Behbood Savings Certificates: profit rate, who can invest and how

A Behbood Savings Certificate pays 12.72% a year from 1 October 2026, or Rs 1,060 a month on each Rs 100,000, with no withholding tax and no zakat. Only Pakistanis aged 60 or above, widows who have not remarried, and persons with disability can buy one. You buy it at a National Savings Centre with your CNIC, from Rs 5,000. The certificate runs 10 years and pays profit every month.

What is the Behbood certificate profit rate today?

As of October 2026 the rate is 12.72%, set by the Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) from 1 Oct 2026. It went up from 12.60%, which applied from 4 to 30 Sep 2026. The Pensioners Benefit Account and the Shuhada Family Welfare Account pay the same rate.

CDNS changes the rate often. Its own table shows six changes in 2026 so far:

For a longer view: the rate started at 10.08% in July 2003 and fell to its lowest, 9.12%, in August and September 2016. Its highest in the last decade was 16.56%, from 10 Apr to 29 Oct 2023.

How do I calculate Behbood certificate profit?

CDNS’s method: divide your amount by Rs 100,000, then multiply by the monthly figure. At the 1 Oct 2026 rate of Rs 1,060:

These are our calculations at today’s rate. If CDNS changes the rate, the figures change too.

Who can buy Behbood Savings Certificates?

Only citizens of Pakistan in one of these groups:

• Senior citizens aged 60 or above.
• Widows, as long as they do not remarry.
• Two eligible people jointly, for example a husband and wife who are both 60 or above.
• Persons with disability holding a CNIC with the disability logo.
• Special minors with a disability, through a guardian.

Widowers cannot invest, CDNS’s FAQ says. The scheme began on 30 Jul 2003. Persons with disability and special minors were added from 1 Jan 2018.

Overseas Pakistanis who qualify can apply with a NICOP (National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis) instead of a CNIC.

What is the maximum limit of Behbood certificate?

The minimum is Rs 5,000. Certificates come in Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 50,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh.

CDNS’s own pages disagree on the maximum:

• The Behbood product page says Rs 7.5 million (Rs 75 lakh) for one investor and Rs 15 million (Rs 1.5 crore) jointly.
• The FAQ page says Rs 5 million single and Rs 10 million joint.

We follow the product page, because it is the more detailed of the two. If you plan to invest more than Rs 50 lakh, confirm the limit at the counter first.

Is there tax or zakat on Behbood profit?

No. CDNS does not deduct withholding tax on Behbood profit, and the investment is exempt from zakat. This holds for filers and non-filers alike.

That is the main advantage over taxed schemes. On taxed National Savings schemes, CDNS deducts 15% of profit if you are on FBR’s Active Taxpayer List (ATL) and 30% if you are not.

Bank deposit profit is taxed at 20% for filers and 40% for non-filers, according to FBR’s 2026-27 rate card. See tax on bank profit.

We couldn’t confirm whether Behbood profit must be shown in an annual tax return. If you file one, ask your tax adviser.

How do I buy Behbood certificates?

You can buy them only at National Savings Centres, not at banks. CDNS’s pages don’t list Behbood among the products in its digital app.

Extra documents for widows: a copy of the husband’s death certificate, and an undertaking on stamp paper that you have not remarried, attested by a notary public or oath commissioner. If it later turns out a widow had remarried, CDNS can ask for the money received to be refunded.

For joint certificates, choose how profit is paid. Joint class-A pays both holders, or either one with the other’s written consent. Joint class-B pays either holder.

What happens if I cash Behbood certificates early?

You can cash them any time, but CDNS deducts a service charge on the face value:

Two more rules matter. Behbood certificates can’t be pledged as loan security or transferred to another person. And certificates bought on or after 15 Nov 2010 can’t be reinvested on maturity, so after 10 years you take the money out and buy again if you still qualify.

Is Behbood better than other National Savings schemes?

If you qualify, Behbood pays a higher rate than Regular Income and Defence Savings certificates, and nothing is deducted for tax. Rates from 1 Oct 2026, on Rs 10 lakh:

CPI inflation was 10.3% in September 2026, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. So Behbood’s 12.72% is about 2.4 points above inflation, before any rate change. For every scheme side by side, see National Savings certificates compared.

More guides: EOBI pension, Savings account profit rates, investment options in Pakistan, pension funds, prize bonds, zakat deduction on bank accounts, how to become a filer, Investing.