Savings
Government schemes and deposits — the rates, the lock-ins, and whether the tax break is worth the illiquidity.
Every deposit and small savings scheme in India is the same trade priced differently: you give up access to your money for a period, and you are paid for the wait. The lock-in is not a drawback attached to the product — the lock-in is the product. A scheme that pays more than a savings account and lets you withdraw on demand does not exist, and an offer that appears to be one is usually a market-linked product wearing a deposit’s clothing.
So the comparison worth making is never rate against rate. It is rate against the date you will genuinely need the money, and then against tax. Interest treatment varies enormously across these schemes — some are taxed at your slab rate as it accrues, some are exempt within limits, some are exempt entirely at maturity — and a lower headline rate with better tax treatment routinely beats a higher one. Comparing pre-tax returns is the single most common error in this category.
One timing note that governs everything here: small savings rates are notified by the Ministry of Finance quarterly, effective 1 April, 1 July, 1 October and 1 January. Any rate you read anywhere, including here, is a rate as of a date. Check the current notification before committing money, and treat undated rate tables on any site as unreliable by default.
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Axis Bank fixed deposit interest rates, by tenure and deposit size
Axis Bank’s own rate card of 27 August 2026, read in full: the general and senior schedules, why a bigger deposit can earn less, and what early closure costs.
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Axis Bank RD interest rates: the twelve rungs, and the tenures the card leaves out
Axis Bank pays 6.50% on any RD from 18 months to ten years and 7.25% to seniors at five years. The rungs, the ₹10 late fee, and what ₹5,000 a month becomes.
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Bajaj Finance FD rates, and the risk the extra yield pays for
Bajaj Finance pays up to 7.40%, and 7.75% for senior citizens, from 1 May 2026. None of it is DICGC-insured, and an AAA rating is an opinion, not a payment.
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Bandhan Bank FD rates: 7.45% on a bucket a full year wide
Bandhan Bank pays 7.45% on two years to under three, 7.95% for seniors — above all seven majors we track. The cliff below one year, closure cost and DICGC parity.
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Bank of Baroda fixed deposit interest rates: which tenures actually pay
Bank of Baroda’s best FD rate sits on a 555-day special tenor, not a round one. What the flat one-to-ten-year ladder costs, and what breaking early really pays.
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Bank of Baroda RD interest rates: the card rate, minus the two specials
Bank of Baroda prices an RD at its term-deposit card rate, so the best an RD reaches is 6.30% at 39 to 60 months. The 444 and 555-day rates cannot be bought monthly.
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Bank of India FD interest rates, and whether a smaller PSU pays more
Bank of India’s rate page refused every read on 3 September 2026. What could be checked: the smaller-bank premium is five basis points, and inverts at one year.
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Bank of Maharashtra FD rates: 6.65% on 400 days, and the cliff after two years
Bank of Maharashtra pays 6.65% on exactly 400 days and 6.40% at one year, then 5.25% or less past two years. The senior uplift, the closure rule and the traps.
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Canara Bank FD interest rates, and the star on the 555-day row
Canara Bank pays 6.60% on a 555-day deposit, but only on a single deposit of ₹5 lakh or more. Below that, its schedule prints no 555-day rate at all.
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Canara Bank recurring deposit rates: the FD schedule, minus the two specials
Canara Bank pays 6.25% (6.75% for seniors) on every RD from one year to ten years. The 444 and 555-day specials are not on its RD page; the instalment rules bite.
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HDFC Bank FD interest rates: one band pays 6.50%, and the day after it pays less
HDFC Bank pays 6.50% only from 3 years 1 day to under 4 years 7 months, 7.10% to seniors, from 19 August 2026. The 55-month trap and the closure penalty.
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HDFC Bank RD interest rates: the FD card, one instalment at a time
HDFC Bank pays 6.50% on RDs of 39 to 54 months, 7.10% to seniors, from 19 August 2026 — its FD rate for the tenure. Instalment rules and what closing early costs.
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ICICI Bank FD interest rates: a flat card where the peak is a plateau
ICICI Bank pays 6.50% from 3 years 1 day to 10 years, 7.10% to seniors on 3-to-5 years only, from 10 September 2026. The cliffs, the penalty and the plateau.
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ICICI Bank RD interest rates: the FD card, paid in monthly instalments
ICICI Bank pays 6.50% on any RD of 39 months or longer and 7.10% to seniors to 5 years. The late charge, the closure penalty and what ₹5,000 a month becomes.
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IDFC FIRST Bank FD interest rates: a 7.10% plateau from 500 days to three years
IDFC FIRST Bank pays 7.10% from 500 days to 3 years and 7.35% to seniors, who pay no closure penalty. The 0.25 pp uplift, the closure maths and the 7% savings slab.
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Indian Bank FD rates: 6.65% on 555 days, and the cliffs on either side of it
Indian Bank pays 6.65% on exactly one tenure — 555 days — and 6.10% at one year. The 300-day cliff, the 181-day penalty rule and the 80-plus band.
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Indian Overseas Bank FD rates: 6.60% on 444 days, and a short end that runs backwards
IOB pays 6.60% on one tenure, 444 days; seniors 7.10%, 80-plus 7.35%. The 0.50% closure charge, the 2.90% trap under six months, and ten years priced like three.
