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Why one combined projection matters
Most Indians save for retirement in four places at once — EPF through salary, PPF for tax-free safety, NPS for the extra deduction, and mutual funds for growth — yet almost every calculator projects them separately. Fragments hide the real question: will everything together be enough? This planner compounds each instrument by its own rules and adds them up against a target built from your actual expenses.
The rules each bucket follows here
EPF: 12% of basic from you + 3.67% from your employer flows to EPF (the employer’s other 8.33% funds EPS pension). Interest at the ratified 8.25% for FY 2025-26, contributions growing with your salary. Corpus is tax-free at retirement. PPF: 7.1% compounded annually, deposits capped at ₹1.5 lakh a year, fully exempt — the planner assumes you keep extending the account. NPS: market-linked at your assumed return; at 60, up to 60% is a tax-free lump sum and at least 40% must purchase an annuity. Mutual funds: a monthly SIP with an annual step-up, at your assumed return — the growth engine, and also the easiest lever to adjust.
Reading the verdict
The target is your current monthly spending inflated to retirement age, annualised, then divided by your withdrawal rate (4% ≈ 25× expenses — the same logic behind our 4% rule guide and FIRE calculator). If the projection falls short, the planner tells you the extra monthly SIP that closes the gap — usually the most practical fix, since EPF and PPF inflows are relatively fixed.
Questions, answered
How is EPF projected here?
Your monthly EPF inflow is taken as 12% of basic salary from you plus 3.67% from your employer (the remaining 8.33% of the employer share goes to EPS pension, not your EPF corpus). Interest accrues at the current 8.25% rate, and contributions rise each year with the salary growth you set.
Why is PPF capped at ₹1.5 lakh a year?
That is the statutory annual deposit limit. PPF currently earns 7.1%, compounded annually and fully tax-free. The planner assumes you extend the account in 5-year blocks until retirement, which PPF rules allow.
What happens to NPS at retirement?
Under current rules you can withdraw up to 60% of the NPS corpus tax-free at 60; at least 40% must buy an annuity that pays taxable pension income. The planner shows your full projected corpus and notes the split, so remember only part of it arrives as a lump sum.
Is the target corpus calculation reliable?
It is a planning anchor, not a guarantee. The tool inflates your current monthly expenses to retirement age, then multiplies the annual figure by 25 (a 4% withdrawal rate, adjustable). Real returns, inflation and lifespans vary — revisit the plan yearly rather than treating one number as final.
Are these returns guaranteed?
EPF and PPF rates are set by the government and revised periodically — they are reliable but not fixed forever. NPS and mutual-fund returns are market-linked; the defaults here are long-term assumptions you should adjust to your own expectations.