Last-minute rush for tax saving? You can look at these ELSS funds

With just a few days left of the current financial year, many investors would be searching last minute for investment option under Section 80C to save on their income-tax outgo.

Equity linked savings scheme, ELSS in short, is one such instrument that scored both on returns count and also can help save on taxes. Data shows there are 31 such schemes with more than three years of track record and a minimum asset under management of Rs 1,000 crore each.

For the uninitiated, ELSS is a mutual fund scheme that can help save up to Rs 46,800 in income-tax outgo in a financial year as such investments qualify for tax deductions under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961 that allows tax rebate for investments up to Rs 1.5 lakh.


Remember, these funds have a lock-in period of three years, which means you will not be able to redeem your investment within this period.

The median return generated by the 31 schemes selected in last three years stood at 49 per cent as of March 20, 2018, while the median expense ratio was 2.29 per cent.

Here’s a list of top ELSS funds that investors can choose from.