The interest rates of various small savings schemes for the third quarter of FY 2025-26 will remain unchanged, the Ministry of Finance informed today, September 30. This is the seventh consecutive quarter in which rates have not changed.
According to the notification of the Finance Ministry, “The rates of interest on various small savings schemes for the third quarter of FY 2025-26, starting from 1st October, 2025 and ending on 31st December, 2025 shall remain unchanged from those notified for the second quarter (1st July, 2025 to 30th September, 2025) of FY 2025-26.”. That is, the rates will remain stable for the quarterly period from 1st October 2025 to 31st December 2025.
Some of these schemes include Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Savings Certificate (NSC), Sukanya Samriddhi Account (SSA), and Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS).
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The repo rate started 2025 at 6.5 per cent and dropped by 25 basis points (bps) in February and April, followed by a larger 50 bps reduction in June, for a total decline to 1 per cent.
The changes in the interest rates of these schemes directly impact the middle-class families, pensioners, and senior citizens. Through these schemes, they earn interest along with keeping their principal safe, as they don’t want to face any financial risk.
The Finance Ministry last revised the rates in the January-March 2024 quarter, when the 3-year time deposit increased from 7 per cent to 7.1 per cent and SSA (Sukanya Samriddhi Account) increased from 8 per cent to 8.2 per cent, and other schemes remained unchanged.
Current interest rate on small savings schemes
Savings Deposit: 4%
1-year Time Deposit: 6.9%
2-year Time Deposit: 7%
3-year Time Deposit: 7.1%
5-year Time Deposit: 7.5%
5-year Recurring Deposit: 6.7%
Senior Citizens Savings Scheme: 8.2%
Monthly Income Account: 7.4%
National Savings Certificate: 7.7%
Public Provident Fund: 7.1%
Kisan Vikas Patra (115 months): 7.5%
Sukanya Samriddhi Account: 8.2%
The government reviews small savings scheme rates every quarter. Therefore, investors should pay close attention to quarterly notifications.