF and Sukanya Samriddhi float: when the government revises them, the new rate applies to your whole existing balance from the next quarter. For example, a 5-year time deposit opened in Apr–Jun 2022 locked 6.7%, while one opened today locks 7.5%.
115 months at 7.5%. The maturity period is set together with the rate: it was 124 months in Apr–Jun 2022 and is 115 months now.
Every quarter. The notice is written "for the third quarter of FY 2026-27" and similar, and each quarter is announced separately.
FD calculator · RD calculator · Post Office MIS calculator · SCSS calculator · NSC calculator · KVP calculator · PPF calculator · Sukanya Samriddhi calculator · Tax on FD interest
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