Govt announces latest small savings schemes interest rates for next quarter: Check details

Small savings interest rates: The Government on Wednesday, December 31, announced the interest rates for small savings schemes for the fourth quarter of financial year 2025-26 starting from January 1st, 2026 and ending on March 31st, 2026, and informed that the interest rates would remain unchanged.

As a result, small savings schemes at the Post Office, like the Public Provident Fund (PPF), and National Savings Certificate (NSC), will see no changes as the Finance Ministry has decided to keep the interest rates unchanged.

The announcement stated: “Small Savings Schemes for the fourth quarter of FY 2025-26 starting from 1st January, 2026 and ending on 31st March, 2026 shall remain unchanged from those notified for the third quarter (1st October, 2025 to 31st December, 2025) of FY 2025-26.”

Small savings interest rates for January–March 2026

For the January–March 2026 quarter, the government has left interest rates on all small savings schemes unchanged.

• The Public Provident Fund (PPF) will offer 7.1 percent interest, making it a preferred long-term option for tax-efficient retirement savings.
• The Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS) and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) remain the highest-yielding schemes in the basket, both carrying an interest rate of 8.2 percent.
• Among other options, the National Savings Certificate (NSC) offers a fixed return of 7.7 percent
• Post Office Monthly Income Scheme (POMIS) will yield a monthly payout at the rate of 7.4 percent.
• The Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) will give an interest rate of 7.5 percent, with investments doubling over a predetermined period.