Post Office Time Deposit interest rates January-March 2026: Get up to 7.5%

The government has once again kept the interest rates unchanged. You can get up to 7.5% interest on 5-year Post Office Time Deposit.

The Post Office Time Deposit interest rate for the October-December quarter of FY 2025-26 was announced by the Finance Ministry on September 30, 2025. The Ministry had then decided to keep the interest rate unchanged for post office time deposits of various tenures

The Post Office Time Deposit is also popular as Post Office fixed deposit. Post Office offers time deposit accounts in four tenures, with the maximum interest rate of 7.5% at present. Following are the interest rates for all four tenures of Post Office Time Deposits:

• 1-year Post Office Time Deposit: 6.9%

• 2-year Post Office Time Deposit: 7%

• 3-year Post Office Time Deposit: 7.1%

• 5-year Post Office Time Deposit: 7.5%

The interest on deposits under Post Office Time Deposit is compounded quarterly and credited to the account holder at the end of each year during the period of deposit.

Further, the deposits under Post Office Time Deposit become repayable after the expiry of 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 5 years, as the case may be, from the date of opening.

Amid declining interest rates in banks, the Post Office Time Deposit scheme offers a better alternative to depositors interested in fixed deposit.

Who can open Post Office Time Deposit Account?

Following persons are allowed to open the Post Office Time Deposit account:

• A single adult

• Joint Account (up to 3 adults) (Joint A or Joint B)

• A guardian on behalf of minor

• A guardian on behalf of person of unsound mind

• A minor above 10 years in his own name.

While there is no limit on the maximum deposit that an individual can make in a Post Office Time Deposit account, the minimum deposit is capped at ₹1000 and thereafter in multiples of ₹100.

Further, investments in a 5-year Post Office Time Deposit account qualify for taxdeduction under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961. But this benefit can be availed only under the Old Tax Regime.