These deposit accounts are one of the most popular deposits for individual accounts. These accounts not only provide a cheque facility but also have a lot of flexibility for deposits and withdrawal of funds from the account. Most banks have rules for the maximum number of withdrawals in a period and the maximum amount of withdrawal, but hardly any bank enforces these.

However, banks have every right to enforce such restrictions if it is felt that the account is being misused as a current account. Till 24/10/2011, the interest on Saving Bank Accounts was regulated by RBI and it was fixed at 3.00% on a daily balance basis.

However, wef 25th October 2011, RBI deregulated Saving Fund account interest rates and now banks are free to decide the same within certain conditions imposed by RBI. Under the directions of RBI, now banks are also required to open no-frill accounts (this term is used for accounts that do not have any minimum balance requirements). Although Public Sector Banks still pay only 4% rate of interest, some private banks like Kotak Bank and Yes Bank pay between 6% and 7% on such deposits. From the FY 2012-13, interest earned up to Rs 10,000 in a financial year on Saving Bank accounts is exempted from tax.