Small savings scheme currently offer annual returns of 4-7.6%Interest rates on small savings schemes - which include the likes of the 15-Year Public Provident Fund, the Sukanya Samriddhi and Kisan Vikas Patra plans - have been retained at existing levels this quarter.

That means your PPF corpus will continue to fetch an annual return of 7.1 per cent in the October-December period, whereas investment in the Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS) will continue to grow at 7.4 per cent per annum.

(Also Read: Interest Rates On PPF, Other Small Savings Schemes Unchanged In December Quarter)There are nine government-run small saving schemes available today: PPF, SCSS, Savings Account, Time Deposit, Recurring Deposit, Monthly Income Scheme (MIS), Sukanya Samriddhi, National Savings Certificate and Kisan Vikas Patra.

Of these, the Sukanya Samriddhi scheme currently pays the highest return, at 7.6 per cent. The Ministry of Finance reviews the interest rates on the nine small savings schemes on a quarterly basis. (Also Read: This Is The Minimum Investment You Need To Set Up A Post Office Account)