1. Best FD Interest Rates

Best FD Interest Rates 2026 — All Banks Compared

Updated

A live comparison of fixed-deposit rates across PSU banks, private banks, Small Finance Banks, and the Post Office Time Deposit. Sort by rate, senior-citizen premium, or alphabetically. Every figure here is verified against the bank's own deposits page on the date shown below the table.

Current FD interest rates — all banks

Tap any column header to re-sort. The general rate is what a non-senior adult earns on a standard retail FD at the most common tenure band; the senior rate applies to depositors 60+ (super-senior premium not shown — adds another 15–25 bps at most banks for 80+). Tenure-specific peaks and special-bucket rates (444-day, 888-day, 1001-day promotions) are noted per bank.

Bank Type Rate (%) Senior (%) Notes
Jana Small Finance BankSmall finance7.508.00Rates effective 11 Apr 2026 (retail). Range 3.50–7.77% general, 3.50–8.00% senior. Peak 7.77% on 5y (same for general and senior). Tax-saver 5y at 7.77%. DICGC insured up to ₹5 lakh. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0%.
Equitas Small Finance BankSmall finance7.257.75Rates revised Apr 2026. Range 3.50–7.40% general, 4.00–7.90% senior. Peak 7.40% (7.90% senior) on the 888-day special (annualised ~8.05%/8.30%). Senior +50 bps (not applicable on NRE/NRO). DICGC insured up to ₹5 lakh. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0%.
Suryoday Small Finance BankSmall finance7.257.75Rates effective 1 May 2026. Range 4.00–8.10% general, 4.20–8.25% senior. Peak 8.10% (8.25% senior) on the 5y FD. Tax-saver 7.90%. Aggregators occasionally cite 8.60% on a 3y bucket; bank's own page caps 5y at 8.10% — used the bank-card-aligned figure. Senior +50 bps (limited on some buckets). DICGC insured up to ₹5 lakh. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0%.
Ujjivan Small Finance BankSmall finance7.257.75Range 3.75–8.25% general, 4.25–8.75% senior across the full tenure spectrum. Medium-term (1–5y) 7.25–7.45% general / 7.75–7.95% senior. Min deposit ₹1,000. NO premature withdrawal penalty after 6 months. DICGC insured up to ₹5 lakh.
Unity Small Finance BankSmall finance7.007.50Rates revised 9 Feb 2026. Range 4.00–7.50% general, 4.00–8.00% senior. Peak 7.50% (8.00% senior) on the 1001-day special. Senior +50 bps. DICGC insured up to ₹5 lakh. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0%.
Utkarsh Small Finance BankSmall finance7.007.50Rates effective 5 May 2026. Range 4.00–7.50% general, 4.50–8.00% senior. Peak 7.50% (8.00% senior) on the 1500-day / medium-long buckets. Senior +50 bps. DICGC insured up to ₹5 lakh. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0%.
Post Office Time DepositPost office6.906.90Rates set quarterly by Ministry of Finance; current rates effective 1 Apr 2026 to 30 Jun 2026 (unchanged from previous quarter). 2y tenure = 7.00%. No senior-citizen premium on POTD — uniform rates for all. Premature closure only after 6 months; interest computed at PO Savings rate if closed before 1y, otherwise 1–2% reduction from applicable rate. Interest compounded quarterly, paid annually. Sovereign-backed — DICGC cap does not apply.
AU Small Finance BankSmall finance6.907.40Rates effective 23 Apr 2026. Range 3.50–7.25% general, 4.00–7.75% senior. Tax-saver 5y FD 7.00%. Senior +50 bps. DICGC insured up to ₹5 lakh. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0%.
Yes BankPrivate6.757.25Range 3.25–7.00% general, 3.75–7.75% senior. Senior +50 bps below 3y and +75 bps for 3y+. Min deposit ₹10,000. Premature withdrawal penalty 0.75% (waived for senior citizens).
Kotak Mahindra BankPrivate6.507.00Rates effective 11 Feb 2026 (deposits under ₹3 Cr). Range 2.75–6.70% general, up to 7.20% senior. Peak 6.70% (7.20% senior) on the 15m–under 2y bucket. Tax-saver FD 6.25%. Premature withdrawal penalty 0.5% (1% for amounts ≥ ₹5 Cr).
SBIPublic sector6.256.75Rates effective May 2026 for domestic FDs under ₹3 Cr. Peak 6.45% (6.95% senior) on the 444-day Amrit Vrishti special. Senior +50 bps standard. Premature withdrawal: 0.50% penalty on FDs up to ₹5 lakh, 1.0% for ₹5 lakh–₹1 Cr.
HDFC BankPrivate6.256.75Rates effective 7 March 2026 (deposits under ₹3 Cr). Range 2.75–6.50% general, up to 7.00% senior. Senior +50 bps plus extra +25 bps on the 5y1d–10y bucket. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0%.
ICICI BankPrivate6.256.75Rates effective Feb 2026 (deposits under ₹3 Cr). Range 2.75–6.50% general, up to 7.10% senior. Senior +55 bps on the 15–18 month special bucket. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0% for deposits ≥ ₹5 lakh (0.5% below).
Axis BankPrivate6.256.75Rates effective 1 May 2026 (deposits under ₹3 Cr). Range 3.00–6.60% general, 3.50–7.35% senior. Tax-saver FD 6.45%. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0%.
PNBPublic sector6.256.75Rates revised 24 Feb 2026 / effective 1 Feb 2026. Range 3.00–6.40% general, 3.50–6.90% senior. Peak 6.60% (7.10% senior) on the 444-day special. Aggregators occasionally cite a higher 7.45% rate for the 3–5y band; bank's own card caps at 6.40% — used the bank-card-aligned figure. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0% (waived above 5y for amounts under ₹5 lakh).
Bank of IndiaPublic sector6.256.75Rates as of May 2026. Range 3.00–6.60% general, 3.00–7.10% senior. Peak 6.70% (7.20% senior) on the 450-day special. Senior +50 bps, super-senior +65 bps on tenures ≥ 6 months. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0%.
IDBI BankPublic sector6.256.75Range 3.00–6.50% general, 3.50–7.00% senior. Peak 6.60% (7.10% senior, 7.25% super-senior) on the 444-day special. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0%.
Canara BankPublic sector6.256.75Rates effective 17 March 2026. Range 3.00–6.50% general, 3.00–7.00% senior. Peak 6.50% (7.00% senior) on the 444-day special. Senior +50 bps on tenures 180 days+. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0%.
Bank of BarodaPublic sector6.106.60Rates revised 1 May 2026. Range 3.50–6.45% general, 4.00–7.00% senior. Peak 6.45% on the 444-day special. Premature withdrawal penalty 1.0% for retail deposits.

