PPF extension after 15 years: keep contributing or stop?
Maturity is a fork, not an automatic rollover you ignore
At the end of the core 15-year tenure you can close the account, extend it in blocks without fresh deposits (balance keeps earning at the notified rate under scheme rules), or extend with continued contributions subject to the yearly ceiling. Each choice changes liquidity and how much new money you lock in.
Contribute only if the goal still needs the lock-in
Fresh deposits after extension still compete for old-regime 80C room if you use that regime, and they stay inside PPF’s withdrawal discipline. If you need flexible cash in the next few years, extending without contribution—or closing and parking elsewhere—may fit better. If retirement is still distant and you value EEE-style treatment, continued contributions can make sense.
Re-run the projection from today’s balance
Do not reuse a fifteen-year-old calculator screenshot. Take the current balance and any planned yearly deposit into the PPF calculator for the next extension block. Notified rates change; treat the tool’s rate date as an assumption, not a guarantee forever.
Results from FinanceChacha are estimates for planning, not financial or tax advice. Read the disclaimer.
Try the calculator
Open the calculator this guide refers to and run your own numbers.