by A fixed deposit (FD) is a financial instrument provided by banks or NBFCs which provides investors a higher rate of interest than a regular savings account, until the given maturity date. It may or may not require the creation of a separate account. It is known as a term deposit or time deposit in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and the United States, and as a bond in the United Kingdom and for a fixed deposit is that the money cannot be withdrawn from the FD as compared to a recurring deposit or a demand deposit before maturity. Some banks may offer additional services to FD holders such as loans against FD certificates at competitive interest rates. It’s important to note that banks may offer lesser interest rates under uncertain economic conditions. The interest rate varies between 4 and 7.50 percent. The tenure of an FD can vary from 7, 15 or 45 days to 1.5 years and can be as high as 10 years. These investments are safer than Post Office Schemes as they are covered by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC). However, DICGC guarantees amount up to ₹ 500000 per depositor per bank. They also offer income tax and wealth tax benefits.
Fixed deposits are high-interest-yielding term deposits and are offered by banks in India. The most popular form of term deposits are fixed deposits, while other forms of term deposits are recurring deposit and Flexi Fixed deposits (the latter is actually a combination of demand deposit and fixed deposit).
To compensate for the low liquidity, FDs offer higher rates of interest than saving accounts. The longest permissible term for FDs is 10 years. Generally, the longer the term of deposit, the higher is the rate of interest but a bank may offer a lower rate of interest for a longer period if it expects interest rates, at which the Central Bank of a nation lends to banks (“repo rates”), will dip in the future.
Usually in India, the interest on FDs is paid every three months from the date of the deposit (e.g. if FD a/c was opened on 15 Feb, the first interest installment would be paid on 15 May). The interest is credited to the customers’ Savings bank account or sent to them by cheque. This is a Simple FD. The customer may choose to have the interest reinvested in the FD account. In this case, the deposit is called the Cumulative FD or compound interest FD. For such deposits, the interest is paid with the invested amount on maturity of the deposit at the end of the term.
Although banks can refuse to repay FDs before the expiry of the deposit, they generally don’t. This is known as a premature withdrawal. In such cases, interest is paid at the rate applicable at the time of withdrawal. For example, a deposit is made for 5 years at 8% but is withdrawn after 2 years. If the rate applicable on the date of deposit for 2 years is 5 percent, the interest will be paid at 5 percent. Banks can charge a penalty for premature withdrawal.
Banks issue a separate receipt for every FD because each deposit is treated as a distinct contract. This receipt is known as the Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR), which has to be surrendered to the bank at the time of renewal or encashment.
Many banks offer the facility of automatic renewal of FDs where the customers do give new instructions for the matured deposit. On the date of maturity, such deposits are renewed for a similar term as that of the original deposit at the rate prevailing on the date of renewal.
Income tax regulations require that FD maturity proceeds exceeding Rs 20,000 not to be paid in cash. Repayment of such and larger deposits has to be either by “A/c payee” crossed cheque in the name of the customer or by credit to the saving bank a/c or current a/c of the customer.
FD Receipts
As one of the most common savings and investment options used by individuals, fixed deposits are risk free and offer guaranteed returns. Fixed deposits provide investors with an interest rate that is higher than what is offered on normal savings accounts. The maturity value of a fixed deposit is based on the date of maturity chosen by the individual. Individuals opt for fixed deposits as they are not risky and also provide assured returns, even if these returns are not very high such as those provided by mutual investments and equities.
Applicants can procure Fixed Deposits by visiting their bank or even on their bank’s website as many banks have enabled the facility of providing fixed deposits online. Once applicants apply for their fixed deposit scheme and all formalities are complete, they will receive a fixed deposit receipt as an acknowledgment. This is an important document and should be kept safely.
Fixed Deposit Receipt
A Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR) is nothing but a document provided by the bank after the applicant procures a fixed deposit scheme from their bank. This document contains details such as the individual’s name, age, address, details of the scheme chosen by them such as deposit amount, tenure and interest rate applicable on the deposit and so on.
Components and Importance of a Fixed Deposit Receipt
A Fixed Deposit Receipt contains all the details related to the deposit option procured by the individual. These details include:
- Name of the applicant
- Age of the applicant
- Account Number of the applicant
- Amount of principal that has been placed
- Rate of Interest that is applicable
- Date of Maturity
- Amount of interest that the individual will receive on maturity
- Instructions regarding maturity date such as account transfer or rollover amount.
Checklist:
Auto renewal and date of maturity: It is convenient for individuals to opt for auto renewal if they have a guaranteed salary every month as it saves on hassle and time during the next renewal. Also, date of maturity is another detail that should not be missed by individuals as this will help them plan out their financials better and also with regard to the day, they can withdraw their fixed deposit investment.
Term and interest rate offered: Although this is a basic component of the receipt and may already be known to the customer, it is important to check these details again. This has to be given priority especially when individuals are renewing their fixed deposit scheme as certain rates may be discontinued by the bank.
Penalty for Prepayment: Banks sometimes charge a penalty on their fixed deposit if prepayment has been done. For example, if a bank charges 1% as the penalty for prepayment and individuals withdraw their fixed deposit (valued at 9%) after a period of 6 months, then they will receive an interest rate of only 6%, assuming the bank provides 7% as the interest for a 6-month FD.
Nomination: The receipt must provide details of the nomination in case the individual has made one. In the event of the unfortunate death of the individual, his/her nominee will receive the proceeds of the fixed deposit.
Declaration to save TDS: Tax at source is deducted by the bank in case the income from interest is over Rs.10,000. In case an individual’s income falls into the bracket of ‘no income tax’ then declaration through Form 15G or Form 15H can be submitted and this must be mentioned in the receipt.