Rates verified on 2026-05-17. Source: Bank websites + aggregator FD rate compilations (Paisabazaar, Policybazaar, Bankbazaar, Stablemoney, Upstox); researched 2026-05-17. Refresh next: 2026-08-17.. Bank rates change frequently — confirm on the bank's official page before applying or depositing.

How to read the table

Three columns matter most when you're comparing FDs:

  • Rate (general) — the headline rate for a non-senior depositor on the bank's most common retail tenure band (typically 1y or 3y). The "notes" column flags the bank's peak rate when a special-tenure bucket pays meaningfully more.
  • Senior (%) — the rate for depositors 60+. The standard premium is +50 bps; a few banks layer an extra +25 bps on long-tenure or special buckets. Yes Bank waives the premature-withdrawal penalty entirely for seniors.
  • Notes — the bank's full rate range (low to high), the peak special-tenure rate, premature-withdrawal penalty, and any tax-saver / promotional caveats.

Once you've picked a bank and tenure, plug the rate into the FD calculator to see maturity value at quarterly compounding (the regulatory standard in India), or use the FD interest calculator if you want the interest-only figure separated from principal.

Looking for the absolute peak rate rather than the best fit? The companion highest FD interest rates page surfaces the rate-by-rate leaderboard (general + senior), the highest by tenure (1y / 3y / 5y), and the special-tenure festival buckets where the peaks usually sit.

PSU vs private vs Small Finance vs Post Office

The four segments behave quite differently:

  • PSU banks (SBI, PNB, BoB, BoI, Canara, IDBI) — uniform retail experience, the largest branch networks, and rate-card stability that tracks RBI MCLR / repo-linked benchmarks. Headline rates cluster at 6.10–6.25% general with 50 bps senior premium. The DICGC ₹5 lakh cap applies technically, but the implicit sovereign backing of PSU banks means depositor losses have been effectively zero in the post-2008 era.
  • Private banks (HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak, Yes Bank, IDBI) — similar headline rates to PSUs (6.25–6.75% general), occasionally higher on special-tenure buckets. Kotak's 11 Feb 2026 card pays 6.70% on its 15m–under-2y bucket; Yes Bank pays 7.00% on 3y. Premature withdrawal penalties are usually 1.0% across the board.
  • Small Finance Banks (Jana, Equitas, AU, Unity, Suryoday, Ujjivan, Utkarsh) — the highest rates in the system. Jana 7.50% / Equitas 7.25% on 1-year general; Suryoday 8.10% on its 5-year bucket; Unity 7.50% on the 1001-day special. Quid pro quo: DICGC insurance caps the protection at ₹5 lakh per depositor per bank, and these banks have shorter operating histories than the mainline names.
  • Post Office Time Deposit — rates set quarterly by the Ministry of Finance, currently paying 6.90% on 1y and 7.50% on 5y. Sovereign-backed (no DICGC cap relevance). No senior-citizen premium. The 5y POTD qualifies for Section 80C deduction but locks for the full 5 years.

