All Citizen
The voluntary route into NPS for individuals — salaried, self-employed, NRI, or OCI. Open architecture across asset classes, with full subscriber control over PFM, scheme, and contribution cadence.
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The All Citizen Model is open to any Indian citizen, NRI, or OCI between 18 and 85, subject to KYC and contractual capacity. HUFs, PIOs, and non-individuals cannot open a regular NPS account.
Any Indian citizen (Resident or Non-Resident) or Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) who is at least 18 and not more than 85 years old at the time of application, is KYC-compliant, and is legally competent to enter into a contract under the Indian Contract Act.
Resident Indian citizens, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs subject to FEMA/RBI norms and NRE/NRO bank account), and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) are all eligible to subscribe under the All Citizen Model.
Every applicant must complete KYC formalities and submit valid identity proof, address proof, PAN, and bank account details. NRIs and OCIs must provide the prescribed additional documentation.
Accounts can be opened online through eNPS (Aadhaar e-KYC or PAN + bank KYC) or offline through any registered Point of Presence (POP). On successful registration, the Central Recordkeeping Agency (CRA) issues a unique 12-digit Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN).
Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), any non-individual entity, and persons not legally competent to enter into a contract under the Indian Contract Act cannot open a regular NPS account.
Source notes: Chapter 6 — Eligibility and Account Opening. Verify current rules from official sources before acting.
Subscribers can choose how their contributions are invested across four asset classes — Equity (E), Corporate Debt (C), Government Securities (G), and Alternative Assets (A) — through Active Choice or one of three Auto Choice lifecycle funds.
The subscriber decides their own allocation across the four asset classes. Tier I caps: Equity up to 75%, Corporate Debt up to 100%, Government Securities up to 100%, Alternatives up to 5%. Total allocation must add up to 100%. Suited to investors comfortable with portfolio decisions.
Allocation is determined automatically based on age. Three lifecycle funds are available: Aggressive (peak equity 75% until 35), Moderate (peak equity 50% until 35), and Conservative (peak equity 25% until 35). Equity is gradually reduced and debt increased as the subscriber ages.
Invests in listed equity shares and equity-related instruments, primarily large-cap and other approved stocks as per PFRDA guidelines. Highest long-term growth potential, highest short-term volatility. Suited to younger subscribers with longer horizons.
Class C invests in corporate bonds and debentures from financially strong issuers. Class G invests in Central Government securities and State Development Loans. C carries moderate risk; G carries the lowest credit risk in NPS. Both support capital preservation alongside equity.
Invests in REITs, InvITs, AIFs, and mortgage-backed instruments permitted by PFRDA. Adds diversification beyond equity and debt but carries higher complexity and risk. Capped at 5% of Tier I allocation under Active Choice.
Source notes: Chapter 8 — Investment Options Under NPS. Verify current rules from official sources before acting.
Tier I is the mandatory retirement account with withdrawal restrictions. Tier II is an optional savings account with full liquidity. Contribution rules differ for each.
₹500 at account opening, ₹500 per transaction, ₹1,000 per financial year, and at least one contribution per financial year. No upper limit. If the ₹1,000 annual minimum is missed, the account is frozen — reactivation requires ₹100 per dormant year plus the missed ₹1,000 contribution.
₹1,000 at account opening, ₹250 per transaction. No minimum annual contribution, no minimum frequency. Tier II requires an active Tier I account — if Tier I is frozen, Tier II automatically becomes inactive.
Contributions can be monthly, quarterly, annually, lump sum, or irregular. There is no fixed schedule. A subscriber may contribute ₹5,000 monthly, ₹15,000 quarterly, ₹60,000 once a year, or any combination, as long as the Tier I minimums are met.
Contributions can be made online via the eNPS portal (net banking, debit/credit card, UPI), through CRA platforms, through any POP branch, via auto-debit / standing instruction, or via the NPS mobile app. Receipts and statements are available through the CRA login.
There is no upper limit prescribed by NPS/PFRDA on annual contribution to either Tier I or Tier II. Tax benefit limits (Section 80CCD) cap the deductible portion, but contributions above those limits remain permitted.
Source notes: Chapter 7 — Contribution Rules and Account Operations. Verify current rules from official sources before acting.
Tier I allows limited partial withdrawal for specified purposes after three years of membership. Tier II remains fully liquid throughout. Full exit rules sit on the next step.
