All guides
Estimate your EPF corpus, EPS pension and NPS annuity for 2026. Plain guides to the ₹25,000 wage ceiling, NPS exit rules, UPS, APY, PPF, SCSS and complaints.
Pension rules, charges and 2026 changes
- EPF contribution in 2026 — 12% rule, ₹25,000 wage ceiling and how the employer share is split
How much goes into your EPF and EPS each month in 2026, what the higher ₹25,000 wage ceiling changes, and how to read the split on your salary slip.
- EPS pension rules 2026 — eligibility, formula, early pension, family pension and minimum ₹1,000
How the Employees' Pension Scheme works in 2026: 10-year rule, the ÷70 formula, early pension from 50, family pension, scheme certificates and withdrawal benefit.
- Retirement and pension schemes in India in 2026 — EPF, EPS, NPS, UPS, PPF and more
Which pension schemes apply to you in 2026, how each one pays out, and the rule changes of 2025–26 you should know before you plan retirement income.
- NPS charges in 2026 — fund management fee, CRA charges and point-of-presence fees explained
What NPS really costs you: the pension fund fee slabs from April 2026, CRA account charges, PoP charges on contributions, and how small percentages add up over decades.
- NPS exit and withdrawal rules after the December 2025 amendment — 80% lump sum, 20% annuity
The new NPS exit rules explained: normal exit, premature exit, corpus slabs of ₹5, ₹8 and ₹12 lakh, government vs private subscribers, partial withdrawals and deferral to 85.
- NPS Tier I and Tier II explained — All Citizen Model, corporate NPS, fund choice and minimums
How NPS accounts work in 2026: who can join, Tier I versus Tier II, active and auto choice, fund managers, minimum contributions and how to open or move an account.
- PPF, SCSS and PMVVY for retirement — rates, lock-in, limits and what replaced PMVVY
PPF's 15-year lock-in and 7.1% rate, SCSS's ₹30 lakh limit and quarterly interest, why PMVVY is closed, and how retirees use these schemes in 2026.
- Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) explained — assured payout, ₹10,000 minimum, lump sum and NPS switch
How the Unified Pension Scheme for central government employees works since 1 April 2025: payout formula, contributions, family pension, lump sum and the one-way switch to NPS.
Pension calculations and checklists
- Annuity options in India explained — life, joint life, return of purchase price and how to compare quotes
How annuities work for NPS exits and pension plans: the main options, why rates differ, worked pension comparisons, payout frequency and mistakes to avoid when buying.
- Atal Pension Yojana contribution chart and rules — ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 pension, age 18–40
How much you pay into Atal Pension Yojana by age, what pension and corpus your family gets, who can join, late-payment penalties and what happens if you stop.
- EPF calculator example — how your PF balance grows to retirement, year by year
A worked EPF projection with 12% contributions, the employer split, salary growth and 8.25% interest, plus the cost of withdrawing PF early and how to rerun it yourself.
- EPS pension calculation with examples — formula, ₹15,000 and ₹25,000 ceilings, early pension
Calculate your EPS pension step by step: pensionable salary, service, the two-year bonus, early pension cuts, short service and how the new ₹25,000 ceiling may change results.
- NPS pension calculator example — corpus at 60, lump sum and monthly pension under the 2025 rules
Worked NPS estimate: ₹10,000 a month for 30 years at three return assumptions, the 80:20 exit split, the annuity pension it buys and what changes for government staff.
- NPS Vatsalya for children — ₹250 minimum, 2026 withdrawal rules, exit at 18 and a worked example
How NPS Vatsalya works after the January 2026 guidelines: who can open it, minimum contribution, partial withdrawals, options at 18, and what a small monthly amount could grow to.
- How much retirement corpus do you need in India? Step-by-step calculation with examples
Work out your retirement corpus in rupees: inflate today's expenses, subtract pensions, size the corpus, and compare with what EPF, NPS and PPF will give you.
- Retirement income plan example — combining SCSS, annuity, EPS and a lump sum into monthly income
A worked retirement income plan for a couple at 60: bucket the EPF and NPS money, use SCSS and an annuity for steady income, and test whether withdrawals are sustainable.
Mistakes, grievances and official sources
- Common pension and retirement mistakes in India — and how to avoid or fix them
The EPF, EPS, NPS and annuity mistakes that most often cost Indians money or months of delay, with what to do instead and where to go when something has already gone wrong.
- How to file an EPFO complaint on EPFiGMS — steps, documents and escalation to CPGRAMS
File a PF or EPS pension grievance on EPFiGMS, write a complaint that gets resolved, track it, and escalate to the regional office, outreach camps or CPGRAMS when needed.
- EPF withdrawal rules and claim rejection reasons in 2026 — 75% access, 12-month rule and fixes
The simplified EPF partial withdrawal rules from October 2025, final settlement after leaving a job, and the most common reasons claims are rejected, with how to fix each one.
- Changing jobs? EPF transfer, UAN linking, two UANs and exit date problems — what to do
What happens to your PF and EPS when you change jobs, how to transfer online, merge duplicate UANs, fix a missing exit date, and why transferring beats withdrawing.
- NPS complaint process — CGMS grievance, NPS Trust, PFRDA escalation and annuity disputes
How to raise an NPS, APY or NPS Vatsalya grievance through your CRA's CGMS, what timelines apply, when to escalate to NPS Trust and PFRDA, and where annuity complaints go.
- Official pension sources in India — where to check EPF, EPS, NPS, UPS, APY, PPF and SCSS rules
The official websites, regulators and laws behind India's pension schemes, what each one is the authority for, and how to check a rule or rate before you rely on it.