DICGC ₹5 lakh insurance — what it actually covers

The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation insures bank deposits up to ₹5 lakh per depositor per bank (raised from ₹1 lakh in 2020). The cap applies to the combined balance across all your accounts at the same bank — savings, current, FD, RD — not per account. Two practical implications:

  • SFB deposits above ₹5 lakh aren't fully insured. If you're parking ₹10 lakh in an SFB FD to capture the higher rate, half of it sits outside DICGC. The fix is to split: ₹5 lakh in one SFB, ₹5 lakh in another, so each FD stays within the cap.
  • Joint-holder permutations are separate depositors. A "Self + Spouse" FD and a "Spouse + Self" FD are treated as two different depositor entities at the same bank — each is independently insured to ₹5 lakh. This is the standard workaround for larger SFB deposits at a single bank.

For amounts where the DICGC split becomes operationally awkward (above ~₹15–20 lakh), genuinely sovereign-backed instruments — Post Office Time Deposit, RBI Savings (Floating Rate) Bonds, GSec direct via RBI Retail Direct — sit outside the DICGC framework entirely.

Choosing a tenure in the current rate cycle

The RBI repo rate sits at 5.25% as of the April 2026 MPC (held after the 25 bps cut from 5.50% at the December 2025 MPC). Bank FD rates have repriced down from the 2023–24 peak and now sit in the lower half of the recent cycle. Three plausible tenure strategies:

  • Lock long if you think rates fall further. If you expect another 25–50 bps of repo cuts over the next 12–18 months, the 3y / 5y FD at today's rate beats rolling shorter FDs into successive lower rates. The Post Office 5y at 7.50% and the SFB 5y peaks (Suryoday 8.10%, Jana 7.77%) are the most aggressive "lock the rate" plays.
  • Ladder if you want optionality. Split the deposit into 1y / 2y / 3y / 5y buckets so one matures every year. You lose a touch on average yield but gain liquidity and the ability to roll into better rates if the cycle turns.
  • Special-tenure buckets are usually the rate peak. 444-day, 888-day, 1001-day "festival" FDs are pricing tools banks use to push specific maturities; they routinely pay 20–40 bps above the adjacent standard tenures. Worth checking when you have flexibility on the exact tenure.

Senior-citizen premium

Standard premium across virtually all scheduled commercial banks and SFBs is +50 basis points over the general rate. A 6.25% general FD pays 6.75% to a senior. Several banks layer a second tier — "super-senior" or "very senior", typically for depositors 80+ — at +75 bps over the general rate. IDBI publishes a +75 bps super-senior tier on its 444-day special.

Two caveats most rate cards bury in fine print:

  • NRE / NRO deposits usually don't get the premium — it's a resident-Indian senior-citizen benefit.
  • Some special-tenure buckets cap or exclude the premium — the 444-day specials usually keep the +50, but some bank-specific promotions don't. Always check the bucket-by-bucket card before depositing a large amount.

TDS and tax on FD interest

FD interest is taxed as Income from Other Sources at your marginal slab rate. The bank deducts TDS at 10% when total interest paid to you in a financial year crosses ₹40,000 (general) or ₹50,000 (senior citizens, raised from ₹40,000 by the 2024 Finance Act). The TDS is creditable against your final tax liability when you file your return.

If your total taxable income is below the basic exemption limit (₹2.5 lakh for general; ₹3 lakh for senior citizens; ₹5 lakh for super-seniors under the old regime), you can submit Form 15G (under 60) or Form 15H (60+) at the start of the financial year to ask the bank to skip TDS. The full eligibility test and a sample form are in the Form 15G/15H guide .

