FD vs RD Calculator
Same total money, very different growth timelines
FD vs RD Comparator
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Years
Months
Days
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%
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%
FD: lumpsum invested today
0
pre-tax maturity value
RD: same total, spread monthly
0
FD advantage, post-tax
0
from investing the full amount on day one
In today's money (inflation-adjusted)
0
real purchasing power after assumed inflation
Same money, very different growth paths
An FD puts your entire amount to work earning interest from day one; an RD spreads the same total across equal monthly installments, so most of the money is only invested for part of the tenure — the FD almost always wins in pure maturity value for the same total contribution.
RD's real purpose is discipline, not higher returns
RDs exist for people who don't have the lumpsum upfront and want to build it through forced monthly saving — comparing them on identical total investment isn't really the choice most RD savers face, but it does show exactly what the monthly-investing tradeoff costs.
TDS and slab tax apply to both, identically
Both FD and RD interest are taxed at your income slab rate, with 10% TDS deducted by the bank once your annual interest crosses the threshold (higher for senior citizens) — neither has a tax advantage over the other, only the compounding timeline differs.
FD maturity uses quarterly-compounded interest on the full amount for the combined years+months+days tenure. RD maturity sums each monthly installment's own compounding for its remaining time in the tenure (the first installment compounds for the full term, the last for under one month). Both taxed at your slab rate; 10% TDS assumed above the annual interest threshold (₹40,000 general, ₹50,000 for senior citizens) is not separately itemized here, only the final post-tax value. Not financial advice.