Allowed after three years of membership. Maximum 25% of the subscriber's own contributions (not employer contribution or investment gains). Up to four partial withdrawals are permitted before exit, with a minimum gap of four years between successive withdrawals before age 60 (three years after age 60 if the account is continued).
Partial withdrawal is allowed only for specified purposes: higher education of children, marriage of children, purchase or construction of first residential house, treatment of specified illnesses (self, spouse, children, dependent parents), and settlement of certain financial obligations against permitted lien on the NPS account.
Tier II permits withdrawal at any time, without purpose restriction, lock-in, or exit load. Withdrawals are processed through the CRA portal. Unlike Tier I, Tier II contributions do not enjoy the Section 80CCD(1B) deduction in the All Citizen Model.
Partial withdrawal is initiated through the CRA portal under 'Manage My Withdrawal'. The subscriber selects the purpose, uploads supporting documents (admission letter, medical reports, sale agreement, etc.), and authorises the request via OTP. The CRA verifies the documents and remits the amount to the registered bank account.
Partial withdrawals from Tier I (up to 25% of own contributions) for the specified purposes are tax-exempt under Section 10(12B). Tier II withdrawals are taxable as per the subscriber's applicable income-tax slab.
Source notes: Chapter 12 — Withdrawal, Exit, and Liquidity Rules. Verify current rules from official sources before acting.
Normal exit is at or after age 60. Premature exit requires five years of membership. The mandatory annuity portion depends on corpus size and whether the subscriber is in the government or non-government sector.
If retirement corpus is at or below ₹8 lakh, the subscriber may withdraw 100% as lump sum or choose Systematic Lump Sum Withdrawal (SLW) / Systematic Retirement Withdrawal (SUR). For corpus between ₹8 lakh and ₹12 lakh, up to ₹6 lakh may be withdrawn as lump sum and the balance used for annuity or SUR (minimum six years).
Up to 80% of the corpus can be withdrawn as lump sum. A minimum 20% must be used to purchase an annuity from a PFRDA-empanelled Annuity Service Provider (ASP). The subscriber may annuitise more than the mandatory minimum if they choose.
Permitted after five years of membership. If corpus is at or below ₹5 lakh, 100% lump-sum withdrawal is allowed. If above ₹5 lakh, the subscriber must annuitise at least 80% of the corpus and may withdraw the remaining 20% as lump sum.
Annuity options include life annuity, joint life annuity (continues to spouse), annuity with return of purchase price, joint life with return of purchase price, and increasing annuity. The subscriber chooses an ASP from the PFRDA-empanelled list and the desired payment frequency (monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, annual).
Under revised PFRDA regulations, subscribers may defer the lump-sum withdrawal and annuity purchase after age 60, within prescribed limits. The corpus continues to earn returns during the deferral period. Once annuity is purchased, it is generally irrevocable.
Source notes: Chapter 12 — Withdrawal, Exit, and Liquidity Rules · Chapter 13 — Annuity Options. Verify current rules from official sources before acting.
All Citizen Model subscribers can claim deductions under Section 80CCD(1) and the additional Section 80CCD(1B). Tax benefits differ materially between the new and old income-tax regimes.
Under the old regime, an All Citizen subscriber can claim deduction of own contribution up to 10% of gross total income (or 20% for self-employed), subject to the overall ₹1.5 lakh ceiling of Section 80C / 80CCC / 80CCD(1) combined.
An additional deduction of up to ₹50,000 is available under Section 80CCD(1B) for contributions to Tier I, over and above the ₹1.5 lakh Section 80C ceiling. This deduction is exclusive to NPS and is available under the old regime.
Employer contribution to an All Citizen subscriber's NPS account (where applicable, typically only in Corporate NPS context) is deductible up to 10% of salary for private-sector subscribers and 14% for government subscribers. Section 80CCD(2) is over and above 80CCD(1) and 80CCD(1B), and continues to be available under the new tax regime.
Under the new income-tax regime (default from FY 2023-24), most personal deductions including 80CCD(1) and 80CCD(1B) are not available. Section 80CCD(2) for employer NPS contribution remains available under the new regime, making employer-routed NPS still attractive.
On exit, up to 60% lump-sum withdrawal from the corpus is tax-exempt under Section 10(12A). The mandatory annuity portion is not taxed at the time of purchase. Pension income received from the annuity is fully taxable as per the subscriber's applicable income-tax slab in the year of receipt.
Source notes: Chapter 14 — NPS for Different User Segments · Master Document. Verify current rules from official sources before acting.