+91-22-48913909ELSS vs Tax Saving FD
Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS)
ELSS is the only Mutual Fund eligible for 80C deductions. It is a diversified equity mutual fund that offers tax deductions up to Rs. 1.5 lakhs annually under Section 80C of income tax Act (IT Act 1961).
Prior to the introduction of Feburary Budget 2018, its returns were completely tax-free. However, now it is subject to 10% long-term Capital Gains tax if your capital gains exceed Rs. 1 lakh after one year. Even after the 10% tax cut, ELSS has the potential to deliver superior returns compared to other tax-saving instruments. The perks of ELSS investments are not limited to the taxes saved. The Power of Compounding ensures that your investment is doubled if you invest for, say, 5 years (tenure of tax-saving FD). To add to that, the minimum lock-in period is only 3 years.
Tax Saving Fixed Deposits
Investing money in Fixed Deposits with banks allows individuals and HUFs to claim a tax deduction of up to Rs. 1,50,000 in a financial year. These deposits have a lock-in period of 5 years. You, however, cannot withdraw this deposit prematurely. But you can avail loans against your FDs at competitive rates. The interest earned on these deposits, however, is taxable marginal rate of tax (as per the tax bracket) of the individual.
Highlights of Tax Saver FD
Let us look at the key highlights of the tax saver FD -
- Only individuals and members of hindu undivided family (HUF) can invest in the tax saving FD scheme
- The minimum investment amount of the tax saver FD varies from Bank to bank
- The lock-in period of the tax saving FD is five years
- You can get tax deductions up to Rs. 1,50,000
- There is no provision for premature withdrawal
- You cannot apply for loan against these tax saver FD
- Investment in these tax saver FDs can be done in any private or public sector bank (except co-operative and rural banks)
- Investment made in Post Office Time Deposit for the period of over five years also qualifies as tax saving FD
- You can transfer the Post Office FD from one Post Office to another
- The interest earned from this type of FD is taxable and will be deducted from the source
- Tax saving deposit account can be opened individually as well as jointly.
- In case of a joint account, the tax benefit will be enjoyed by the first holder of the joint account
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ELSS vs FD - Comparison
Here is a quick overview of the of the differences between ELSS and Tax Saving FDs over various parameters:
| Parameter | FD | ELSS |
|---|---|---|
| Tenure | 5 Years Lock-in | 3 Years Lock-in |
| Returns | 7.00 - 8.00 % (Compounded Annually) | No Assured Divividend / Return as it market linked generally around 16 - 17% per annum |
| Min. Investment | Rs. 1000 | Rs. 500 |
| Max. Investment | No Upper Limit | No Upper Limit |
| Amount Eligible for Deduction under 80c | Rs. 1.5 Lakhs | Rs. 1.5 Lakhs |
| Taxation for Interest/return | Interest Taxable | Gains up to Rs. 1 lakh are free of tax. Tax at 10% applies to gains above Rs. 1 lakh |
| Safety/Ratings | Safe | Bit Risky |
| Liquidity | You cannot withdraw tax saving FD before 5 years | You may exit or withdraw ELSS after 3 years. |
