This small savings scheme interest rates tracker shows the current, verified rates for six instruments Indian savers check most often: Public Provident Fund (PPF), Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP), National Savings Certificate (NSC), Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS), and SBI’s 3-year fixed deposit. Every quarter, the Government of India’s Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) revises these small savings scheme interest rates — but the announcement often gets buried in a PDF circular that most investors never see. This page pulls the current numbers together in one place, verified against official sources.
The SBI FD rate on this page updates automatically once a day from SBI’s own published rate table. The government-notified rates (PPF, KVP, NSC, SCSS) are checked daily against the DEA’s quarterly circular and updated as soon as a change is confirmed. Every rate below shows the date it was last verified, so you always know how current the number is.
Current Rates At a Glance
| Scheme | Current Rate | As Of |
|---|---|---|
| Public Provident Fund (PPF) | 7.10% | 2026-09-13 |
| Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) | 8.25% | 2026-09-13 |
| Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) | 7.50% | 2026-09-13 |
| National Savings Certificate (NSC) | 7.70% | 2026-09-13 |
| Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS) | 8.20% | 2026-09-13 |
| SBI 3-Year FD | 6.30% | 2026-09-13 |
PPF Interest Rate
The Public Provident Fund currently earns 7.10% per annum, compounded annually, as of 2026-09-13. PPF is a 15-year government-backed scheme with EEE (Exempt-Exempt-Exempt) tax status — your contribution, the interest earned, and the maturity amount are all tax-free. Minimum investment is ₹500 and maximum ₹1,50,000 per financial year. For a full calculation of your maturity value, use our PPF Calculator.
EPF Interest Rate
The Employees’ Provident Fund currently pays 8.25% per annum, as of 2026-09-13. Unlike the other schemes on this page, the EPF rate is set once a year by the EPFO’s Central Board of Trustees and then formally notified by the Ministry of Labour — it doesn’t move quarterly. Read our full EPF guide for withdrawal rules and balance-check steps.
KVP Interest Rate
Kisan Vikas Patra currently offers 7.50% per annum, as of 2026-09-13, compounded annually. KVP is a fixed-tenure post office savings certificate that doubles your investment over a government-specified period based on the prevailing rate — there’s no 80C tax benefit, but the principal is capital-guaranteed. See our Post Office Savings Schemes guide for how KVP compares to other post office instruments.
NSC Interest Rate
The National Savings Certificate currently earns 7.70% per annum, as of 2026-09-13, compounded annually but paid out only at maturity (5 years). NSC qualifies for Section 80C deduction up to ₹1.5 lakh. Full details, including tax treatment on accrued interest, are in our NSC interest rate and tax benefits guide.
SCSS Interest Rate
The Senior Citizens Savings Scheme currently pays 8.20% per annum, as of 2026-09-13 — the highest rate among small savings schemes, reflecting its target audience of retirees aged 60+. Interest is paid quarterly, not compounded, and the scheme has a 5-year tenure extendable by 3 years. See the Post Office Savings Schemes guide for eligibility and account-opening details.
SBI 3-Year FD Rate
SBI’s 3-year fixed deposit currently offers 6.30% per annum for general (non-senior) depositors, as of 2026-09-13. Unlike the government-notified schemes above, bank FD rates are set independently by each bank’s ALCO (Asset-Liability Committee) and can change without a fixed quarterly cycle — this is why we check SBI’s published rate table daily rather than quarterly. Compare this against other tenures and banks using our FD Calculator.
How These Rates Are Set and Verified
PPF, KVP, NSC, and SCSS rates are notified quarterly by the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, based on the G-Sec yield-linked formula recommended by the Shyamala Gopinath Committee. EPF’s rate is recommended annually by the EPFO’s Central Board of Trustees and ratified by the Ministry of Labour and Employment — it does not follow the quarterly cycle. SBI’s fixed deposit rates are set independently by the bank and can change at any time.
This page checks SBI’s published rate table daily and updates automatically when a change is detected. The DEA’s quarterly circular is checked daily as well; because it’s published as a PDF rather than structured data, any detected change is flagged for manual verification before this page is updated, to avoid publishing a misread number. EPF’s annual rate is entered manually once the EPFO’s board announcement is confirmed.
Reviewed by: MoneyPundit Team · Data sources: Department of Economic Affairs (dea.gov.in), EPFO, State Bank of India (sbi.bank.in) · Last verified: 2026-09-13
Embed This Tracker
Run a finance blog or newsletter and want to show live small savings rates to your readers? Embed this page directly — the rates update automatically, so you never have to touch the embed again.
<iframe src="https://moneypundit.in/interest-rate-tracker/" width="100%" height="500" style="border:1px solid #e0e4f0;border-radius:8px;" title="MoneyPundit Small Savings Interest Rate Tracker"></iframe>Frequently Asked Questions
How often do these interest rates change?
PPF, KVP, NSC, and SCSS rates can change every quarter (April, July, October, January) when the DEA issues its notification, though rates are often held unchanged for several quarters in a row. EPF changes at most once a year. SBI’s FD rate can change at any time the bank’s ALCO decides to revise it.
Is this page updated automatically?
The SBI FD rate updates automatically once a day from SBI’s official rate table. Government-notified rates (PPF, KVP, NSC, SCSS, EPF) are checked daily but verified manually before publishing, since they come from a PDF circular rather than structured data — this avoids publishing a misread number.
Which of these schemes gives the highest interest rate?
Among the schemes tracked here, the Senior Citizens Savings Scheme typically offers the highest rate, but it’s restricted to investors aged 60 and above (or 55+ for certain retirees). Among schemes open to all investors, EPF (for salaried employees) and KVP are usually the highest.
Where do these official interest rates come from?
PPF, KVP, NSC, and SCSS rates come from the Department of Economic Affairs’ quarterly small savings notification (dea.gov.in). EPF’s rate comes from the EPFO. SBI’s FD rate comes from SBI’s own published deposit rate table (sbi.bank.in).
Related Financial Calculators and Guides
Use these tools and guides to go deeper on any individual scheme tracked above:
- PPF Calculator — calculate your PPF maturity value and yearly interest
- FD Calculator — compare fixed deposit returns across tenures and banks
- NSC Interest Rate & Tax Benefits — full guide to National Savings Certificate
- EPF Guide — rules, withdrawal process, and balance checks
- Post Office Savings Schemes 2026 — KVP, SCSS, and all other post office schemes compared
- Section 80C Deductions Guide — how PPF, NSC, and other schemes reduce your tax bill
