New Delhi: Unified Pension Scheme will be rolled out for lakhs of central government employees from today 1 April 2025. Central government employees with at least 25 years of service will be eligible for a fixed pension equal to 50 per cent of their average basic salary from the last 12 months before retirement under the new Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) had couple of weeks ago notified the regulations for Operationalisation of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). “The PFRDA vide gazette notification dated 19th March, 2025 has issued PFRDA (Operationalisation of the Unified Pension Scheme under NPS) Regulations, 2025,” said a Ministry of Finance release.
This follows the UPS notification dated 24th January, 2025 by Government of India for Central Government Employees covered under NPS . The regulations shall come into effect from 1st April, 2025.
PFRDA Regulations enable enrolment of three categories of central government employees in Unified Pension Scheme –Check Major cut-off dates
(i) an existing central government employee in service as on 1st April 2025, who is covered under NPS ;
(ii) new recruit in the central government services, who joins service on or after the 1st day of April 2025 ;
(iii) a central government employee who was covered under NPS and who has superannuated or voluntarily retired or has retired under Fundamental Rules 56(j) on or before 31st March 2025 and is eligible for UPS or the legally wedded spouse in case of a subscriber who has superannuated or retired and has demised prior to exercising the option for UPS.
Unified Pension Scheme enrolment and claim forms direct link
The enrolment and claim forms for all these categories of central government employees will be available online from 1st April, 2025 on website of Protean CRA – https://npscra.nsdl.co.in
The employees also have the option to submit the forms physically.
Pension Under UPS
Employees, who have served for more than 10 years but less than 25 years, will receive a minimum pension of Rs 10,000 per month. In case of the pensioner’s death, their family will be entitled to 60 per cent of the last pension drawn as a family pension.