| Online option | Not all banks offer an online facility to open an FD | One can start an ELSS online – as a lump sum or SIP |
Fund Selection Methodology used to find 5 funds
Top ELSS Mutual Funds FY 26 - 27
Fund NAV Net Assets (Cr) 3 MO (%) 6 MO (%) 1 YR (%) 3 YR (%) 5 YR (%) 2024 (%) Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund Growth ₹47.7033
↓ -0.88 ₹4,175 -5 -10.6 7 21.7 16.8 -9.1 IDBI Equity Advantage Fund Growth ₹43.39
↑ 0.04 ₹485 9.7 15.1 16.9 20.8 10 BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund (ELSS) Growth ₹89.5522
↓ -3.05 ₹906 -10.1 -7.1 3.6 17.2 11.9 4.8 Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96 Growth ₹68.6676
↑ 0.33 ₹210 -6.1 -3.5 17.6 16.7 11.6 Nippon India Tax Saver Fund (ELSS) Growth ₹120.896
↓ -3.68 ₹14,959 -7.2 -7.5 5.1 16.4 14.2 6 Note: Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR basis. as on 19 Mar 26 Research Highlights & Commentary of 5 Funds showcased
Commentary Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund IDBI Equity Advantage Fund BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund (ELSS) Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96 Nippon India Tax Saver Fund (ELSS) Point 1 Upper mid AUM (₹4,175 Cr). Bottom quartile AUM (₹485 Cr). Lower mid AUM (₹906 Cr). Bottom quartile AUM (₹210 Cr). Highest AUM (₹14,959 Cr). Point 2 Established history (11+ yrs). Established history (12+ yrs). Oldest track record among peers (20 yrs). Established history (11+ yrs). Established history (20+ yrs). Point 3 Not Rated. Top rated. Rating: 3★ (upper mid). Not Rated. Rating: 3★ (lower mid). Point 4 Risk profile: Moderately High. Risk profile: Moderately High. Risk profile: Moderately High. Risk profile: Moderately High. Risk profile: Moderately High. Point 5 5Y return: 16.84% (top quartile). 5Y return: 9.97% (bottom quartile). 5Y return: 11.93% (lower mid). 5Y return: 11.62% (bottom quartile). 5Y return: 14.21% (upper mid). Point 6 3Y return: 21.70% (top quartile). 3Y return: 20.84% (upper mid). 3Y return: 17.24% (lower mid). 3Y return: 16.70% (bottom quartile). 3Y return: 16.41% (bottom quartile). Point 7 1Y return: 6.95% (lower mid). 1Y return: 16.92% (upper mid). 1Y return: 3.62% (bottom quartile). 1Y return: 17.56% (top quartile). 1Y return: 5.15% (bottom quartile). Point 8 Alpha: -3.97 (bottom quartile). Alpha: 1.78 (lower mid). Alpha: 1.53 (bottom quartile). Alpha: 5.69 (top quartile). Alpha: 2.08 (upper mid). Point 9 Sharpe: 0.64 (bottom quartile). Sharpe: 1.21 (upper mid). Sharpe: 1.13 (bottom quartile). Sharpe: 2.51 (top quartile). Sharpe: 1.16 (lower mid). Point 10 Information ratio: 0.36 (upper mid). Information ratio: -1.13 (bottom quartile). Information ratio: 0.41 (top quartile). Information ratio: -0.09 (bottom quartile). Information ratio: 0.33 (lower mid). Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund
IDBI Equity Advantage Fund
BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund (ELSS)
Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96
Nippon India Tax Saver Fund (ELSS)
*Below is the list of funds having AUM between 100 - 15000 Crore & having fund age of 3 Years of above. Based on 3 Year Performance.
