ELSS (Tax-Saving) Mutual Funds
ELSS (Equity Linked Savings Scheme) ek open-ended equity mutual fund category hai, jo Income Tax Act ki Section 80C ke tehat deduction ke liye eligible hoti hai, aur isme 3 saal ka statutory lock-in hota hai — Section 80C ke tehat aane wale options mein yeh sabse chhota lock-in hai. Kisi bhi equity scheme ki tarah, iska return market-linked hai aur guaranteed ya assured nahi hota, aur Section 80C deduction sirf tab milta hai jab aap old tax regime choose karte hain.
What are ELSS (Tax-Saving) Mutual Funds?
ELSS ka matlab hai Equity Linked Savings Scheme — yeh SEBI ke mutual fund categorisation framework ke tehat defined ek equity mutual fund category hai, jo mainly equity aur equity-related instruments mein invest karti hai. ELSS ko doosri equity categories se alag banane wali baat yeh nahi hai ki yeh market mein kahan invest karti hai, balki tax treatment se judi do rules hain: investment Income Tax Act ki Section 80C ke tehat deduction ke liye eligible hota hai (Section 80C ki combined annual limit ke andar, jo abhi ₹1,50,000 hai aur PPF ya life insurance premium jaise doosre instruments ke saath shared hoti hai — yehi shared limit hamare PPF Calculator mein bhi dikhti hai), aur har investment par 3 saal ka statutory lock-in apply hota hai.
How the category works
ELSS fund ka manager, scheme ke stated objective ke hisaab se, pooled money ko mainly equity aur equity-related instruments mein invest karta hai, bilkul waise hi jaise doosri equity fund categories kaam karti hain. Do rules ELSS ko alag banate hain: Section 80C ka deduction sirf old tax regime mein milta hai — new tax regime mein yeh deduction nahi milta (dono regimes ki poori comparison ke liye hamara Tax Regime Calculator dekhein) — aur kharidi gayi har unit, chahe woh lump sum ho ya SIP ki installment, apni khud ki purchase date se 3 saal ke liye lock-in rehti hai, na ki aapke investment shuru karne ki date se.
Tax-related context
Current Income Tax Act ke framework ke tehat, ELSS mein invest ki gayi amount Section 80C ke tehat deduction ke roop mein claim ki ja sakti hai, lekin sirf old tax regime mein — new tax regime mein Section 80C deduction bilkul available nahi hai. Section 80C ki ek combined annual limit hoti hai (abhi ₹1,50,000), jo ELSS, PPF, life insurance premium jaise kai instruments mein shared hoti hai — matlab ELSS mein invest karne se koi alag, additional limit nahi banti. Yeh sirf educational context hai, personalised tax advice nahi — apne numbers ke liye old aur new regime compare karne ke liye hamara Tax Regime Calculator use karein, aur apni situation ki confirmation kisi tax professional ya Income Tax Department se karein.
Lock-in period
Har ELSS investment par apni khud ki purchase date se 3 saal ka statutory lock-in apply hota hai. Lump-sum investment ke liye iska matlab hai us investment ki date se 3 saal, aur SIP ke liye har month ki installment ek alag purchase mani jaati hai, jo apni hi date se 3 saal ke liye lock-in rehti hai, na ki aapki pehli installment ki date se. Section 80C ke tehat aane wale tax-saving options mein yeh sabse chhota lock-in hai, lekin phir bhi yeh ek pakka lock-in hai — apni 3 saal ki period poori hone se pehle units ko na toh redeem kiya ja sakta hai, na switch kiya ja sakta hai, na hi pledge kiya ja sakta hai.
Risk characteristics
ELSS ek equity mutual fund category hai, isliye isme equity-market risk hota hai: iski value underlying stock market ke saath upar-neeche hoti hai, yeh badh bhi sakti hai aur gir bhi sakti hai, aur kisi bhi period mein — 3 saal ke lock-in ke dauran bhi — positive returns ki koi guarantee nahi hai. Section 80C ke tehat tax deduction, investment par tax lagane ke tareeke se judi ek feature hai — yeh fund ke market risk ko kam, offset ya cover nahi karta, aur iska fund ke investments kaisa perform karenge, usse koi lena-dena nahi hai.
What to understand before considering this category
- Section 80C ka deduction sirf tab milta hai jab aap us financial year ke liye old tax regime choose karte hain — new tax regime mein yeh apply nahi hota.
