Sukanya Samriddhi account: rules, 21-year maturity and a worked example
The Sukanya Samriddhi account is a government savings account for a girl child, opened by a parent or guardian. Families often look at it for a daughter's education or marriage costs because the money is meant to be left alone for a long time. Here is how it works, based on the official scheme text, and a worked example with round numbers.
The key rules
The rules below come from the Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, 2019 notification hosted by India Post, and the National Savings Institute page:
- The account is opened in the name of a girl child who has not attained the age of ten years on the date of opening. Each girl child can have one account.
- The minimum deposit is Rs 250 in a financial year, and the total deposited cannot exceed Rs 1,50,000 in a financial year.
- Deposits can be made until fifteen years from the date of opening.
- The account matures after twenty-one years from the date of opening.
- The guardian operates the account until the girl turns eighteen, after which she operates it herself.
- A withdrawal of up to 50 per cent of the balance at the end of the previous financial year is allowed for the account holder's education, once she turns eighteen or has passed tenth standard, whichever is earlier, with documentary proof such as a fee slip.
- Closure before maturity is allowed in a few cases, such as the intended marriage of the account holder (who must be at least eighteen), subject to the conditions in the scheme text.
An account where the minimum yearly deposit is missed is treated as being in default, and the scheme text says it can be regularised on payment of a penalty of fifty rupees for each year of default along with the minimum deposit. Read the scheme text or ask your post office for the full conditions.
The interest rate
The scheme notification quotes the rate that applied when it was issued, so do not use that figure today. The current rate is in the NSI interest rate table: 8.2% a year in each quarter from April 2025 to July to September 2026, and India Post's savings page shows 8.2% as the current rate. The rate is reviewed every quarter and can change.
A worked example
Suppose you deposit Rs 1,00,000 at the start of each year for the full 15 years of deposits, and then leave the balance to grow until the account matures in year 21. Assume 8.2% throughout, with interest added once a year.
- Total deposited: Rs 1,00,000 x 15 = Rs 15,00,000.
- Balance at the end of year 15: about Rs 29,83,993.
- Balance at maturity in year 21: about Rs 47,88,079.
- Interest earned: about Rs 32,88,079.
Notice that you stop depositing after year 15, yet the balance keeps growing for six more years. That is why starting early matters in this scheme.
A smaller example: Rs 1,000 a month is Rs 12,000 a year. Under the same assumptions, the maturity balance is about Rs 5,74,570 on total deposits of Rs 1,80,000.
These figures use a simple yearly model and match the Gunaka Sukanya calculator. The scheme text says interest is calculated on the lowest balance between the 5th and the end of each month and credited at the end of the financial year, so your passbook can differ from this model. And since the rate can change, treat the maturity amount as an estimate, not a promise.
Before you open one
Check the age limit, the documents the guardian must bring and the current rate at your post office or authorised bank. Try the Gunaka Sukanya calculator with your own yearly amount. Gunaka gives estimates, not financial advice, and tax benefits depend on current law, so confirm them with the Income Tax Department's guidance or a tax professional.
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