National Savings Profit Rates in October 2026: No Change Since 4 September Cut

National Savings profit rates had not changed for October 2026 when we checked on 30 September. The rates in force are the ones cut on 4 September 2026: Behbood, Pensioners' Benefit and Shuhada Family Welfare pay 12.60%, Regular Income 11.16% and Defence Savings 11.61%.

We read the Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) rate page on savings.gov.pk and each scheme's rate sheet on 30 September 2026. The page dates its summary "w.e.f. 04-09-2026", meaning with effect from 4 September. No newer revision was posted.

That 4 September change was a cut on almost every scheme. Only the 12-month Short Term Savings Certificate went up. The Savings Account stayed at 10.00%.

National Savings profit rates for October 2026

Going into October 2026, CDNS lists 12.60% for Behbood, Pensioners' Benefit and Shuhada accounts, 11.61% for Defence Savings, 11.16% for Regular Income and 11.08% for Special Savings. These are the 4 September rates, and no change was posted by 30 September.

CDNS also lists 11.08% for Special Savings Certificates and Accounts as a headline figure. The detailed sheet shows how that is made up, which we explain below.

The Islamic schemes are listed too. Sarwa Islamic Savings Account shows 11.25%. Sarwa Islamic Term Accounts show 11.25% for one year and 11.16% for three and five years. The National Savings profit rates for every scheme, with who can buy each one, are kept in one place and updated when CDNS changes them.

Monthly profit on Rs 100,000 after the 4 September cut

For each Rs 100,000, Behbood, Pensioners' Benefit and Shuhada accounts now pay Rs 1,050 a month, down from Rs 1,080. Regular Income Certificates pay Rs 930 a month, down from Rs 960. That is Rs 30 less each month on both.

Those are the figures CDNS prints on its own rate sheets. Scale them to your own amount. Rs 500,000 in Behbood now earns Rs 5,250 a month, where it earned Rs 5,400 before 4 September.

Behbood and Pensioners' Benefit holders keep the full amount. CDNS says on its scheme pages that no withholding tax is collected on profit from either one. Regular Income is different: tax is taken before the profit reaches you, and the tax on savings profit depends on whether you are a filer.

Special Savings and Defence Savings rates in detail

Special Savings Certificates and Accounts pay 10.90% for each of the first five six-month periods and 12.00% for the sixth. Defence Savings Certificates grow Rs 100,000 to Rs 300,000 over ten years at the current rate of 11.61%.

In rupees, a Special Savings holder gets Rs 5,450 every six months on Rs 100,000 for the first two and a half years. The last six months pay Rs 6,000. Before 4 September, those figures were 11.20% and 12.60%.

Defence Savings Certificates work differently. They pay nothing until you cash them. The CDNS sheet shows what Rs 100,000 is worth at the end of each year from 4 September:

1. After one year: Rs 110,000.
2. After three years: Rs 133,000.
3. After five years: Rs 163,000.
4. After eight years: Rs 230,000.
5. After ten years, at maturity: Rs 300,000.

Cashing out early costs you. The first year pays only 10 per cent on the sheet, and the gain speeds up in the later years.

Rates have changed five times or more in 2026

The Behbood rate has changed five times in 2026. It fell to 12.48% on 5 January and 12.00% on 23 January, rose to 13.20% on 10 June, eased to 12.96% on 18 July and fell to 12.60% on 4 September. Regular Income changed six times.

CDNS does not follow a fixed calendar. The gaps this year ran from two weeks to four months. So a rate can change on any date, not just the first of a month.

CDNS does not publish a reason with each change. The State Bank held its policy rate at 11.5 per cent at its September meeting.

Who can buy the highest-paying schemes

The three 12.60% schemes are not open to everyone. Behbood is for citizens aged 60 or above, widows who have not remarried, and people with a disability logo on their CNIC. The Pensioners' Benefit Account is for government and armed forces pensioners. The Shuhada account is for families of martyrs.

Limits apply too. CDNS lists a maximum of Rs 7.5 million for one Behbood investor and Rs 7.5 million in a Pensioners' Benefit Account. Most other savers buy Regular Income, Defence or Short Term certificates.

So the useful comparison for most readers is between 11.16% on Regular Income and 11.61% on Defence Savings. Regular Income pays every month. Defence Savings pays nothing until you cash it, but grows faster if you hold it to ten years.

Some people put money in an older relative's name to reach the higher rate. That can create real problems over ownership and inheritance later. If the money is not really theirs, think twice.

Any offer promising more than the CDNS rate on a "National Savings" product is not a CDNS product. CDNS rates are the same at every centre.

Common questions

Did National Savings change profit rates on 1 October 2026?

No change had been posted by 30 September 2026. The rates in force are those effective from 4 September 2026.

What is the Behbood profit rate now?

12.60% a year, which is Rs 1,050 a month for every Rs 100,000.

What is the Regular Income Certificate rate?

11.16% a year, or Rs 930 a month on each Rs 100,000 before tax.

Did any National Savings rate go up on 4 September?

Yes, one. The 12-month Short Term Savings Certificate rose from 11.17% to 11.28%.

Is tax deducted on Behbood profit?

No. CDNS says withholding tax is not collected on Behbood or Pensioners' Benefit profit, and both are exempt from Zakat.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 30 September 2026. The rates, the 4 September effective date and the Islamic scheme rates are read on the CDNS latest profit rates page. The previous rates, the monthly profit per Rs 100,000, the Special Savings split, the Defence Savings encashment values and the 2026 history are read in the historical rate sheets CDNS links from that page for each scheme. Eligibility, limits and the tax position of Behbood, Pensioners' Benefit and Shuhada accounts are read on each scheme's page on savings.gov.pk.