The Public Provident Fund (PPF) is an ideal small savings scheme, which provides a reasonably high interest rate and tax benefits. It is one of the few schemes that is in the exempt-exempt-exempt (EEE) category. The amount you invest in it is exempt from tax. The interest you earn on it is tax-free. Moreover, the maturity amount is also exempt from tax. However, to make the most of this scheme, you need to know about the minimum and maximum amount you can contribute to it every year. So, read on, as it talks about PPF limits in detail.
Minimum and Maximum Annual Contributions
A PPF account can be opened with just ₹ 100. Hence, a vast majority of small savers can reap the benefits of this investment option because it does not take too much to open a PPF account.
Having opened a PPF account, you have to make a minimum deposit of ₹ 500 in a financial year for its tenure of 15 years. Most small savers can easily make this much minimum deposit in their PPF account. Hence, it is an accessible savings and investment option for them.
Meanwhile, a depositor can invest a maximum amount of ₹ 1.5 lakh in a financial year in his PPF account. That said, the rules do not prohibit him from investing more than the PPF maximum limit (i.e., ₹ 1.5 lakh in a year). However, he will not earn any interest or get any tax benefits on the amount exceeding ₹ 1.5 lakh. Having learnt about PPF deposit limits, let us dig deeper into this topic.
Frequency of Deposits in a PPF Account
After opening a PPF account, an account holder needs to contribute at least once to it in a financial year. PPF accounts have a tenure of 15 years, which means that every year you have to make at least one deposit for 15 years to keep the account active.
Rules for Extending PPF Account Beyond Maturity
If you open a PPF account, you need to keep in mind that it has a minimum tenure of 15 years. Hence, unless you are willing to make investments for a long time, you should not choose this option.
Meanwhile, if you want, this minimum tenure of 15 years can be extended in blocks of 5 years. If you want to extend the tenure of your PPF account, you will have to submit a request stating your intention to the post office or bank where you have your PPF account. Such a request must be made within a year to maturity of your account.
If the tenure gets an extension, you will have to deposit at least ₹ 500 every year to keep your account active. Even during the extended period, you will be allowed to invest a maximum sum of ₹ 1.5 lakh in your account annually.
That said, if you decide not to extend your account, you can stay invested in it even after it matures. If you decide to do that, you will not have to make any more deposits. Besides, you will continue to earn interest on your accumulated balance.
Partial Withdrawal Rules and Limits
PPF is a long-term savings and investment scheme. As already explained, a PPF account has a minimum tenure of 15 years. However, you can make withdrawals from it even before the completion of 15 years as explained below:
You can make a partial withdrawal from your PPF account but only after 7 years of opening it. Besides, such withdrawals are permitted only for specific reasons. You can withdraw at most 50% of your account’s balance at the end of its fourth year.
You have to be an Indian resident to open a PPF account. Hence, if your residency status changes, you can prematurely close your PPF account and avail the balance. In order to prematurely close your account, you have to submit these documents: a copy of your passport and visa or your income tax return as evidence of a change in your residency.
Loan Facility Against PPF Balance
PPF rules allow account holders to avail of a loan as explained below:
A PPF account holder can avail of a loan against his account balance between the 3rd and the 6th year of opening his account. Such a loan can be taken for a tenure of 36 months. That said, an account holder has to pay an interest on it at a rate, which is 1% higher than the rate paid to him by the PPF scheme. He can avail of a loan amounting to a maximum of 25% of his account balance in the 2nd year or the year immediately preceding the year in which he makes an application for the loan.
Tax Implications of PPF Contributions and Withdrawals
Under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, you can avail of a tax deduction for up to ₹ 1.5 lakh contribution to your PPF account in a year. In other words, you will not have to pay tax on a maximum of ₹ 1.5 lakh annual contribution to your PPF account. However, if you contribute more than ₹ 1.5 lakh annually, you will not get any tax benefits on the amount exceeding ₹ 1.5 lakh.
When you make a withdrawal from your PPF account, whether partial or in whole, the same is exempt from tax under Section 80C.
Conclusion
There is no denying that PPF offers many benefits, especially to small savers. However, to make the most of this scheme, investors need to know about the minimum and maximum amounts (or PPF limits) they can contribute to it in a year. If they make any mistake about PPF limits, it can have a long-term adverse impact on their investments. Hence, they need to be careful.