(Erstwhile Motilal Oswal MOSt Focused Long Term Fund) The investment objective of the Scheme is to generate long-term capital appreciation from a diversified portfolio of predominantly equity and equity related instruments. However, there can be no assurance or guarantee that the investment objective of the Scheme would be achieved. Below is the key information for Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund Returns up to 1 year are on The Scheme will seek to invest predominantly in a diversified portfolio of equity and equity related instruments with the objective to provide investors with opportunities for capital appreciation and income along with the benefit of income-tax deduction(under section 80C of the Income-tax Act, 1961) on their investments. Investments in this scheme would be subject to a statutory lock-in of 3 years from the date of allotment to be eligible for income-tax benefits under Section 80C. There can be no assurance that the investment objective under the scheme will be realized. Research Highlights for IDBI Equity Advantage Fund Below is the key information for IDBI Equity Advantage Fund Returns up to 1 year are on The investment objective of the Scheme is to generate long-term capital growth from a diversified and actively managed portfolio of equity and equity related securities along with income tax rebate, as may be prevalent fromtime to time. However, there can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Scheme will be achieved. The Scheme does not guarantee / indicate any returns. Research Highlights for BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund (ELSS) Below is the key information for BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund (ELSS) Returns up to 1 year are on The main objective of the scheme is to provide the investor long term capital growth as also tax benefit under section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Research Highlights for Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96 Below is the key information for Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96 Returns up to 1 year are on The primary objective of the scheme is to generate long-term capital appreciation from a portfolio that is invested predominantly in equity and equity related instruments. However, there can be no assurance that the scheme’s
investment objective shall be achieved. Research Highlights for Nippon India Tax Saver Fund (ELSS) Below is the key information for Nippon India Tax Saver Fund (ELSS) Returns up to 1 year are on 1. Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund
Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund
Growth Launch Date 21 Jan 15 NAV (19 Mar 26) ₹47.7033 ↓ -0.88 (-1.82 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹4,175 on 28 Feb 26 Category Equity - ELSS AMC Motilal Oswal Asset Management Co. Ltd Rating Risk Moderately High Expense Ratio 1.65 Sharpe Ratio 0.64 Information Ratio 0.36 Alpha Ratio -3.97 Min Investment 500 Min SIP Investment 500 Exit Load NIL Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 28 Feb 21 ₹10,000 28 Feb 22 ₹11,557 28 Feb 23 ₹12,203 29 Feb 24 ₹18,441 28 Feb 25 ₹18,888 28 Feb 26 ₹22,113 Returns for Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 19 Mar 26 Duration Returns 1 Month -2.2% 3 Month -5% 6 Month -10.6% 1 Year 7% 3 Year 21.7% 5 Year 16.8% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 15% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 -9.1% 2023 47.7% 2022 37% 2021 1.8% 2020 32.1% 2019 8.8% 2018 13.2% 2017 -8.7% 2016 44% 2015 12.5% Fund Manager information for Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund
Name Since Tenure Ajay Khandelwal 11 Dec 23 2.22 Yr. Rakesh Shetty 22 Nov 22 3.27 Yr. Atul Mehra 1 Oct 24 1.41 Yr. Data below for Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund as on 28 Feb 26
Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Financial Services 30.43% Industrials 23.89% Consumer Cyclical 17.17% Basic Materials 10.09% Technology 9.8% Real Estate 3.41% Health Care 2.99% Consumer Defensive 1.24% Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 0.97% Equity 99.03% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 29 Feb 24 | MCX8% ₹317 Cr 1,296,040 Piramal Finance Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 25 | PIRAMALFIN6% ₹264 Cr 1,518,583
↑ 116,662 Amber Enterprises India Ltd Ordinary Shares (Consumer Cyclical)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 24 | AMBER5% ₹207 Cr 259,006 Apar Industries Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 23 | APARINDS5% ₹206 Cr 184,366
