Lock-in Period
A minimum holding period during which you cannot redeem the investment.
ELSS funds have a 3-year lock-in (the shortest in the 80C basket). PPF locks money for 15 years (with partial withdrawal allowed from year 7). NPS locks until age 60 (with limited withdrawals for specified purposes). Tax-saver FDs lock for 5 years. ULIPs lock for 5 years. Within the lock-in, you cannot pledge, switch out, or redeem. The lock-in is enforced at the unit level, your most recent units in an ELSS SIP each have their own 3-year clock.
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