Steps to activate a dormant PPF account

Updated: Thursday, December 5, 2013, 13:37 [IST]

The public provident fund (PPF) account opened to accumulate a corpus for meeting retirement needs is a 15-year deposit scheme offered by banks and post office. To keep the account active an individual needs to invest a minimum of Rs. 500 in a fiscal year.

However, if in a particular year, you have forgotten to make contribution towards your PPF account, you still can revive the dormant or inactive account. As the dormant PPF account deprives you of some of the benefits of holding a PPF account such as you can no longer take loan against your PPF account nor can you make premature withdrawals that is otherwise allowed in case of an active PPF account.

So, in case you want to continue your investment in the PPF account, you can make it active following the below mentioned procedure.

- Place a request for revival of the PPF account in writing to the post office or bank where the account is maintained.

- Deposit arrears for each of the financial year for which the PF contribution is not made. A minimum of Rs. 500 is to be paid for each fiscal year.

- In addition to outstanding arrears, a penalty @ Rs. 50 per year also needs to be paid-off.

- Later, verification is done by the bank or post office where the PPF account is maintained. Also, the PPF account holder needs to be present in person for completing the verification process.

- After the completion of the verification process, the PPF account is made active.

The PPF account that has already matured cannot be revived and penalty for claiming the maturity proceeds is payable. However, if the account is nearing its maturity, you can place a request for its extension for a further five years to earn interest with or without additional contributions.

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