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EPF, PPF & NPS Calculator (India)

Project your retirement corpus across EPF, PPF, and NPS in one place.

Of the employer's 12% contribution, typically only ~3.67% goes to EPF (the rest funds the EPS pension scheme, up to the wage ceiling) — adjust if your organization differs.

What is it?

This calculator projects your retirement corpus across India's three major retirement savings vehicles — EPF (Employee Provident Fund), PPF (Public Provident Fund), and NPS (National Pension System) — each with its own contribution rules and simulated month-by-month or year-by-year growth.

Formula Explanation

EPF: monthly employee + employer contributions compound monthly at the current EPF interest rate, with salary growing by your annual increment each year. PPF: annual contributions (capped at ₹1.5 lakh) compound yearly over a minimum 15-year lock-in. NPS: monthly contributions compound at your expected market-linked return until retirement, after which a portion is mandatorily used to purchase an annuity for monthly pension income.

Example Calculation

A 30-year-old with a ₹40,000 basic salary contributing to EPF for 25 years at 8.25% interest, with 5% annual increments, builds a corpus of several times their total contributions thanks to decades of compounding — the exact figure depends heavily on salary growth and interest rate assumptions.

How to Use

  1. Choose the EPF, PPF, or NPS tab.
  2. Enter your contribution amount, applicable rate, and time horizon for that scheme.
  3. For EPF, include your expected annual salary increment for a more realistic projection.
  4. For NPS, review both the lump-sum withdrawal and the estimated monthly pension from the mandatory annuity portion.

Benefits

  • Covers all three major Indian retirement savings instruments in a single tool.
  • Simulates month-by-month or year-by-year growth instead of a rough single-formula estimate.
  • Shows the NPS lump sum and pension split, which most simple calculators skip.

Use Cases

  • Comparing how much your EPF alone will grow to versus adding voluntary PPF or NPS contributions.
  • Retirement planning across multiple accounts to estimate combined corpus at retirement.
  • Understanding how much monthly pension NPS's mandatory annuity portion will actually provide.

What Your Result Means

Each tab's maturity corpus is the projected value of that specific scheme at the end of its tenure. For NPS, remember only the annuity portion (minimum 40% by regulation) converts into a monthly pension — the rest is available as a lump sum at retirement.

Tips

  • EPF's employer contribution split (EPF vs. EPS) can vary — check your payslip or PF passbook for your organization's exact figures.
  • PPF has a mandatory 15-year lock-in but can be extended indefinitely in blocks of 5 years after that.
  • NPS returns are market-linked and not guaranteed — the expected return you enter is an assumption, not a promise.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting to include salary increments in EPF projections, which significantly understates long-term corpus.
  • Assuming PPF's full ₹1.5 lakh annual cap is available to everyone — it's a combined 80C limit across multiple instruments.
  • Not accounting for NPS's mandatory annuity portion, which reduces the lump sum available at retirement.

FAQs

Which is better — EPF, PPF, or NPS?

They serve different purposes: EPF is employer-linked and mandatory for salaried employees, PPF is a safe fixed-return option open to everyone, and NPS offers potentially higher market-linked returns with a mandatory annuity requirement — many people use a combination.

Can I contribute to all three at once?

Yes, salaried employees can have EPF (mandatory), plus voluntarily invest in PPF and NPS for additional retirement savings and tax benefits.

Why does NPS require buying an annuity?

Pension regulations mandate that at least 40% of your NPS corpus be used to purchase an annuity at retirement, ensuring a regular pension income rather than allowing a full lump-sum withdrawal.

Is the PPF interest rate fixed?

No, the PPF interest rate is set by the government and reviewed quarterly, though it has historically stayed relatively stable compared to market-linked instruments.

Interest rates and contribution rules for EPF, PPF, and NPS are set by regulatory bodies and change periodically — verify current rates before making investment decisions.

Last updated: July 26, 2026