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Kisan Vikas Patra interest rate: 7.5%, which is the same fact as 115 months
KVP pays 7.5% and doubles a deposit in 115 months — one fact stated twice. The encashment table, the tax that undoes it, and where it sits against NSC.
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Kotak fixed deposit interest rates, and what breaking one costs
Kotak’s callable FD rates tenure by tenure, and the two-step recalculation that makes early closure cost far more than the 0.50% or 1.00% penal charge.
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NSC interest rate: 7.7% for five years, and the tax mechanic inside it
The National Savings Certificate pays 7.7% compounded annually, so ₹1,00,000 matures at ₹1,44,903. The deduction that cancels the tax, and the exit you do not get.
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Punjab National Bank RD rates: the FD card, minus the buckets an RD cannot reach
PNB prices an RD at its FD card rate, so the RD peak is 6.35% at 37 to 60 months; the 444-day 6.60% is out of reach. Default fee, closure penalty and senior bands.
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Postal FD interest rates: the post office time deposit, one rate for everyone
The post office time deposit pays 7.5% at five years, 7.1% at three, 7.0% at two and 6.9% at one, at every age. The closure maths and the 80C lock.
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Post office recurring deposit: 6.7% for everyone, and the rebate nobody claims
The 5-year post office RD pays 6.7% compounded quarterly, one rate for every age. The advance-deposit rebate, the ₹1 default fee and what closing early costs.
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Punjab National Bank FD rates: the buckets that actually pay
PNB pays 6.60% on exactly one tenure — 444 days — and less on every longer one. The senior and 80-plus bands, the closure penalty and what the peak costs.
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SBI RD interest rates: the FD rate by another name, and what the instalment rules cost
SBI pays its FD rate on an RD: 6.40% for 24 to 35 months, 6.90% for seniors. The ₹1.50-per-₹100 late fee, the closure penalty and what ₹5,000 a month becomes.
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FD interest rates for senior citizens: what the extra half point buys
The senior uplift is not a flat half point — it runs from 0.50 to 1.00 percentage point by bank and tenure. What each is worth in rupees, and what removes it.
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SBI FD interest rates: the 444-day Amrit Vrishti peak and the buckets around it
SBI pays 6.45% on the 444-day Amrit Vrishti deposit and less on every longer tenure; seniors get 7.05% at five years. The penalty, the 80-plus band and the traps.
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UCO Bank FD interest rates, read against Central Bank of India
UCO Bank peaks at 6.60% on 535 days and Central Bank of India at 6.75% on 444. Both are DICGC-insured public sector banks, and neither pays a premium for its size.
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YES Bank FD interest rates: the six-month window that pays 7.25%
YES Bank pays 7.25% only from 18 months 1 day to under 24 months, 7.75% for seniors, who also pay no closure penalty. The cliffs and the closure maths.
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Fixed deposit (FD) interest rates across major banks
Compare verified FD rates at seven major banks, with exact peak tenures, senior rates, effective dates, tax, liquidity and insurance checks.
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EPF, EPS and EDLI: three different benefits behind one payroll deduction
EPF builds an individual retirement balance, EPS provides a service-linked pension and EDLI provides death-linked assurance. Learn how the 2026 schemes divide them.
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NPS exit rules: 80/20, 60/40, corpus thresholds and partial withdrawals
Current NPS exit rules differ by sector, exit type and corpus. Learn the 80/20 and 60/40 rules, ₹8 lakh and ₹12 lakh bands, premature exit and tax mismatch.
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NPS vs PPF: the comparison most pages are still getting wrong
PPF pays 7.1% this quarter and locks money for 15 years. NPS is market-linked to age 60 — and its exit rules changed in December 2025. How the two really compare.
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Post office savings schemes: the whole family, compared
Every small savings scheme in one place — PPF, SCSS, Sukanya Samriddhi, NSC, KVP, MIS, RD and time deposits — with Q2 FY 2026-27 rates, limits and tax treatment.
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Salary account vs savings account — the same product on different terms
A salary account is a savings account with the minimum balance waived while your employer keeps crediting it. What changes when those credits stop.
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Savings account interest rates in India — and the numbers that matter more
Savings rates in India are low by design. How the interest is actually calculated, what tax leaves you, and why account charges cost more than the rate earns.
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SCSS vs fixed deposit: where a retirement lump sum should go
SCSS pays 8.2% quarterly with sovereign backing but caps at ₹30 lakh. An FD has no ceiling and can compound. How to split a retirement corpus between them.
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Senior Citizens Savings Scheme: how SCSS actually works
SCSS pays 8.2% for Q2 FY 2026-27, and the interest is paid out quarterly rather than compounded. Eligibility, the ₹30 lakh limit, tax and early exit in full.
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Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana interest rate, and how the account works
Sukanya Samriddhi pays 8.2% for Q2 FY 2026-27 and the interest is tax free. Eligibility, the 15-year deposit period against 21-year maturity, and the honest catch.
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Zero balance savings accounts — and the free one your bank does not advertise
Average monthly balance is averaged over every day of the month, so a last-day deposit cannot rescue it. Two ways out of the penalty, and one of them is free.