National Savings Profit Rates Rise From 1 October 2026: Behbood 12.72%

Correction, 3 October 2026: An earlier version of this article said National Savings rates were unchanged since the 4 September cut. That was wrong. CDNS posted new rates effective 1 October 2026 after our first check, and this article now reports them.

Update, 11 October 2026: SBP data shows net inflows into National Savings in July and August 2026.

Most National Savings profit rates went up from 1 October 2026. Behbood, Pensioners' Benefit and Shuhada accounts now pay 12.72%, up from 12.60%. Regular Income Certificates pay 11.76%, up from 11.16%, and Defence Savings pay 11.80%, up from 11.61%.

We read the Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) rate page on savings.gov.pk on 3 October 2026. It dates its summary "w.e.f. 01-10-2026", meaning with effect from 1 October. We also read the CDNS rate card and each scheme's rate sheet, which give the same figures.

Only one rate went down. The 3-month Short Term Savings Certificate fell from 10.86% to 10.80%. The Savings Account stayed at 10.00%.

National Savings profit rates from 1 October 2026

From 1 October 2026, CDNS pays 12.72% on Behbood, Pensioners' Benefit and Shuhada accounts, 11.80% on Defence Savings and 11.76% on Regular Income. Every scheme went up except the 3-month Short Term certificate, which fell, and the Savings Account, which did not change.

The changes are in percentage points. The biggest rise is on Special Savings and Regular Income. The smallest is on the 12-month Short Term certificate.

The Islamic schemes went up too. Sarwa Islamic Savings Account now shows 11.33%, up from 11.25%. Sarwa Islamic Term Accounts show 11.33% for one year, 11.57% for three years and 11.70% for five years, up from 11.25%, 11.16% and 11.16%. 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 from 1 October

For each Rs 100,000, Behbood, Pensioners' Benefit and Shuhada accounts now pay Rs 1,060 a month, up from Rs 1,050. Regular Income Certificates pay Rs 980 a month, up from Rs 930. That is Rs 10 more on the first group and Rs 50 more on Regular Income.

These are the figures CDNS prints on its own rate card. Scale them to your own amount. Rs 500,000 in Behbood now earns Rs 5,300 a month, where it earned Rs 5,250 in 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. The CDNS rate card says withholding tax is 15% for filers and 30% for non-filers. The tax on savings profit is why being a filer matters.

Special Savings and Defence Savings rates in detail

Special Savings Certificates and Accounts now pay 11.60% for each of the first five six-month periods and 12.90% for the sixth. Defence Savings Certificates now grow Rs 100,000 to Rs 305,000 over ten years at 11.80%, up from Rs 300,000.

In rupees, a Special Savings holder gets Rs 5,800 every six months on Rs 100,000 for the first two and a half years. The last six months pay Rs 6,450. In September those figures were Rs 5,450 and Rs 6,000.

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 1 October:

1. After one year: Rs 110,000, the same as before.
2. After three years: Rs 134,000, up from Rs 133,000.
3. After five years: Rs 166,000, up from Rs 163,000.
4. After eight years: Rs 236,000, up from Rs 230,000.
5. After ten years, at maturity: Rs 305,000, up from 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 six times in 2026

The Behbood rate has now changed six 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, fell to 12.60% on 4 September and rose to 12.72% on 1 October. Regular Income changed seven times.

CDNS does not follow a fixed calendar. The gaps this year ran from two weeks to four months. The 1 October change came less than four weeks after the 4 September one.

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 12.72% 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. The CDNS rate card lists a maximum of Rs 7.5 million for Behbood, the Pensioners' Benefit Account and the Shuhada account. The minimum is Rs 5,000 for Behbood and Rs 10,000 for the other two. Most other savers buy Regular Income, Defence or Short Term certificates.

So the useful comparison for most readers is between 11.76% on Regular Income and 11.80% on Defence Savings. The gap is now very small. 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?

Yes. CDNS revised its rates with effect from 1 October 2026. Most went up. Only the 3-month Short Term certificate went down, and the Savings Account stayed at 10.00%.

What is the Behbood profit rate now?

12.72% a year, which is Rs 1,060 a month for every Rs 100,000.

What is the Regular Income Certificate rate?

11.76% a year, or Rs 980 a month on each Rs 100,000 before tax.

Did any National Savings rate go down on 1 October?

Yes, one. The 3-month Short Term Savings Certificate fell from 10.86% to 10.80%.

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 7 October 2026. The 1 October effective date is read on the CDNS latest profit rates page. The new rates, the monthly and six-monthly profit per Rs 100,000, the limits and the withholding tax rates are read on the CDNS rate card posted on that page. The previous rates, the Defence Savings encashment values and the 2026 history are read in the historical rate sheets CDNS links from that page for each scheme, which now include the 1 October rows. Eligibility and the tax position of Behbood and Pensioners' Benefit accounts are read on each scheme's page on savings.gov.pk.