Best Ultra Short Duration Funds in India

31 ultra short duration funds in India, of which 26 meet the eligibility criteria, ranked on expense ratio. Where do I keep money for days or weeks?

Returns in this group cluster within ~0.5 percentage points, so ranking by return is noise. Ranked on cost and liquidity instead.

Ultra Short Duration Funds ranked by expense ratio

#
1HSBC Ultra Short Duration Fund - Direct GrowthBronze0.18%+6.55%+6.42%₹3,322 Cr₹1,475.7342
2ITI Ultra Short Term Fund - Direct Plan - Growth OptionBronze0.21%+6.49%+7.09%₹163 Cr₹1,374.3477
3Mirae Asset Ultra Short Duration Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthGold0.23%+6.74%+6.93%₹1,916 Cr₹1,424.2562
4Sundaram Ultra Short Duration Fund (Formerly Known as Principal Ultra Short Term Fund)- Direct Plan -Growth OptionGold0.23%+6.53%+7.34%₹2,284 Cr₹3,148.8255
5LIC MF Ultra Short Duration Fund-Direct Plan-GrowthSilver0.25%+6.69%+5.84%₹509 Cr₹1,453.4715
6Motilal Oswal Ultra Short Term Fund (MOFUSTF) -Direct Plan- Growth0.25%+6.33%+4.42%₹516 Cr₹18.6703
7Invesco India Ultra Short Duration Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthGold0.27%+6.71%+7.39%₹1,073 Cr₹3,099.6433
8Baroda BNP Paribas Ultra Short Duration Fund- Direct Plan- GrowthGold0.29%+6.58%+5.98%₹649 Cr₹1,680.1093
9Franklin India Ultra Short Duration Fund - Direct - GrowthSilver0.29%+6.57%₹289 Cr₹11.4761
10DSP Ultra Short Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthPlatinum0.30%+6.72%+6.94%₹4,456 Cr₹3,986.9643
11BANDHAN ULTRA SHORT DURATION FUND - DIRECT PLAN GROWTH0.30%+6.52%+5.87%₹4,205 Cr₹16.5572
12Mahindra Manulife Ultra Short Duration Fund - Direct Plan -GrowthGold0.31%+6.65%+6.22%₹205 Cr₹1,516.4487
13Aditya Birla Sun Life Savings Fund - Growth - Direct PlanPlatinum0.32%+6.66%+7.68%₹18,189 Cr₹601.1338
14Tata Ultra Short Term Fund-Direct Plan-GrowthGold0.33%+6.97%+5.90%₹6,378 Cr₹16.0792
15Nippon India Ultra Short Duration Fund- Direct Plan- Growth OptionPlatinum0.34%+6.96%+7.00%₹11,659 Cr₹4,796.7586
16PGIM India Ultra Short Duration Fund - Direct Plan - Growth0.34%+6.29%+6.11%₹176 Cr₹38.2009
17SBI ULTRA SHORT DURATION FUND - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTHGold0.35%+6.43%+7.41%₹11,165 Cr₹6,528.652
18WhiteOak Capital Ultra Short Duration Fund- Direct plan-Growth Option0.35%+6.34%+5.94%₹552 Cr₹1,512.1107
19Invesco India Low Duration Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthSilver0.35%+6.23%+7.57%₹1,640 Cr₹4,227.3812
20Axis Ultra Short Duration Fund - Direct Plan GrowthPlatinum0.36%+6.74%+6.21%₹5,908 Cr₹16.8372
21CANARA ROBECO ULTRA SHORT TERM FUND - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTH OPTIONSilver0.36%+6.52%+6.78%₹580 Cr₹4,342.2273
22Kotak Savings Fund-Growth - DirectPlatinum0.36%+6.50%+7.41%₹15,708 Cr₹48.278
23HDFC Ultra Short Term Fund - Direct Plan-Growth OptionSilver0.39%+6.43%+6.06%₹16,678 Cr₹16.6222
24UTI Ultra Short Duration Fund - Direct Plan - Growth OptionPlatinum0.40%+6.64%+6.77%₹3,444 Cr₹4,892.8086
25ICICI Prudential Ultra Short Term Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthGold0.41%+6.71%+7.76%₹15,455 Cr₹32.2681
26BANK OF INDIA Ultra Short Duration Fund- Direct Plan- GrowthGold0.45%+6.48%+6.95%₹168 Cr₹3,513.3219

Badges are our own quality tiers — Platinum (top 10%), Gold (25%), Silver (50%), Bronze (75%) — scored within each sub-category, so they compare a fund with its peers and not with funds of a different type. “3Y typical” is the median annualised return across every 3-year holding period the fund has lived through, not a single 3-year figure; “3Y loss odds” is the share of those periods that ended down. “Beat peers” is the share in which it beat its category's median, and “worst fall” is its deepest peak-to-trough drop. Open a fund for the full distribution. Click any column heading to re-sort — including the fund name, which groups a house’s funds together. Funds with no value for a column sort last. Returns over 1 year are annualised (CAGR). Past performance does not indicate future returns. Eligibility: Direct, Growth only, minimum AUM ₹100 Cr, at least 1 year(s) old. Past performance. Returns for 3y/5y are annualised (CAGR) and are withheld where the NAV series does not support the period.

Ultra Short Duration Funds — FAQs
Which fund type suits money I need in a few weeks?

Overnight and liquid funds are designed for very short horizons and hold instruments maturing in 1–91 days. Ultra-short, low-duration and money-market funds sit slightly further out. The trade-off is small: these categories differ far more in cost than in return.

Why are these funds ranked on expense ratio rather than returns?

Returns across this group cluster within roughly half a percentage point, so ordering by return mostly surfaces whichever fund caught a rate movement — noise, not skill. Expense ratio is the most consistent differentiator, because it is deducted from a return the whole category shares.

How quickly can I get my money back?

Overnight and liquid funds typically settle in one business day, and liquid funds offer an instant-redemption facility subject to limits. Check each scheme’s exit load: liquid funds carry a small graded load if redeemed within seven days.

Are these safer than a savings account?

They are not guaranteed. They invest in short-maturity debt, so they carry limited interest-rate and credit risk rather than none. Historically they have been low-volatility, but a credit event in an underlying holding can still affect NAV.