The way a fxed deposit account is opened in banks, the same way a time deposit can be opened in a psot office. Both the schemes are almost same. Although there is a slight difference in the interest rates of investment. Apart from this, you can open FD account in both government and private banks, while time deposit is completely a government scheme and the account can be opened only in a post office. Post office time deposit scheme is an important scheme of investment. This post office scheme is very popular in remote areas and rural areas of the country.
How much are the returns?
The post office is operated directly by the Central Government. The government revises the interest rates of post office small savings schemes on a quarterly basis. However, interest is slightly higher in post office schemes than banks. For this reason, the interest rate in TD is also higher as compared to FD. Where the average interest rate in bank FD is currently 6 to 7 percent, TD gives between 6.8 to 7.5 percent annually.
Any person above 10 years of age can open a time deposit account in any post office. Also, the guardian can open the account on behalf of his minor child. One more thing, three people can have a joint account. The interest rate in this scheme is higher as compared to FD because the government uses this fund for government schemes. TD account can be opened from one year to five years. But tax exemption is available only on investment in TD of five years. Under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, tax exemption is available on investment in TD up to Rs 1.5 lakh. This facility is also available in the five-year tax saver scheme of banks. According to the returns, the FD of the post office is proving to be better.