Frequently asked questions

Among scheduled commercial banks, the headline floor for general (non-senior) citizens sits around 6.10–6.75% at the mainstream PSU + private banks (SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis 6.25%; Yes Bank 6.75%; Kotak 6.50%; BoB 6.10%), and rises sharply for Small Finance Banks: Jana SFB 7.50%, Equitas SFB / Suryoday SFB 7.25%, Unity SFB / Utkarsh SFB / Ujjivan SFB 7.00%, AU SFB 6.90%. Special-tenure buckets push the peaks higher — Suryoday 8.10% on its 5-year bucket, Jana 7.77% on 5-year, Equitas ~7.40% on 888-day. Post Office Time Deposit pays 7.50% on 5-year sovereign-backed. Senior citizens earn a standard +50 bps premium on top of the general rate (super-senior +65–75 bps at some banks).

Yes, with the standard ₹5 lakh DICGC limit. Small Finance Banks are RBI-licensed scheduled commercial banks; deposits up to ₹5 lakh per depositor per bank are insured by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), identical to the insurance on mainline private and PSU bank FDs. If you have more than ₹5 lakh to deposit and you want SFB rates, split across multiple SFBs to keep each FD within the ₹5 lakh limit, or split across joint-holder permutations at a single bank (each unique combination is treated as a separate depositor for DICGC purposes). For amounts above ~₹15 lakh that the DICGC split makes operationally awkward, sovereign-backed options (Post Office Time Deposit, RBI Savings Bonds, GSec direct) are alternatives.

Post Office Time Deposit rates are set quarterly by the Ministry of Finance, independent of bank deposit rates. They tend to move slower than bank FD rates and currently sit higher than mainstream PSU bank rates because the bank deposit market has repriced down with the RBI repo cuts of late 2025, while the small-savings rate revision lagged. POTD is sovereign-backed (no DICGC cap concern) but has trade-offs: no senior-citizen premium (uniform rate for everyone), premature withdrawal allowed only after 6 months with rate adjustment, and the 5-year POTD qualifies for 80C tax deduction but is locked in for the full 5 years.

The standard premium is +50 basis points (0.50%) over the general rate, applied across virtually every scheduled commercial bank and Small Finance Bank. So a 6.25% general rate becomes 6.75% for seniors. Several banks add a second tier — "super-senior" or "very senior" — for depositors 80+, typically +75 bps over the general rate (so 7.00% on the same example). The premium usually does not apply on NRE / NRO deposits, and some special-tenure buckets cap the premium or exclude it; always check the bank-specific rate card. Post Office Time Deposit is an exception — no senior-citizen premium, same rate for everyone.

Depends on the current rate cycle and your liquidity needs. With the RBI repo rate at 5.25% (April 2026, held after the December 2025 cut from 5.50%), bank FD rates are roughly in the lower half of the recent cycle. If you expect another 25–50 bps of cuts over the next 12–18 months, locking a longer (3–5 year) FD at today's rate is the better play — once cuts flow through, re-investing at maturity will be at lower rates. If you expect rates to stabilise or rise, ladder shorter (1–2 year) FDs so you can roll into better rates. For pure liquidity, a 1-year FD plus a sweep-in savings account is hard to beat.

Yes. FD interest is taxed as "Income from Other Sources" at your marginal slab rate. Banks deduct TDS at 10% if the total FD interest paid by that bank in a financial year crosses ₹40,000 for general depositors (₹50,000 for senior citizens, raised from ₹40,000 by the 2024 Finance Act effective April 2025). The TDS is creditable against your final tax liability when you file your return. If your total taxable income is below the basic exemption limit, you can submit Form 15G (under 60) or Form 15H (60+) at the start of the financial year to ask the bank to skip TDS — see the [Form 15G/15H guide](/guides/form-15g-15h-fd) for the rules and a sample.

Only if you have unused Section 80C headroom and need a parking option. The 5-year tax-saver FD locks in for the full 5 years (no premature withdrawal at all), and the post-tax return on a 6.25–7.00% pre-tax rate is modest for a 30%-slab taxpayer. PPF (₹1.5L/year, 15-year, currently 7.10% tax-free) is almost always a better long-tenure 80C instrument, and ELSS mutual funds offer equity-linked returns with a 3-year lock-in. The tax-saver FD makes sense mainly when (a) you've already exhausted PPF + EPF, (b) you don't want equity risk on the 80C bucket, and (c) you're comfortable locking the ₹1.5L for 5 years.

Bank FD rates are revised every 30–90 days at most lenders, in response to RBI MPC repo rate decisions, internal cost-of-funds movements, and competitive pressure. Special-tenure buckets (444-day, 888-day, 1001-day) are typically revised more frequently than standard tenure bands. We refresh this page quarterly — the rates above were verified on 2026-05-17 and the next refresh is scheduled for 2026-08-17. Always confirm on the bank's official deposits page before booking an FD, especially if you're comparing rates that are close (a 5–10 bps move between weekly revisions is common).