If you have PPF account and due to some unforeseen circumstances, you need to withdraw money from PPF account then this may incur some or great losses to you. Withdrawing money from immature PPF account is not recommended yet people need the money in urgent situations then in this case let’s explore the consequences of this and clarify the apprehension you have for the premature PPF money withdrawal. Public Provident Fund (PPF Account) come to appear like a great tool to channelize little savings and keep them for retirement. What a lot of people are unaware of is that it makes a great investment tool as well.

But before we invest in PPF we need to have a basic idea of what exactly PPF is and all the knowledge about deposit, withdrawals, and returns. PPF comes across as one of the safest ways to make an investment as it is government regulated and therefore provides security of your investments and with the return of 7.8% on an average in the recent years PPF beats any other form of investment and is therefore considered as the best long-term investment too.

Although the fact remains that the rate of return varies from year to year according to the market, but is anyway good for cautious investors who do not want to invest in the equity market and wishes to go for an investment which provides both safety and good returns.

But PPF scheme lays down certain strict and specific rules when it comes to withdrawal from the PPF account. What you read ahead will guide you through all the withdrawals from your PPF account along with providing an all-round idea on the PPF scheme.

What Is PPF (Public Provident Fund)?

Public Provident Fund is a very widespread long-term investment option which is initiated by the government which comes with a lock-in period of 15 years. It accumulates regular returns on investments and sums up the entire amount, the interest along with the principal investment on maturity. The minimum one may invest in PPF stands to be Rs. 500 whereas the maximum investment in a year is fixed at Rs. 1,50,000. PPF comes with tax savings benefits. The invested amount in PPF is eligible for an income tax deduction, provided you file a claim producing your investment proofs at the time of filing income tax returns.

The complete withdrawal of the invested amount in a PPF scheme is only possible after maturity, that is, only after the 15^th year from the date of creation. However, partial withdrawal is possible which are again subjected to certain rules.

How To Check PPF Account Balances?

Checking your PPF account balance is quite easy if you have net banking enabled. All you have to do is to log in with your User ID and password under PPF section and click on information balance and you will find all the particulars regarding balance in the account, interest accumulated, deposits made and more such.

However, in case you have a PPF account with a Post Office, you may not be able to check your PPF account balance for all the branches. You have to visit the respective post office wherein you have an account with your passbook and get your passbook updated in order to know the current balance.

Withdraw Money from PPF Account Prematurely

PPF is a scheme for the long term. However, that doesn’t mean that you are not eligible to withdraw any amount before the maturity period of 15 years. One is allowed to withdraw from the PPF account right after the completion of the 5^th year since the account was opened. This definitely makes PPF a multipurpose tool that helps you withdraw in times of financial emergencies even if that is before the date of maturity. Also, PPF provides loans for a short term in order to meet your financial requirements which comes at the cheaper rate of interest as compared to any commercial bank or financial institution.

The rules for withdrawals state that 50% of the accumulated amount can be withdrawn after the 5^th year since the date of creation of the account. But it is here where the PPF account holder has invested between 7 years and 12 years, the limit of withdrawal becomes higher.

It is important that the account holder follows the financial year, that is from 1^st April to 31^st March in order to get an estimate of the withdrawal period. The time-frame is necessarily the financial year for the withdrawal. Also, it is to be let in mind that only one partial withdrawal is permitted in one financial year.

The account holder has to go through an application process for withdrawal which includes submission of Form C through the bank they maintain their account in. The applicant needs to mention the account number and the amount to be withdrawn in the Declaration section of the form. The number of years completed from the date of initial subscriptions also needs to be specified.

The account holder has an eligibility to withdraw the full accumulated amount after completion of 15 years from the date of creation. The account holder also has the option of leaving the amount un-withdrawn but then he has to apply for a term extension of 5 years. Premature closure of PPF account, however, is possible only in the event of the death of the account holder. You can calculate the PPF withdrawal amount using PPF calculators.

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