- 3 saal ka lock-in har purchase ki gayi unit par alag-alag apply hota hai — is month ki SIP installment is month ki apni purchase date se 3 saal ke liye lock-in rehti hai, na ki aapki pehli installment ki date se.
- Tax benefit ka matlab investment suitability nahi hai — ELSS aapke liye sahi hai ya nahi, yeh aapke time horizon, risk capacity aur overall financial plan par depend karta hai, sirf Section 80C deduction par nahi.
- Section 80C ki ek combined annual limit kai instruments mein shared hoti hai, yeh sirf ELSS ke liye alag limit nahi hai — yeh maan lene se pehle ki ELSS ke liye poori limit available hai, apne doosre 80C claims (jaise PPF ya insurance premium) ko review karein.
- Expense ratio aur doosri equity-scheme costs ELSS par bhi bilkul waise hi apply hoti hain jaise kisi doosri equity mutual fund category par.
Who commonly considers this category
Jo investors PPF, tax-saving fixed deposit, ya life insurance jaise doosre Section 80C options ke saath comparison kar rahe hote hain, woh kabhi-kabhi chhote lock-in aur equity exposure ki wajah se ELSS ko bhi us comparison mein shamil karte hain. ELSS sahi choice hai ya nahi, yeh kisi individual ki apni tax situation, time horizon aur equity-market risk ke saath comfort par depend karta hai, sirf tax deduction par nahi — yeh general educational context hai, personalised recommendation nahi, aur tax benefit ka yeh matlab nahi ki ELSS har taxpayer ke liye apne aap suitable ho jaata hai.
Data source and methodology
Is page par dikhayi gayi category har fund ki apni AMFI-declared scheme category hai, jo seedhe AMFI ki daily NAV data file se li gayi hai — yeh MutualFundAdvisor.in dwara assign ya guess ki gayi classification nahi hai. Neeche di gayi fund list bhi isi feed par based hai aur periodically refresh hoti hai, har visit par nahi — isliye data ke saath dikhayi gayi date ko yeh samjhein ki yeh aakhri baar kab refresh hui thi, zaroori nahi ki yeh aaj ki hi jaankari ho.
Frequently asked questions
ELSS ka matlab kya hota hai?
ELSS ka matlab hai Equity Linked Savings Scheme — ek equity mutual fund category, jo Income Tax Act ki Section 80C ke tehat deduction ke liye eligible hai aur jisme 3 saal ka statutory lock-in hota hai.
Kya ELSS mein invest karne par tax deduction guaranteed hai?
Nahi. ELSS ka Section 80C deduction sirf tab milta hai jab aap us saal ke liye old tax regime choose karte hain; new tax regime mein yeh apply nahi hota. Deduction maan lene se pehle confirm kar lein ki aap par kaunsi regime apply hoti hai.
ELSS ka lock-in period kitna hota hai?
Har purchase ki date se 3 saal. Lump-sum investment us date se 3 saal ke liye lock-in rehta hai, aur har SIP installment apni hi purchase date se 3 saal ke liye lock-in rehti hai, na ki aapki pehli installment ki date se.
Kya Section 80C ki limit sirf ELSS ke liye alag hai?
Nahi. Section 80C ki ek combined annual limit hoti hai (abhi ₹1,50,000), jo ELSS, PPF aur life insurance premium jaise kai instruments mein shared hoti hai — yeh sirf ELSS ke liye koi additional limit nahi hai.
Kya tax benefit ka matlab hai ki ELSS accha perform karega hi?
Nahi. ELSS ek equity mutual fund category hai, aur iska return market-linked hai, jiski koi guarantee ya assurance nahi hai. Section 80C ka deduction taxation se judi ek feature hai, yeh investment ke performance ke baare mein koi statement nahi hai.
Relevant calculators
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ELSS fund listing
188 schemes found · NAV as on 06-Oct-2026Sourced directly from AMFI's daily NAV data, filtered to schemes whose own AMFI-declared category is ELSS. Listed alphabetically by scheme name — this is not a ranking, and inclusion here is not a recommendation.
Showing 60 of 188 ELSS schemes. Browse the full, searchable list on the Funds page.
Need help understanding whether ELSS fits your tax-saving and investment goals?
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For illustration only. Not investment advice. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks; read all scheme related documents carefully. Returns assumed are hypothetical and not guaranteed.