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Re:

Post Office Schemes vs Bank FDs: Which Offers Better Rates for Long-Term Savers?

The five-year Post Office Time Deposit is listed at 7.50% for October–December 2026, but bank examples have different dates and tenure bands. Compare live rates and terms before investing.
From TheFinanceBase Team5 min to read
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For a five-year saver, the Post Office Time Deposit is listed at 7.50% for 1 October–31 December 2026. The bank examples available here are not from the same date: SBI listed 6.05% for public customers and 7.05% for senior citizens in its 5–10-year band, effective 15 July 2025, while HDFC’s published table shows 7.00% for regular customers and 7.75% for senior citizens in its 5-years-1-day-to-10-years band. These figures are illustrative, not a current market-wide ranking. Check the bank’s live rate and terms when you open the deposit.

Rates to compare for a long-term investment

“Post Office schemes” are not all like-for-like alternatives to a bank fixed deposit (FD). The five-year National Savings Time Deposit is the closest match for a five-year FD. Other small-savings products differ in eligibility, maturity, payout, or withdrawal rules, so their headline rates do not by themselves establish a better return for the same saving goal.

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Product or example Published rate Period or date How the figure is qualified
National Savings 5-year Time Deposit 7.50% 1 October–31 December 2026 Quarterly compounding; Indian Bank’s published rate table
National Savings 3-year Time Deposit 7.10% 1 October–31 December 2026 Quarterly compounding; Indian Bank’s published rate table
National Savings 2-year Time Deposit 7.00% 1 October–31 December 2026 Quarterly compounding; Indian Bank’s published rate table
National Savings 1-year Time Deposit 6.90% 1 October–31 December 2026 Quarterly compounding; Indian Bank’s published rate table
National Savings Certificate (NSC) 7.70% 1 October–31 December 2026 Annual compounding; Indian Bank’s published rate table
Public Provident Fund (PPF) 7.10% 1 October–31 December 2026 Annual compounding; Indian Bank’s published rate table; not a five-year deposit
Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS) 8.20% 1 October–31 December 2026 Quarterly compounding; eligibility and product terms differ from an ordinary FD
Sukanya Samriddhi Account 8.20% 1 October–31 December 2026 Annual compounding; eligibility and time horizon differ from an FD
Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) 7.50% 1 October–31 December 2026 Indian Bank’s table shows maturity in 115 months
National Savings Monthly Income Account (MIS) 7.40% 1 October–31 December 2026 Monthly payout; no compounding is listed in the table
Post Office Savings Account 4% India Post overview Rate listed by India Post; an account rather than a term-matched FD
Post Office Recurring Deposit 6.7% India Post overview Rate listed by India Post; recurring deposits differ from a lump-sum FD
SBI retail domestic term deposit, public customers 6.05% Effective 15 July 2025 For deposits below ₹3 crore, 5–10-year band; dated SBI example
SBI retail domestic term deposit, senior citizens 7.05% Effective 15 July 2025 For deposits below ₹3 crore, 5–10-year band; dated SBI example
HDFC Bank FD, regular customers 7.00% Published table; date not stated in cited material 5-years-1-day-to-10-years band
HDFC Bank FD, senior citizens 7.75% Published table; date not stated in cited material 5-years-1-day-to-10-years band

The small-savings rates above are the figures published for the third quarter of FY 2026–27. Indian Bank’s table says they were unchanged from the previous quarter and reproduces the government memorandum dated 30 September 2026. The Department of Economic Affairs index lists a revision on that date; the detailed figures here are attributed to Indian Bank’s table, not presented as independently extracted from the notification. See Indian Bank’s small-savings rate table and the Department of Economic Affairs.

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India Post’s overview also lists the Savings Account, Recurring Deposit, MIS, SCSS, and PPF rates. Treat each as its own product rather than assuming its rate, access, or cash flow is interchangeable with a bank FD. See India Post’s savings schemes overview.

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What the bank examples do—and do not—show

SBI’s retail domestic term-deposit table is for deposits below ₹3 crore. Its 15 July 2025 rate for the 5–10-year band was 6.05% for public customers and 7.05% for senior citizens. The date matters: this is not an October 2026 quote. Check SBI’s retail domestic term-deposit rates.

HDFC Bank’s cited table places its 5-years-1-day-to-10-years band at 7.00% for regular customers and 7.75% for senior citizens. Its material also describes a lower rate in some premature-closure cases. Because the table’s date is not stated here, and the SBI and Post Office figures have different effective periods and tenure bands, none of these figures establishes which bank currently offers the best rate. Confirm the live rate, payout or compounding option, and early-closure terms with the bank before booking. See HDFC Bank’s rates information.

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How to make a fair comparison

  1. Match the duration. Start with a five-year Post Office Time Deposit and a bank FD with the same maturity. Do not compare either casually with PPF, KVP, or another product with a materially different horizon.
  2. Match the customer category. Check whether the bank’s quote is for a regular customer or an eligible senior citizen. The cited SBI and HDFC tables show that the rate can differ by category.
  3. Compare how and when interest is paid. A monthly-income product, a quarterly-compounded deposit, and an annually compounded product produce different cash flows. A headline percentage alone does not tell you the same maturity value or income timing.
  4. Read access and early-closure terms. Check lock-ins, withdrawal conditions, and any rate reduction or penalty before committing. HDFC’s published material describes reduced rates in some early-closure cases.
  5. Check the protection that applies to the deposit. HDFC’s material states DICGC cover of ₹5 lakh per depositor, including principal and interest. That statement should not be generalized to every institution or treated as a description of Post Office scheme protection.
  6. Verify rates on the booking date. The Post Office figures are specific to October–December 2026, while the cited SBI figure is effective from July 2025. A bank’s rate can change, so compare the current offer and terms when you are ready to open the deposit.

Which option may fit your goal?

If you need a fixed five-year horizon

Use the five-year Time Deposit as the Post Office reference point, then compare it with a bank FD for the same duration and customer category. The current-quarter Post Office rate is 7.50%, but the bank examples above are dated or not dated in the cited material, so they cannot settle today’s head-to-head result.

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If you are eligible for a senior-citizen scheme

SCSS is listed at 8.20% for the quarter, but it is not simply a higher-rate five-year FD: eligibility, payout, and withdrawal terms differ. Compare those terms with the senior-citizen FD rate available to you rather than choosing on the rate alone.

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If you want regular income

MIS is listed at 7.40% with monthly payout. That payout pattern may be more relevant than a higher compounded rate if you need cash flow, but it is not the same return structure as leaving interest invested in a term deposit.

If your saving horizon is longer or tied to eligibility

PPF, Sukanya Samriddhi, NSC, and KVP have distinct terms and horizons. Their respective listed rates—7.10%, 8.20%, 7.70%, and 7.50%—should be read alongside those conditions; they do not establish that they are superior substitutes for a five-year FD.

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Practical verdict

For a comparable five-year product, the Post Office Time Deposit is listed at 7.50% for October–December 2026. The supplied bank examples do not provide synchronized October 2026 rates, and they do not cover the whole Indian FD market. A saver seeking the best long-term return should use the Post Office rate as a dated benchmark, then compare live bank quotes at the same tenure and customer category, including payout choice, early-closure terms, and applicable protection.

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