Many individuals have a Public Provident Fund (PPF) Account, but, they might not know that they can really maximize their returns if they take some very prudent steps. This is one of the most popular and safe investments the country has, even as it provides one of the highest interest rates, beating even bank deposits. Did you know that you can actually make more money from the Public Provident Fund? Let us explain, with some examples, how you can do so.
Download All in One Income Tax Preparation Excel Based Software for Central & State Govt Employees for F.Y.2016-17 [ This Excel Utility can prepare at a time Individual Salary Sheet + Individual Salary Structure for Central & all State Employees + Individual Tax Computed Sheet + Automatic H.R.A. Calculation + Automated Form 16 Part A&B and Form 16 Part B for F.Y.2016-17 as per the Finance Bill 2016
Deposit money before the 5th of each month Not many individuals know, that the interest on the Public Provident Fund (PPF) is calculated on lowest balances in the account between 5th and last day of the month. In simple terms, what this means is that if you deposit the amount after the 5th of the month, you will lose interest for that month.
The ideal way to get returns from PPF The best way to get maximum returns is to deposit the amount on April 1. In fact, we suggest that you deposit the entire amount in lump sum. Of course, if you do not have a lump sum, then as suggested you should please deposit the amount before the 5th of every month. We suggest lump sum on April 1, because PPF gives you a very high-interest rate of 8.1 per cent, as against 7.5 per cent in government deposits.
How much do you lose? There are many individuals who ask: how much would I actually lose if I do not deposit the amount before the 5th of each month? If you work on the assumption that you would invest the entire amount that is permitted at Rs 1.5 lakhs, over 15 years by not depositing before 5th, you could end up losing around Rs 31,000.
The biggest draw is interest rates If you have never invested in the PPF and are in your 20s and 30s, you simply should. The Public Provident Fund almost always gives you higher interest rates than bank deposits. SBI Deposits offer you an interest rate of 7.50 per cent at best. The PPF currently, offers you an interest rate of 8.10. Though the government reviews interest rate on small savings every quarter, we do not see these interest rates falling below that of Bank deposit rates.
Dual tax benefits Very few instruments in this country, offer you two different types of tax benefits. The PPF allows you the tax benefit under Sec 80C of the Income Tax Act and the interest income is also free from tax. All along a win-win situation. At the moment the maximum amount that you can place in the PFF is Rs 1.5 lakhs. We suggest that you place the entire amount of Rs 1.5 lakhs, because of the tax benefits and the high-interest rates.
Source from goodreturns.in