Gift a Pension

How can I use UPI to put money into my NPS account?

You can regularly put money into your NPS account using your bank’s UPI app or third-party apps like WhatsApp Pay, Google Pay, BHIM, PhonePe, Paytm, etc.

Depending on the amount and frequency you decide when you help activate your NPS account, you will receive a periodic “collect request” from HDFC Pension. You will need to simply enter your UPI PIN on your chosen UPI app to authorize and transfer the payment.

Your money will be transferred instantly and directly from your bank account to your NPS account with HDFC Pension.

Please do not share your UPI PIN with anyone.

What is United Payment Interface (UPI)?

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is an instant payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an entity regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. UPI allows you to instantly and electronically transfer money from your bank account to someone else’s bank account without any risk using your mobile.

What is a UPI PIN?

UPI-PIN (UPI Personal Identification Number) is a 4 to 6-digit pass code that you create or set when you first set up UPI on an app like WhatsApp Pay, Google Pay, BHIM, PayTm or PhonePe. You have to enter your UPI-PIN to authorize all bank transactions.

Note: Please do not share your UPI-PIN with anyone. UPI payment apps do not store or read your UPI-PIN details. And your bank's customer support will never ask for it.

What happens if I enter wrong UPI-PIN during a transaction?

In case you enter the wrong UPI PIN, the transaction will fail.

Do money transfers happen on UPI only during banking hours?

All UPI payments are instant and 24/7, regardless of your bank's working hours.

What happens once I make a UPI payment into the NPS account?

Once you complete a transaction with UPI, you should instantly see a success status on the UPI app screen and also receive an SMS from your bank. Sometimes, the success message or SMS from your bank can take longer. In case you do you receive your confirmation for a contribution within an hour, please contact our helpline at 080 2300 2000.

How will my contributions flow to my account?

The “UPI collect request” you get from HDFC Pension will be linked to your NPS account number. When you approve the payment using your UPI PIN, the funds from your bank account will be transferred directly to HDFC Pension’s NPS Scheme account. You should get an SMS from your bank confirming the UPI payment.

How will I know that my contribution has reached my NPS account?

You would get an SMS from the KCRA confirming that the contributions is credited into your NPS account. All such contributions should also reflect in the your NPS account statement.

How will I know when an NPS contribution is due?

You will receive an SMS reminder when the next NPS contribution becomes due. And you will get a UPI Collect request from HDFC Pension.

What will happen to the NPS savings if you miss some contributions?

The savings already in your NPS account will remain securely invested by HDFC Pension and will continue to earn returns and grow.

What is NPS?

NPS or the National Pension System is a retirement saving scheme launched by the Government of India on 01 January 2004. For the first 5 years, only central and state governments employees were permitted to open NPS accounts.

From 2009, any Indian citizen can open an NPS account and use it to save for old age. Around 70 lakh young government employees and over 70 lakh other people across India are already using the NPS to regularly save for their retirement.

Why should one open an NPS account?

Most of us can expect to live till at least age 80. Which means that we should have enough savings set aside to take care of our expenses for at least 20 years after we stop working.

NPS is a simple, easy, secure and low-cost way to regularly save a small part of our income for old age. If we save enough while we’re still young, we won’t need to depend on our children or anyone else when we are old.

Who is responsible for supervising the NPS?

NPS is regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority or PFRDA. PFRDA helps keep retirement savings of citizens safe and protects subscribers from fraud or malpractice.

The NPS Trust takes care of the savings under the NPS in the best interest of subscribers.

Who can open an NPS account?

Any Indian citizen aged between 18 and 65 can voluntarily open an NPS account.

How much does one need to save in NPS?

A person needs to save at least ₹1,000 per year in NPS. The minimum amount per contribution has to be ₹500 or more.

However, we can, and should, save as much as we can afford so that we have enough savings set aside for a secure and dignified old age. Please see the pension calculator on this website to see how much one can accumulate by age 60 - depending on the amount, age of the person and the expected returns delivered by NPS.

Should one continue to save the same amount in NPS over time?

As our incomes usually grow over the years, in line with inflation, we should gradually increase the amount of money that we put into our NPS account. This makes sure that the actual value of savings we’re putting into our NPS accounts does not come down over time due to inflation.

Is there any penalty if a person is unable to save for a few months?

NPS is a flexible scheme. A person can save as per his or her own income and convenience – on a monthly, quarterly, half yearly or annual basis. There are no penalties or charges if one misses a contribution. Savings in the NPS account will remain invested and will continue to grow.

How do NPS savings grow?

NPS savings are managed and invested by as per PFRDA regulations in a mix of government bonds, corporate bonds and shares of large, listed companies. As the value of these investments go up, the value of NPS savings also grows over the years.

Please see the pension calculator on this website to see how much even a 1% additional return can increase the savings achieved by age 60.

Would I have any say in where my savings are invested?

