Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS)
1. What is the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS)?
The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) has been introduced as an option under the National Pension System (NPS) by the Central Government for the Central
Government employees covered under NPS so that they may receive an assured payout after their retirement. It is a ‘fund-based’ payout system which relies on the
regular and timely accumulation and investment of applicable contributions (from
both the employee and the employer (the Central Government)) for grant of
monthly payout to the retiree.
2. When will Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) become operational?
The Unified Pension Scheme will be operational from 1st April, 2025.
3. Who is eligible for the UPS?
The Central Government employees, who are covered under NPS, are eligible to
submit their option for UPS under National Pension System.
4. How is the assured payout calculated under UPS?
The rate of full assured payout will be @50% of 12 monthly average basic pay, immediately prior to superannuation. Full assured payout is payable after a
minimum 25 years of qualifying service. In case of lesser qualifying service period,
proportionate payout would be admissible. A minimum guaranteed payout of Rs. 10,000 per month shall be assured in case superannuation is after 10 years or
more of qualifying service subject to timely and regular credit of contributions and no withdrawals. In cases of voluntary retirement after a minimum 25 years of
qualifying service, assured payout will commence from the date on which the
employee would have superannuated if he had continued in service.
5. What is the minimum assured-payout under UPS?
A minimum assured payout of Rs.10,000 per month has been guaranteed under Unified Pension Scheme in case superannuation is after 10 years or more of
qualifying service, subject to timely and regular credit of contributions and no
withdrawals.
6. What is the family payout under UPS?
In case of death of the payout holder after superannuation, family payout @60% of
the payout admissible to the payout holder immediately before his demise, shall be
assured to the legally wedded spouse (spouse legally wedded as on the date of superannuation or on the date of voluntary retirement or retirement under FR 56(j),
as may be applicable).
7. What is the eligibility criteria for the Central Government employees to
receive assured payout under UPS?
The Central Government employees, who are covered under NPS and who choose the option for UPS, are eligible to receive assured payout under UPS, as per the
following criteria:
i.On superannuation after completing a minimum of 10 years’ qualifying service, from the date of superannuation;
ii.In case of retirement under the provisions of FR 56 (j) (which is not a penalty under Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965) from the date of such retirement; and
iii.In case of voluntary retirement after a minimum qualifying service period of 25 years, from the date such employee would have superannuated, if the service period had continued to superannuation.
8. Under what circumstances the option of assured payout under UPS shall not
be available to the Central Government employees?
The option of assured payout under UPS shall not be available to the Central Government employees in the following circumstances:
a. In case of an employee superannuating before qualifying service of 10 years, from the date of superannuation.
b. In case of removal or dismissal from service or resignation of the employee.
9. Is there any provision for inflation protection under UPS?
Dearness Relief shall be available on the assured payout and family payout, as the case may be. The Dearness Relief will be worked out in the same manner as Dearness Allowance applicable to serving employees. Dearness Relief will be payable only when payout commences.
10. When will the disbursement of assured payout and DR thereon commence in
case of Voluntary Retirement?
In cases of voluntary retirement after a minimum 25 years of qualifying service, assured payout shall commence from the date on which the employee would have superannuated if he had continued in service.
11. Besides assured payout, is there any additional benefit admissible to Central
Government retirees at the time of superannuation?
A lumpsum payment will be allowed on superannuation @10% of monthly emoluments (basic pay + Dearness Allowance) for every completed six months of qualifying service. i.e.
Lump sum amount = ( 𝟏 𝟏𝟎 X Total Emoluments) X L
(Where L =number of six-monthly completed years of service based on the
number of months for contribution to individual’s pension corpus)
Further, the lump sum payment will not affect the quantum of assured payout.
12. What is the rate of contribution of employee and Central Government under
UPS?
The contribution of employees will be 10% of (basic pay + Dearness Allowance). The matching Central Government contribution will also be 10% of (basic pay + Dearness Allowance). Both will be credited to each employee’s individual corpus.
Further, Central Government shall provide an additional contribution of an estimated 8.5% of basic pay + Dearness Allowance) of all employees who have chosen the UPS option, to the pool corpus on an aggregate basis. The additional contribution is for supporting assured payouts under the UPS option.
13. What is concept of benchmark corpus under the UPS?
A corpus value accrued through a default pattern of investment as defined by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) from time to time.
14. How the benchmark corpus value will be computed under UPS?
A ‘benchmark corpus’ value shall be computed, in such manner as may be determined
by the PFRDA, with the following assumptions, namely:-
i. regular contributions by the employees as well as the employer, as applicable under the scheme, are received for each month of qualifying service;
ii. in case of missing contributions, an appropriate value, to be determined by the PFRDA, shall be assigned; and
iii. investment of such contributions shall be made as per the ‘default pattern’ of investment defined by the PFRDA.
