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How to open a PPF account in a Post Office

Public Provident Fund or PPF is a long-term investment scheme declared by the Government of India. This scheme offers tax exemptions and attractive interest rates. Apart from the public and private sector banks, individuals can open their PPF account easily in post offices as well.

Eligibility criteria

Any individual who is working in a reputed MNC/private company or is a pensioner or self-employed, or belongs to any other category, can open a PPF account in a post office. However, you need to be aware of some of the important points related to it while opening it-

An individual can open only one PPF account. If you have opened more than one, in that case, only the principal amount will be refunded without any interest from the second account, and it will be closed.
Between mother and father, only one member can open the PPF account in the name of their minor child. If the parent dies, the minor cannot continue with the account, it will be closed, and the money will be refunded.
An NRI cannot open a PPF account. In case if he/she has opened one while residing in India, they can continue it for 15 years i.e. until the maturity of the account.

Documents required

ID proof: Voter’s ID, Passport, Driving license, Aadhaar Card, etc.
Address proof: Voter’s ID, Passport, Driving license, Aadhaar Card, etc.
PAN card

The process of opening a post office PPF Account

The willing members need to follow the below-mentioned steps for opening their PPF account in a post office:

Step 1: Get an application form from your nearest post office or the sub-post office in your area. The application form can also be downloaded online.
Step 2: Fill up the form and submit it with the required KYC documents and your latest passport-sized photographs.
Step 3: The initial deposit required is Rs. 500, and the maximum amount is Rs. 70,000. However, the maximum deposit allowed within a year should not be more than Rs. 1.5 Lakhs.
Step 4: Once all the documents are submitted along with the initial deposit, the applicant will be handed a passbook for the PPF account. In that passbook, details such as the name of the account holder, PPF account number, branch name, etc are mentioned.