SCSS quarterly interest, every payment date for five years, and the ₹30 lakh limit
Estimates only, not financial advice. What you type stays on your device. Checked against sources on 18 Oct 2026.The Senior Citizens Savings Scheme pays interest every quarter for 5 years on one deposit of up to ₹30 lakh. At the 8.2 per cent rate notified for October to December 2026, ₹30,00,000 pays ₹61,500 a quarter, ₹2,46,000 a year and ₹12,30,000 over the full term, with the deposit returned.
Rates and rules read from the sources listed on this page (the earliest on 18 Oct 2026); they may have changed since.
Set the "Deposit" slider, up to the 30 lakh limit, or pick one of the deposit chips above it.
Leave "Interest rate" on the notified SCSS rate, or press "Use the notified rate" if you moved it.
Pick the "Deposit date" to fix the first part-quarter payment and the maturity date.
Read "Interest every full quarter", "In a year", "Over 5 years" and "Matures on", then press "Share result".
The SCSS calculator works out the quarterly interest from the Senior Citizens' Savings Scheme and, if you give the deposit date, every payment and the day it falls due. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
A full quarter pays deposit × rate ÷ 4, rounded to the nearest rupee. Payments fall on the first working day of April, July, October and January. The first one covers only the days from your deposit to the end of that quarter, and the scheme's own formula applies: days in the period × the quarter's interest ÷ days in the quarter. The last payment covers the start of the final quarter up to maturity, five years after the deposit.
Deposited on 15 November 2026, ₹10,00,000 at 8.2% pays ₹10,473 on 1 January 2027 for 47 of the quarter's 92 days, then ₹20,500 every quarter for 19 quarters, and ₹10,027 at maturity on 15 November 2031. The total is ₹4,10,000. The rule does not say whether the deposit day counts; this counts it, so a deposit on the first day of a quarter earns exactly a quarter's interest, and a post office may differ by one day's interest.
| Deposit at 8.2% | Every quarter | In 5 years |
|---|---|---|
| ₹5,00,000 | ₹10,250 | ₹2,05,000 |
| ₹15,00,000 | ₹30,750 | ₹6,15,000 |
| ₹30,00,000 | ₹61,500 | ₹12,30,000 |
Who can open one: a person of sixty or more; a person between fifty-five and sixty who has retired, within a month of receiving the retirement benefits and only up to that amount; and retired defence personnel from fifty. The deposit is ₹1,000 or more in multiples of ₹1,000, up to ₹30 lakh per person across all accounts. Early closure loses the interest paid if before a year, 1.5% of the deposit before two years, and 1% after.
The rate is revised every quarter by the Ministry of Finance, but an account keeps its opening rate for all five years. Check the current rate before you deposit. This does not test your eligibility, work out tax or TDS, or project a three-year extension.
Sources: Senior Citizens' Savings Scheme, 2019, paras 3 to 6, as amended in 2023; the National Savings Institute's SCSS rate history; Department of Posts SB Order 12/2026; Department of Economic Affairs Office Memorandum of 30.09.2026. Checked 18 Oct 2026.
At the 8.2% rate notified for October to December 2026, ₹30,00,000 in the Senior Citizens Savings Scheme earns ₹61,500 each full quarter: 30,00,000 × 8.2% ÷ 4. That is ₹2,46,000 a year, or ₹20,500 a month on average, and ₹12,30,000 over five years.
Interest is paid on the first working day of April, July, October and January. The first payment covers the days from the deposit to the end of that quarter and is smaller, worked out by days. Add your deposit date in the calculator to see every payment date for the five years.
The rate notified for October to December 2026 is 8.2% a year, the highest of the small savings schemes alongside Sukanya Samriddhi, and unchanged since 1 April 2023. The Ministry of Finance announces the next quarter's rate around 31 December. An account keeps its opening rate for all five years.
₹30 lakh per person, raised from ₹15 lakh on 31 March 2023, across all SCSS accounts that person holds. Husband and wife, if both eligible, may each hold up to ₹30 lakh. The minimum is ₹1,000 in multiples of ₹1,000, and a retiree under sixty is limited to the retirement benefits received.
Anyone aged sixty or more; a person aged fifty-five to sixty who has retired on superannuation or voluntary retirement, opening within one month of receiving the retirement benefits; and retired defence personnel, excluding civilian defence employees, from fifty. An account can be single or joint with a spouse.
Closed within the first year, the interest already paid is recovered from the deposit. Between one and two years, 1.5% of the deposit is deducted, and after two years, 1%. On ₹30 lakh that is ₹45,000 or ₹30,000. Interest runs up to the date of closure.
Rates and rules change; check the source before you rely on a figure.
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