↓ -10,000 Eternal Ltd (Consumer Cyclical)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 23 | 5433205% ₹197 Cr 8,000,000 PTC Industries Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 24 | 5390065% ₹192 Cr 107,189
↑ 4,558 Jain Resource Recycling Ltd (Basic Materials)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 25 | JAINREC4% ₹188 Cr 4,743,065
↑ 872,201 Muthoot Finance Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 25 | MUTHOOTFIN4% ₹183 Cr 546,874 Billionbrains Garage Ventures Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 30 Nov 25 | GROWW4% ₹179 Cr 10,941,411 Waaree Energies Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 24 | 5442774% ₹158 Cr 583,979 2. IDBI Equity Advantage Fund
IDBI Equity Advantage Fund
Growth Launch Date 10 Sep 13 NAV (28 Jul 23) ₹43.39 ↑ 0.04 (0.09 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹485 on 30 Jun 23 Category Equity - ELSS AMC IDBI Asset Management Limited Rating ☆☆☆ Risk Moderately High Expense Ratio 2.39 Sharpe Ratio 1.21 Information Ratio -1.13 Alpha Ratio 1.78 Min Investment 500 Min SIP Investment 500 Exit Load NIL Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 28 Feb 21 ₹10,000 28 Feb 22 ₹11,657 28 Feb 23 ₹11,985 Returns for IDBI Equity Advantage Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 19 Mar 26 Duration Returns 1 Month 3.1% 3 Month 9.7% 6 Month 15.1% 1 Year 16.9% 3 Year 20.8% 5 Year 10% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 16% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 Fund Manager information for IDBI Equity Advantage Fund
Name Since Tenure Data below for IDBI Equity Advantage Fund as on 30 Jun 23
Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity 3. BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund (ELSS)
BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund (ELSS)
Growth Launch Date 5 Jan 06 NAV (19 Mar 26) ₹89.5522 ↓ -3.05 (-3.29 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹906 on 28 Feb 26 Category Equity - ELSS AMC BNP Paribas Asset Mgmt India Pvt. Ltd Rating ☆☆☆ Risk Moderately High Expense Ratio 2.21 Sharpe Ratio 1.13 Information Ratio 0.41 Alpha Ratio 1.53 Min Investment 500 Min SIP Investment 500 Exit Load NIL Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 28 Feb 21 ₹10,000 28 Feb 22 ₹11,318 28 Feb 23 ₹11,129 29 Feb 24 ₹15,576 28 Feb 25 ₹16,103 28 Feb 26 ₹19,084 Returns for BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund (ELSS)
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 19 Mar 26 Duration Returns 1 Month -8.4% 3 Month -10.1% 6 Month -7.1% 1 Year 3.6% 3 Year 17.2% 5 Year 11.9% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 11.5% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 4.8% 2023 23.6% 2022 31.3% 2021 -2.1% 2020 23.6% 2019 17.8% 2018 14.3% 2017 -9.3% 2016 42.3% 2015 -6.6% Fund Manager information for BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund (ELSS)
Name Since Tenure Sanjay Chawla 14 Mar 22 3.96 Yr. Pratish Krishnan 14 Mar 22 3.96 Yr. Data below for BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund (ELSS) as on 28 Feb 26
Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Financial Services 31.95% Consumer Cyclical 15.57% Industrials 12.89% Technology 10.38% Basic Materials 8.28% Health Care 5.08% Consumer Defensive 4.13% Energy 3.93% Communication Services 3.01% Utility 1.33% Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 3.43% Equity 96.54% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity HDFC Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 08 | HDFCBANK6% ₹58 Cr 656,320 ICICI Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 12 | ICICIBANK5% ₹45 Cr 329,900 Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 18 | RELIANCE4% ₹36 Cr 255,800 State Bank of India (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 22 | SBIN4% ₹33 Cr 278,000 Bharti Airtel Ltd (Communication Services)
Equity, Since 31 May 19 | BHARTIARTL3% ₹27 Cr 144,966 Hitachi Energy India Ltd Ordinary Shares (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Aug 23 | POWERINDIA3% ₹25 Cr 9,766 Larsen & Toubro Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Apr 20 | LT3% ₹24 Cr 56,220
↓ -6,300 TVS Motor Co Ltd (Consumer Cyclical)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 23 | TVSMOTOR3% ₹23 Cr 60,500 Cummins India Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 25 | CUMMINSIND2% ₹22 Cr 45,502 Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Nov 24 | BHEL2% ₹22 Cr 821,380 4. Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96
Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96
