Public Provident Fund (PPF) Balance: How to Check?

Public Provident Fund or PPF is a government-backed long-term investment with a maturity of 15 years. It has long been a popular investment choice among millions of Indians due to its risk-free nature and the ability to generate tax-free returns. Due to the long-term nature of this investment, it is important for you to track the PPF account balance periodically. At present, you have the option of checking your PPF balance online and offline.

Checking PPF Balance Online

Checking PPF account balance online is simple and the service is available 24×7. However, online PPF services are available only if your PPF account is held with a bank. The following are some key pointers about checking PPF balance online:

• You need to have your existing bank savings/current account linked with your PPF account. In most cases, banks allow you to open a PPF account only if you have a prior relationship with them
• Make sure you have internet/mobile banking activated for your bank account
• To view details of various accounts including the PPF account, you need to log in using your internet/mobile banking credentials
• Once logged in, you can check your current PPF account balance
•  Additional services available through net/mobile banking may include – online transfer of funds into PPF account, setting up standing instructions for PPF account, downloading your PPF account statement, submission of PPF loan application, etc.

Online services offered by banks tend to vary hence the additional services offered by the bank’s online portal are liable to differ.

Must Know About Public Provident Fund (PPF) Forms: For Account Opening, Withdrawal & Loans

Checking PPF Balance Offline at Bank

In case, you have a PPF account at a bank and have not activated internet/mobile banking, you can check your bank PPF account balance offline by updating your passbook. The following are key pointers about checking PPF account balance offline at the bank:

• The bank provides you with a passbook when you open a PPF account. This contains data
• Details of your PPF account such as PPF account balance, PPF account number, bank branch details, credits/debits to your PPF account, etc.
• You can get the PPF passbook updated periodically by visiting your bank branch
• Once updated, your PPF passbook will contain details of all transactions (credits/debit) made on your account along with the current balance available

Some banks have started setting up automated passbook update kiosks that operate 24×7. However, in most cases, you have to visit your bank during working hours to get your passbook dated.

Checking Post Office PPF Balance Offline

India Post has long been a popular choice for those opening PPF accounts in India especially in rural and remote areas of the country that have limited banking facilities. At present, PPF accounts opened in post offices can only be accessed offline i.e. at the post office itself. Though online services for PPF account are lacking at the post office, you do have the option of checking PPF account balance offline using the following method :

• When you open a PPF account at the post office, you are provided with a PPF account passbook
• The passbook contains key details including account number, credits/debits made to the PPF account,  PPF account balance, etc.
• You need to get your passbook updated at the post office periodically in order to check/track your PPF  account balance offline

PPF Calculator – PPF Interest Rate, Loan, Maturity & withdrawal Calculator

Why Should You Check Your PPF Account Balance?

• It is important to keep a track of your PPF account balance to know the amount of interest your investment will earn each year. Since the PPF interest rate changes every quarter, the interest earned on your deposit also changes throughout the investment tenure. This earned interest is credited to your account at the end of each financial year
• By keeping a check on your PPF account balance, you can also know how much money you will receive upon PPF maturity
• In case you want to make partial PPF withdrawal from the 6th financial year of opening the account, keeping a track of your PPF balance will help you know the amount you can withdraw
• Having an idea of your PPF account balance will help you know the amount that you can avail as a loan against your PPF in case the need arises