15. What will be the provisions for management of individual corpus as well as
pooled corpus?
i. The employee can exercise investment choices for the individual corpus alone.
Such investment choices shall be regulated by the PFRDA. A ‘default pattern’ of
investment may be defined by PFRDA from time to time. If an employee does not
exercise an investment choice on individual corpus, the ‘default pattern’ of
investment will apply.
ii. The investment decisions for the pool corpus built through the additional Central
Government contribution will solely rest with Central Government.
16. In case value/units of individual corpus of employee is more than the value/units of benchmark corpus, what will be the treatment of excess amount accrued on account of investment choice (other than the default scheme) opted by the subscriber?
At superannuation/retirement, the employee under UPS shall authorise the transfer of the value or units in the individual corpus to the pool corpus, equivalent to the value or units of the benchmark corpus for authorisation of Assured Payout. In case the value or units of individual corpus is more than the value or units of the benchmark corpus, the employee shall authorize transfer of value/ units equivalent of the benchmark corpus and the balance amount in the individual corpus will be credited to the employee.
17. In case value/units of individual corpus of employee is less than the value/units of benchmark corpus, what will be the treatment of deficit amount due to the investment choice (other than the default scheme) opted by the subscriber?
At superannuation/retirement, the employee under UPS shall authorise transfer of the value or units in the individual corpus to the pool corpus, equivalent to the value or units of the benchmark corpus for authorization of assured payout. In case the value/ units of individual corpus is less than value or units of the benchmark corpus, the
employee shall have an option to arrange for additional contribution to meet this gap.
18. Can I receive my assured payout if I have less than 25 years of service on the date of superannuation?
Yes. In case the qualifying service is less than 25 years, proportionate payout would be admissible on superannuation.
19. Who will determine the qualifying service of the employee under the UPS?
At superannuation/ retirement, the qualifying service of the employee under the UPS option, will be determined by the Head of Office, where he is employed.
20. Can I change my pension scheme option once I have selected the UPS?
In case an employee chooses the UPS option, all its stipulations and conditions
shall be deemed to have been opted for and such option once exercised, shall be
final.
21. Whether past retirees of NPS will be given the benefit under UPS?
The provisions of UPS will also be applicable, mutatis mutandis to past retirees of NPS, who have superannuated before the date of operationalizing of UPS.
22. How the cases of past retirees of NPS will be accounted for the purpose of UPS benefits?
Past retirees of NPS will be paid arrears for the past period along with interest as per Public Provident Fund (PPF) rates. The monthly top-up amount for such superannuated employees, as determined by the PFRDA, shall be paid after adjusting the withdrawals made by, and annuities paid to, them.
23. Will there be any mechanism under UPS to keep the subscriber updated about their individual corpus in terms of units/value (with or without their
investment choice)?
The value or units in the individual corpus with investment choices of the employee shall be informed to such employee on a periodic basis. Alongside, the value or units of the benchmark corpus corresponding to the employee, computed as per para 5 of the Notification on UPS dated 24.01.2025, will also be informed to the employee.
24. Can I switch back from UPS TO NPS?
yes, The Department of Financial Services has issued an Office Memorandum No. 1/3/2024-PR dated 25.08.2025, introducing a one-time, one-way switch facility for Central Government employees who have opted for the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) to revert to the National Pension System (NPS), under specified conditions.
i. Eligible employees under UPS can switch to NPS only once, and cannot switch back to UPS.
ii. The switch must be exercised at least one year before superannuation or three months before voluntary retirement, whichever is applicable.
iii. The switch facility will not be allowed in case of removal, dismissal or compulsory retirement as a penalty or for cases where disciplinary proceedings are ongoing or contemplated.
iv. Those who do not opt for the switch within the stipulated time will continue under UPS by default.
v. Employees who choose to remain in NPS cannot opt for UPS after 30th September 2025.
यूनिफ़ाइड पेंशन स्कीम (UPS) – अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल (FAQs)
1. UPS क्या है?
UPS (Unified Pension Scheme) सरकार की ओर से NPS (National Pension System) में एक विकल्प है। इसमें सरकारी कर्मचारी, जो NPS में हैं, रिटायरमेंट के बाद तय पेंशन ले सकेंगे। यह स्कीम कर्मचारी और सरकार दोनों के नियमित योगदान (कंट्रीब्यूशन) पर आधारित है।
2. UPS कब से लागू होगी?
UPS 1 अप्रैल 2025 से शुरू होगी।
3. कौन UPS का लाभ ले सकता है?
वे सभी केंद्रीय सरकारी कर्मचारी जो NPS में आते हैं।
4. पेंशन (assured payout) कैसे तय होगी?