Growth Launch Date 2 Mar 15 NAV (11 Mar 22) ₹68.6676 ↑ 0.33 (0.48 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹210 on 31 Jan 22 Category Equity - ELSS AMC Baroda Pioneer Asset Management Co. Ltd. Rating Risk Moderately High Expense Ratio 2.55 Sharpe Ratio 2.51 Information Ratio -0.09 Alpha Ratio 5.69 Min Investment 500 Min SIP Investment 500 Exit Load NIL Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 28 Feb 21 ₹10,000 28 Feb 22 ₹12,210 Returns for Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 19 Mar 26 Duration Returns 1 Month -3.9% 3 Month -6.1% 6 Month -3.5% 1 Year 17.6% 3 Year 16.7% 5 Year 11.6% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 8.4% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 Fund Manager information for Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96
Name Since Tenure Data below for Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96 as on 31 Jan 22
Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity 5. Nippon India Tax Saver Fund (ELSS)
Nippon India Tax Saver Fund (ELSS)
Growth Launch Date 21 Sep 05 NAV (19 Mar 26) ₹120.896 ↓ -3.68 (-2.96 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹14,959 on 28 Feb 26 Category Equity - ELSS AMC Nippon Life Asset Management Ltd. Rating ☆☆☆ Risk Moderately High Expense Ratio 1.7 Sharpe Ratio 1.16 Information Ratio 0.33 Alpha Ratio 2.08 Min Investment 500 Min SIP Investment 500 Exit Load NIL Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 28 Feb 21 ₹10,000 28 Feb 22 ₹12,008 28 Feb 23 ₹12,537 29 Feb 24 ₹17,589 28 Feb 25 ₹17,662 28 Feb 26 ₹21,075 Returns for Nippon India Tax Saver Fund (ELSS)
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 19 Mar 26 Duration Returns 1 Month -7.2% 3 Month -7.2% 6 Month -7.5% 1 Year 5.1% 3 Year 16.4% 5 Year 14.2% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 12.9% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 6% 2023 17.6% 2022 28.6% 2021 6.9% 2020 37.6% 2019 -0.4% 2018 1.5% 2017 -20.7% 2016 46% 2015 4.2% Fund Manager information for Nippon India Tax Saver Fund (ELSS)
Name Since Tenure Rupesh Patel 1 Jul 21 4.67 Yr. Ritesh Rathod 19 Aug 24 1.53 Yr. Kinjal Desai 25 May 18 7.77 Yr. Lokesh Maru 5 Sep 25 0.48 Yr. Divya Sharma 5 Sep 25 0.48 Yr. Data below for Nippon India Tax Saver Fund (ELSS) as on 28 Feb 26
Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Financial Services 37.02% Consumer Cyclical 12.21% Industrials 10.8% Consumer Defensive 9.51% Utility 7.34% Health Care 6.44% Energy 5.36% Communication Services 4.08% Technology 3.96% Basic Materials 2.56% Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 0.71% Equity 99.29% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity ICICI Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 15 | ICICIBANK8% ₹1,144 Cr 8,300,000
↑ 216,519 HDFC Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 29 Feb 20 | HDFCBANK7% ₹994 Cr 11,200,000 Axis Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 30 Apr 20 | AXISBANK5% ₹706 Cr 5,100,000 State Bank of India (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 13 | SBIN4% ₹613 Cr 5,100,000
↓ -300,000 NTPC Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 19 | NTPC4% ₹535 Cr 14,000,000 Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd (Consumer Cyclical)
Equity, Since 30 Nov 21 | MOTHERSON3% ₹511 Cr 38,319,861 Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 20 | RELIANCE3% ₹509 Cr 3,650,000 Infosys Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 20 | INFY3% ₹494 Cr 3,800,000
↑ 300,000 TVS Holdings Ltd (Consumer Cyclical)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 13 | TVSHLTD3% ₹429 Cr 284,018 Power Finance Corp Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 30 Nov 22 | PFC3% ₹377 Cr 9,111,111
Should you Invest in ELSS or Tax saving FDs?
Before getting into new investment ventures, people consider a lot of things. Age, investment horizon and risk appetite are a few of the important factors. People who want dual benefits of wealth growth and tax benefits prefer ELSS. For instance, new investors with a long investment horizon and higher risk appetite find ELSS a sensible option. People nearing retirement can invest in tax saving FDs as they tend to have low risks and guaranteed returns over long term (5 year or above atleast).
How to Invest in ELSS Online?
Open Free Investment Account for Lifetime at Fincash.com.
Complete your Registration and KYC Process
Upload Documents (PAN, Aadhaar, etc.). And, You are Ready to Invest!
All efforts have been made to ensure the information provided here is accurate. However, no guarantees are made regarding correctness of data. Please verify with scheme information document before making any investment.
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Research Highlights for Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund