The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) issued a circular on 14 September offering a one-time option for central government employees who joined services on or after 1 April 2025 to opt for the unified pension scheme.
This is for employees who have opted for NPS to migrate to the Unified Pension Scheme. The last date to do this is 30 September.
“This option may be exercised up to 30 September in alignment with the extended cut-off date already notified for other categories of eligible persons,” reads the circular.
Some reports suggest that NPS (National Pension System) subscribers have encountered glitches when opting to switch to UPS.
What is the Unified Pension System?
UPS is applicable to the central government employees covered under the National Pension System (NPS) and who choose this option under NPS, which came into effect on 1 January 2004. All 23 lakh government employees can exercise the option to choose between UPS and NPS.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 24 August 2024, approved UPS.
How can one apply for the switch to UPS?
One can download the form from this link: http://npscra.nsdl.co.in/ups.php. The form can be submitted to the concerned office before the due date (30 September) for processing by the nodal office.
Can it be submitted as a physical form?
The PFRDA circular dated 16 September states that if a person could not submit it due to a technical glitch, it can be submitted as a physical form after 30 September.
“As the due date for exercising the option for UPS is approaching, i.e., 30th September, 2025, it is hereby brought to the notice of all subscribers that, if due to any reason including unavailability of online system or any technical glitch in the CRA system due to which the subscriber is unable to submit the UPS request online through CRA system by 30th September 2025, the subscriber can submit the duly filled physical form to the concerned nodal office on or before the due date for further processing by the nodal office,” PFRDA said in the circular.
The physical forms of UPS are available at http://npscra.nsdl.co.in/ups.php.
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