Open
A guardian opens the account with the minor as the subscriber.
NPS Vatsalya
Give your childa head starton retirement
Open an NPS account for your minor child. Small, regular contributions compound for decades — and the account becomes theirs at 18.
✓Start early, grow longer
Why start early
The earliest rupees do the most work
NPS Vatsalya lets a guardian build a long-horizon retirement corpus for a child, using the same low-cost, regulated NPS framework.
How it works
Three simple stages
From opening the account to the day it becomes your child’s own.
Contribute
Add contributions in the child’s name over the years.
Convert
At 18 it becomes a standard NPS Tier-I account they control.
Features and limits follow the prevailing NPS Vatsalya framework and should be verified before opening an account.
Getting started
Open an account in four steps
A guardian can complete the process with standard KYC documents.
Check eligibility
The child must be an Indian minor below 18 years.
Complete KYC
Provide the guardian’s KYC and the child’s documents.
First contribution
Fund the account to activate the child’s PRAN.
Manage & grow
Track the account and add contributions over time.
Common questions
What parents usually ask first
Who can open an NPS Vatsalya account?
Any Indian citizen below 18 is eligible. The account is opened in the minor’s name and operated by a parent or legal guardian on the child’s behalf until the child turns 18. Guardians who are NRIs or OCIs can also open one for a minor who is an Indian citizen. It can be opened online through the eNPS portal or at any Point of Presence (a bank or POP branch), using the child’s date-of-birth proof and the guardian’s KYC.
What happens when the child turns 18?
On the child’s 18th birthday the account converts into a regular NPS Tier-I account under the All-Citizen Model, now in the young adult’s own name. A fresh KYC of the subscriber must be completed within three months of turning 18, after which they operate the account themselves and the accumulated corpus keeps compounding towards retirement.
Is there a minimum contribution?
You open the account with a minimum of ₹1,000 and contribute at least ₹1,000 per financial year to keep it active — there is no upper limit, so you can add as much as you like, whenever you like. There is no requirement to contribute every month, and contributions can be made online.
Who controls the investment choices?
The guardian chooses and manages the investments until the child turns 18 — selecting the Pension Fund Manager and either Auto Choice (a life-cycle fund that gradually de-risks with age) or Active Choice across equity, corporate bonds and government securities within PFRDA limits. If no selection is made, contributions default to the Moderate Life-Cycle Fund (LC-50). Full control passes to the subscriber at 18.
Can money be withdrawn before 18, and what happens at maturity?
Yes — after a three-year lock-in, the guardian can make partial withdrawals of up to 25% of the contributions (up to three times) for the child’s education, the treatment of specified illnesses, or disability. When the account matures as the child turns 18, if the corpus is ₹2.5 lakh or less the full amount can be taken as a lump sum; if it is above ₹2.5 lakh, at least 80% is used to buy an annuity and up to 20% can be withdrawn as a lump sum.