- पूरी पेंशन = आखिरी 12 महीने के औसत बेसिक पे का 50%
- पूरी पेंशन के लिए कम से कम 25 साल की नौकरी ज़रूरी
- 25 साल से कम नौकरी होने पर अनुपात (proportionate) पेंशन मिलेगी
- कम से कम ₹10,000 महीना गारंटी है (अगर नौकरी 10 साल या उससे ज़्यादा की है)
5. न्यूनतम पेंशन कितनी है?
न्यूनतम ₹10,000 प्रति महीना (10 साल या उससे ज़्यादा की नौकरी होने पर)।
6. परिवार को क्या मिलेगा?
कर्मचारी के रिटायरमेंट के बाद निधन होने पर, उसकी पत्नी/पति को उस पेंशन का 60% मिलेगा।
7. पेंशन कब मिलेगी?
- रिटायरमेंट के बाद (कम से कम 10 साल नौकरी पर)
- FR 56(j) के तहत रिटायरमेंट पर (अगर ये सज़ा नहीं है)
- 25 साल नौकरी के बाद अगर स्वैच्छिक रिटायरमेंट लिया है तो, उतनी उम्र पर जब कर्मचारी सामान्य रिटायरमेंट करता।
8. किन्हें UPS का लाभ नहीं मिलेगा?
- अगर नौकरी 10 साल से कम की है।
- अगर कर्मचारी नौकरी से हटाया गया, निकाला गया या इस्तीफ़ा दिया।
9. क्या पेंशन महंगाई से जुड़ी होगी?
हाँ, पेंशन पर महंगाई राहत (Dearness Relief) भी मिलेगी, जैसे नौकरी पर महंगाई भत्ता मिलता है।
10. स्वैच्छिक रिटायरमेंट (VRS) लेने पर पेंशन कब शुरू होगी?
25 साल नौकरी पूरी होने पर, वही उम्र मानकर पेंशन मिलेगी जब सामान्य रिटायरमेंट होता।
11. रिटायरमेंट पर कोई और फायदा है?
हाँ, एकमुश्त रकम मिलेगी = (1/10 × कुल वेतन) × सेवा के पूरे छह-छह महीने। यह पेंशन से अलग होगा।
12. योगदान (contribution) कितना होगा?
- कर्मचारी: 10% (बेसिक पे + DA)
- सरकार: 10% (बेसिक पे + DA)
- सरकार अतिरिक्त 8.5% का योगदान भी देगी UPS फंड में।
13. बेंचमार्क कॉर्पस क्या है?
यह वो फंड वैल्यू है जो PFRDA के तय निवेश पैटर्न से जुड़ी होती है।
14. बेंचमार्क कॉर्पस कैसे तय होगा?
- नियमित योगदान (कर्मचारी + सरकार)
- मिसिंग योगदान की वैल्यू तय होगी
- PFRDA का तय निवेश पैटर्न लागू होगा
15. निवेश कौन तय करेगा?
- कर्मचारी अपने व्यक्तिगत कॉर्पस (individual corpus) का निवेश चुन सकता है
- UPS फंड (pool corpus) का निवेश सरकार तय करेगी
16. अगर मेरे निवेश से कॉर्पस ज़्यादा हुआ तो?
बेंचमार्क कॉर्पस तक रकम UPS फंड में जाएगी। बची हुई रकम कर्मचारी को मिलेगी।
17. अगर कॉर्पस कम हुआ तो?
कर्मचारी चाहे तो अतिरिक्त योगदान देकर अंतर पूरा कर सकता है।
18. क्या 25 साल से कम नौकरी पर भी पेंशन मिलेगी?
हाँ, लेकिन अनुपात के हिसाब से।
19. नौकरी की अवधि कौन तय करेगा?
कर्मचारी के दफ़्तर का हेड।
20. क्या UPS चुनने के बाद बदला जा सकता है?
एक बार चुनने के बाद सामान्य तौर पर नहीं बदला जा सकता।
21. क्या पहले से रिटायर हुए NPS वालों को भी लाभ मिलेगा?
हाँ, UPS उनके लिए भी लागू होगा।
22. पुराने रिटायरियों को कैसे लाभ मिलेगा?
उन्हें पिछली अवधि के पैसे + PPF ब्याज के साथ दिए जाएंगे।
23. क्या कॉर्पस की जानकारी मिलती रहेगी?
हाँ, कर्मचारियों को उनकी कॉर्पस वैल्यू और बेंचमार्क वैल्यू समय-समय पर बताई जाएगी।
24. क्या UPS से NPS में वापस जा सकते हैं?
हाँ, एक बार का मौका मिलेगा –
- केवल एक बार UPS से NPS जा सकते हैं, वापस UPS नहीं आ सकते।
- ये फैसला रिटायरमेंट से 1 साल पहले (या VRS से 3 महीने पहले) लेना होगा।
- अगर कर्मचारी ने समय पर विकल्प नहीं चुना तो UPS में रहना होगा।
- 30 सितंबर 2025 के बाद NPS से UPS में जाना संभव नहीं होगा।