Yes. You can choose between 4 “funds” or “schemes” under NPS. This determines where savings are invested. You can choose between any of these funds:

• Equities
• Corporate Bond
• Government Securities
• Auto-choice

You can shift your NPS savings from one scheme or fund to another twice a year, if you wish. You can call the customer helpline for further assistance.

Initially your savings are automatically put into the conservative or lowest risk “Auto-Choice LC-25” scheme. This is a conservative, lifecycle scheme. In this Scheme, savings are automatically shifted from higher risk equity investments to lower risk bonds as a person grows older. Therefore, this scheme protects savings from excessive volatility risk (or ups and downs) in investments.

Who manages savings in NPS?

NPS savings are managed by highly respected expert pension fund managers appointed by PRFDA. These are dedicated pension funds set up by HDFC, ICICI, UTI, SBI, Kotak Mahindra, LIC, Reliance and Aditya Birla Group. A person can select any of them to manage their NPS savings.

You can select any of these pension funds to manage your NPS savings. A person is allowed to shift their NPS savings to another fund manager, twice a year. Savings are initially defaulted to being managed by HDFC Pension Management. You may change this during enrolment. HDFC would have delivered returns of over 12% per year up to May 2021 on average over the last 3 years if one was to have a LC-25 scheme investment allocation and were under age 35 for the entire period.

Are returns under NPS guaranteed or fixed?

No. The rate at which savings in NPS grow is not fixed or guaranteed. The returns and the value of NPS savings may go up or down over time depending on the value of the investments.

When can a person start getting a pension from NPS?

Pension benefits in NPS begin at 60. When a person is aged 60 years, 60% of the full savings in the NPS account can be withdrawn as a lump sum. The remaining 40% of the savings in the NPS account are converted into a monthly pension. However, if your total balance at retirement is less than ₹5 lakh, the full amount can be taken as a lump sum.

How much pension does a person get with NPS?

The value of the pension in NPS depends on: (a) the amount a person saves regularly over the years, (b) the age at which a person starts saving, and (c) the returns that these savings earn. A person should open an NPS account at the youngest possible age. And save regularly.

Please see the pension calculator on this website to see the difference in pension savings by age 60 for a person who starts saving at (say) age 20 Vs. 25 Vs. 30. This will show how even modest regular savings can add up to a large amount through the magic of compounding.

Can a person withdraw from NPS before age 60?

Yes, a person can withdraw up to 25% of the contributions made into the NPS account 3 times before age 60. The first withdrawal can be taken three years from opening an NPS account. The 2nd and 3rd withdrawals have to be 5 years after the previous withdrawal.

For what purposes are withdrawals from NPS permitted?

Pre-retirement withdrawals from NPS are permitted for (a) children’s higher education, (b) children’s marriage expenses, (c) purchase or construction of a home, (d) expenses for critical illness for self, spouse, children or dependent parents, (e) medical or incidental expenses due to disability or incapacitation, (f) cost of skills development or re-skilling, and (g) for setting up own business.

Can a person close their NPS account before age 60?

Yes. An NPS account can be closed after 10 years. At that point, if the total money in the NPS account is less than ₹2.5 lakh, the full amount can withdraw as a lump sum.

If the total savings in the NPS account are more than ₹2.5 lakh, only 20% of the money can be withdrawn as a lump sum. The remaining savings will be paid back as a monthly pension.

How does one get the withdrawal or monthly pension?

All withdrawals and pension benefits from NPS are transferred directly into the bank account of the subscriber.

What happens if an NPS subscriber dies before retirement?

In this unfortunate situation, the person’s nominee will be paid the full amount in the subscriber’s NPS account – all savings and returns earned till that date. This money will be directly transferred into the nominee’s bank account.

Who is a nominee?

A nominee is usually the spouse or children or legal heir of the person who has the NPS account. NPS subscribers have to provide their nominee’s details in the NPS Application Form. This is both important and compulsory.

What happens to the NPS account the person moves to another city or employer?

The NPS account continues to remain in the name of the person. He or she can continue to put money in the same account regardless of where the person lives or works over time. Information and services can be accessed either through WhatsApp or by simply calling the national Helpline at 080 2300 2000 on any working day from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm.

What services does the Helpline provide?

Our helpline number is 080 2300 2000. The helpline works on weekdays from 8:30 pm to 6:30 pm. The Helpline is available for any questions such as NPS account balance, statement of recent transactions, etc. The Helpline also provides information and help on withdrawal application, filing of an insurance claim or filing and resolution of complaints.

As per NPS rules, HDFC Pension charges a one-time fee of Rs.400 for NPS account activation and a transaction fee of Rs.30 per contribution. GST of 18% is charged separately on the fees.

Here is a chart on all fees and charges under NPS and the entities that charge these fees. Information on NPS fees and charges is also available on the websites of PFRDA, NPS Trust and HDFC Pension.

*Minimum ₹30 and maximum ₹25,000 per transaction