The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has revised the charges that Point of Presence (PoPs) can collect from NPS subscribers.
The new charges will apply from October 1, 2026 to all schemes under NPS and NPS Lite, except where separate rules apply.
What is changing?
If you join NPS through a PoP, the one-time onboarding charge will be ₹200 per Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN).
This charge will be recovered through cancellation of units by the Central Recordkeeping Agencies (CRAs). The equivalent of ₹50 will be deducted every quarter and paid to the PoP after the quarter in which you are onboarded.
PoPs will also charge 0.20% a year on your NPS assets under management (AUM). This annual charge will be adjusted through the NPS NAV and paid to the PoP every quarter. GST and other applicable taxes will be charged separately.
Digital onboarding can mean a lower fee
The onboarding charge can be lower if you join NPS through a fully digital and non-face-to-face process with a PoP.
In such cases, a one-time onboarding charge of ₹100 may apply. The applicable charge will depend on the structure determined by PFRDA for the respective PoP.
e-NPS subscribers can avoid PoP charges
The route through which you initially join NPS will matter. If you are onboarded through e-NPS and later make contributions through e-NPS or D-Remit, you will not have to pay PoP charges.
However, using e-NPS or D-Remit for later contributions does not remove the charges if you originally joined NPS through a PoP.
For example, if you open your NPS account through a PoP and later use e-NPS to contribute, the applicable PoP charges will continue to apply.
Dormant accounts will not be charged
PFRDA has also clarified that dormant NPS accounts will not attract the annual PoP charge. An account will be treated as dormant if there is no contribution for four consecutive quarters after a contribution was made in a quarter. The account is identified using the subscriber’s unique PAN across CRAs.
Minimum contribution
The minimum contribution when joining NPS will remain ₹250.
For subsequent contributions, the minimum amount will be ₹10.
PoPs must display the charges
PoPs will have to display their updated charges on their websites. The charges must also be shown clearly during the digital onboarding process through a pop-up notification.
The revised structure will replace the earlier PFRDA circular dated March 10, 2026. CRAs will begin implementing the revised deductions from Q3 of FY 2026-27.
