Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks. Read all scheme related documents carefully before investing.

AMFI · ARN-356973

PSS VenturesWealth · North East
Start
ELSS vs NPS

ELSS vs NPS for 80C — ELSS Calculator

ELSS uses the ₹1.5 L 80C bucket; NPS 80CCD(1B) gives an additional ₹50,000 deduction over and above 80C. The right move for most old-regime tax savers is to do both — ₹1.5 L in ELSS for 80C and ₹50,000 in NPS for 80CCD(1B). Total deduction: ₹2 lakh, total tax saved at 30% slab: ₹62,400.

₹500₹12,500

80C caps deduction at ₹1.5 L/year (₹12,500/mo)

30%

ELSS / 80C is available only under the old regime.

3 years30 years

3-year lock-in per instalment

6%16%
80C deduction / year
₹1.50 L
Tax saved / year
₹45.0 K
Tax saved in 12 y
₹5.40 L
Final wealth
₹40.28 L
INSIGHTA ₹12,500/mo ELSS SIP at the 30% slab saves you ₹45.0 K in tax each year. Over 12 years that’s ₹5.40 L back in your pocket, plus an estimated ₹39.37 L in post-LTCG wealth.
Post-tax estimate assumes equity LTCG at 12.5% above ₹1.25 L/year exemption. Each SIP instalment locks in for 3 years from its purchase date.

3 schemes that fit your plan

Matching…

Shortlisted by category, horizon and cost — not a recommendation of the “best” fund. Read scheme documents before investing. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks.

The deductions are stackable, not either-or

Section 80C is capped at ₹1.5 L and includes ELSS, PPF, EPF, NSC, life insurance premium, principal repayment of home loan, tuition fees, etc. Section 80CCD(1B) is an additional ₹50,000 exclusive to NPS, on top of 80C. You can claim both fully.

For an old-regime tax saver, the typical setup is: fill 80C primarily with ELSS (and any EPF that's already running), then add ₹50,000/year to NPS for the 80CCD(1B) benefit. Total deduction: ₹2 lakh, total annual tax saving at the 30% slab: ₹62,400.

Liquidity vs structure trade-off

ELSS is fully liquid 3 years after each instalment. NPS is locked until age 60 with a mandatory 40% annuity at exit. ELSS gives you flexibility; NPS gives you a forced retirement-saving discipline plus tax efficiency.

Most planners recommend ELSS as the primary 80C instrument and NPS as a tax-optimisation top-up rather than the core retirement plan.

Investment-style differences

ELSS gives you direct equity mutual fund exposure with your chosen scheme. NPS lets you pick a Pension Fund Manager (PFM) and an asset-allocation mix (Active or Auto), but the equity cap is 75% till age 50, glide-pathing down.

Request a callback and we'll help you set up both efficiently — ELSS scheme selection plus NPS PFM and choice configuration.

Other elss calculator use-cases

Same calculator, different goal defaults.

Related calculators

Try the same plan from a different angle.

More on elss calculator

See what an ELSS SIP saves you at your slab, and what survives LTCG at the end. The 80C deduction is old-regime only — this tool says so instead of assuming it.

Read the full elss calculator guide

Read on the blog

FAQ

What is the ELSS lock-in?
ELSS mutual funds have a hard 3-year lock-in from the date of each unit purchase. In a SIP, every monthly instalment locks in independently — your January 2026 units can be redeemed only in January 2029.
Is ELSS available under the new tax regime?
Section 80C deductions, including ELSS, are not available under the new tax regime (introduced FY24, default from FY24-25). Only investors who opt into the old regime benefit from the 80C deduction. The investment itself remains accessible; only the deduction is regime-gated.

How matching works

  1. Set the monthly SIP amount. ₹12,500/mo uses the full 80C cap of ₹1.5 L. Lower it if you have EPF, PPF, or insurance premium absorbing part of 80C.
  2. Pick your old-regime slab. 30% slab benefits most. Below the 20% slab the new regime usually wins overall.
  3. Choose a horizon. 5+ years is the practical minimum — equity volatility hurts shorter holding windows.
  4. Read the tax + wealth output. The calculator separates the annual tax saving from the post-LTCG terminal wealth.
  5. Get matched schemes. Request a callback; we'll suggest 2-3 ELSS funds with strong rolling returns and clean expense ratios.