National Savings Certificate (NSC) interest rate for January-March 2025: Earn 7.7%

The Government has kept the NSC interest rate unchanged at 7.7%.

The National Savings Certificate interest rate for the October-December quarter of FY 2025-26 was announced by the Ministry of Finance on September 30, 2025. The Ministry had then also decided to keep the interest rate of this popular small savings scheme unchanged.

You can open the NSC account only in the post office. The scheme is currently offering 7.7% interest compounded annually. The interest accumulated under this scheme is paid to investors on maturity.

The government has kept NSC interest rate unchanged at 7.7% since April 1, 2025. The interest rates of small savings schemes like NSC, SCSS, PPF, and SSY are supposed to be decided based on the secondary market yields of G-secs of comparable maturities plus 25 basis points. However, the Finance Ministry doesn't always follow this formula.

Who can open an NSC account?

As per details available on the Post Office website, the NSC account can be opened by a single adult. joint NSC account with up to three adults can also be opened.

NSC account can also be opened by minors above 10 years of age. Further, a guardian can open the NSC account on behalf of a minor or on behalf of a person of unsound mind.

The NSC scheme allows a minimum deposit limit of ₹1000, and thereafter in multiples of ₹ 100. However, there is no limit on the maximum deposit you can make in a NSC account.

Deposits under the NSC scheme mature after 5 years. At 7.7% interest rate, NSC offers an opportunity to turn ₹1000 into ₹1,449.00 on maturity after five years. Investments up to ₹1.5 lakh in a NSC account qualify for deduction under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961. However, this facility is available only under the Old Tax Regime.

Interest earned from investments under NSC are taxable at applicable slab rates.