👧 Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana Calculator

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana Calculator - Plan Your Daughter's Future with Confidence

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is one of the most powerful financial instruments available to Indian parents today - not because it is the highest-returning investment, but because it combines a government-guaranteed return, complete EEE tax exemption, and a time horizon that perfectly matches a girl child's education and marriage milestones. No market risk, no TDS, no capital gains - just a dependable, compounding corpus that grows tax-free for 21 years.

How SSY Works - The Key Rules Every Parent Must Know

The Deposit Window - Why 15 Years In and 21 Years Out Is Powerful

One of the most underappreciated features of SSY is the free-compounding window. You deposit for 15 years and stop. Then the account sits untouched for 6 more years, compounding at 8.2% on the full accumulated corpus - with zero additional deposits required. This final 6-year phase alone can add 60–65% to the balance built after the deposit period. For a parent who deposits ₹1.5 lakh annually, the balance at the end of year 15 is approximately ₹44 lakh. By year 21, it grows to approximately ₹71 lakh - purely from 6 years of compounding on that base.

Partial Withdrawal at Age 18 - How It Works

When your daughter turns 18, SSY allows a one-time partial withdrawal of up to 50% of the account balance as recorded at the end of the previous financial year (i.e., the year-end balance when she was 17). This withdrawal is specifically meant for:

• Higher education: Admission fees, tuition fees for college, university or any recognised educational institution
• Marriage expenses: Wedding-related costs after the girl turns 18

The withdrawn amount can be taken as a lump sum or spread across 5 equal annual installments. Either way, it is completely tax-free. The remaining balance continues to earn 8.2% interest until the account matures at age 21, when it can be fully withdrawn tax-free.

SSY vs PPF vs FD - Which Is Best for a Girl Child's Education Fund?

• SSY vs PPF: SSY currently offers 8.2% vs PPF at 7.1% - a significant 110 basis point advantage on a government-backed instrument. Both are EEE. PPF allows partial withdrawals from year 7 onward, giving more flexibility. SSY has a fixed 21-year lock-in with limited exit options. For a daughter's corpus specifically, SSY wins on returns. For a general long-term fund, PPF's flexibility matters more.
• SSY vs Bank FD: SSY at 8.2% tax-free is vastly superior to a fixed deposit at 7–7.5% taxable. At a 30% income tax slab, a 7.5% FD gives an effective post-tax return of only ~5.25%. SSY's EEE status makes its 8.2% the true take-home return.
• SSY vs ELSS (Mutual Funds): ELSS may historically return 12–15% but carries full equity market risk, a 3-year lock-in, and LTCG tax above ₹1.25 lakh. For a time-critical corpus - a daughter's college admission or wedding - the certainty of SSY often outweighs the potential upside of ELSS. Many financial planners suggest SSY as the guaranteed base plus ELSS SIP for additional inflation-beating growth.

What Happens If You Miss a Deposit Year?

If the minimum ₹250 deposit is not made in any year, the account becomes dormant. To revive it, you must pay ₹250 for each missed year plus a ₹50 penalty per missed year. The revival must happen before the 15-year deposit window closes. If the account is not revived, it continues to earn interest at the applicable SSY rate but cannot receive new deposits until revived. The simplest way to avoid this: set up an annual auto-debit for April of each year, depositing before 5th April for the maximum interest benefit on that year's contribution.

Premature Closure - When Is It Allowed?

SSY does not allow premature closure for financial reasons except in specific circumstances approved by the Government:

• Death of the account holder (the girl child) - immediate closure and payment to guardian
• Death of the guardian - closure permitted if no other guardian can continue
• Life-threatening medical condition of the account holder - permitted with medical documentation
• Compassionate grounds after 5 years of account operation - at PPF rate (7.1%), not the higher SSY rate
• Marriage after age 18 - account can be closed 1 month before or up to 3 months after the marriage date

The restricted premature closure rules are actually a feature for parents who want to protect this corpus from impulsive use - it ensures the money is genuinely available for your daughter's future, not redirected elsewhere.