How to change NPS account from corporate to individual
When you leave a company, your Corporate NPS does not close — you shift the same PRAN to the All Citizens (Individual) sector with one form, the Inter Sector Shifting (ISS) form, through your POP or your CRA's online portal. Your corpus, PRAN and fund history stay exactly as they are; only the employer's link is removed and you start contributing on your own. It typically completes within a week.
One exception before you start: if your next employer runs Corporate NPS, shift straight to their corporate instead — you keep the 80CCD(2) benefit without a gap.
What changes and what doesn't
| Corporate NPS (before) | Individual NPS (after) | |
|---|---|---|
| PRAN | Yours | Same PRAN |
| Corpus, units, history | Built so far | Unchanged |
| Who contributes | You + employer via payroll | Only you (any amount, any frequency; minimum ₹1,000 a year in Tier I) |
| Fund manager / allocation | Company default or your choice | Fully your choice |
| Tax | 80CCD(1), (1B) + 80CCD(2) on employer share | 80CCD(1) + (1B) (old regime); no 80CCD(2) until the next employer |
| Charges | Standard NPS charges | Same |
When should you shift from corporate to individual?
- You have resigned or been offboarded and the new employer does not offer Corporate NPS.
- You are taking a break, going freelance or moving abroad and want to keep contributing on your own.
- Your employer's Corporate NPS is being wound down.
If the new employer does offer Corporate NPS, do not convert to individual — shift straight to the new corporate instead (how to shift an existing account). You keep the 80CCD(2) benefit without a gap.
Steps to change your NPS account from corporate to individual
Step 1: Tell your employer's nodal officer
Your company's nodal officer has to mark you as exited in the CRA system; without that the CRA will reject the shift. This usually happens as part of your full-and-final settlement.
Step 2: Fill the Inter Sector Shifting (ISS) form
Form ISS asks for your PRAN, current sector (Corporate) and target sector (All Citizens), plus the POP you want to move to. You can submit it:
- online on your CRA's portal (Protean eNPS / KFintech / CAMS), or
- through a POP — on PensionBox the form is pre-filled from your PAN and PRAN and submitted for you.
Step 3: Attach KYC if asked
Most shifts need no fresh documents because your KYC is already on the PRAN. If the POP changes, you may be asked for PAN, address proof and a photograph.
Step 4: Wait for the CRA to process it
The CRA verifies the employer's exit flag and the POP mapping and re-tags your PRAN. Typically a few working days, up to 7. Your money stays invested throughout — there is no redemption and re-purchase.
Step 5: Set up your own contributions
Once the PRAN shows the All Citizens sector, start a SIP or one-time contribution from your dashboard. On PensionBox you can also switch fund manager and allocation at this point if the company's default was not your choice.
Tax after the shift
Your own contributions continue to qualify under 80CCD(1) (within the ₹1.5 lakh 80C limit) and the extra ₹50,000 under 80CCD(1B) — both in the old regime. The 80CCD(2) deduction stops because there is no employer contribution; it resumes the moment a future employer links your PRAN. (From FY 2026-27 these live in Section 124 of the Income-tax Act, 2025; the limits are unchanged.)
FAQs
Can I withdraw instead of shifting when I leave a job?
Only under the premature-exit rules: since the PFRDA amendment of December 2025 there is no 5-year lock-in, but if your corpus is above ₹5 lakh at least 80% of it must buy an annuity and only 20% comes as lump sum (corpus up to ₹5 lakh can be withdrawn in full). Shifting keeps everything invested and is almost always the better choice.
Is there a charge for the inter-sector shift?
No CRA charge for the sector change itself; standard POP transaction charges apply if you change POP. On PensionBox the shift is free.
Will my fund manager change?
No. Sector and POP change; the PFM and scheme stay unless you choose to switch.
What if my employer never marked me as exited?
The CRA rejects the ISS. Write to the company's nodal officer or HR with your PRAN and last working day; they can update it retrospectively.
Can I go back to corporate later?
Yes. When a new employer offers Corporate NPS, the same PRAN shifts under them — no new account needed.
Want Corporate NPS at your workplace? It cuts both your tax and your employer's — at no extra cost to them. Show your HR PensionBox. See how Corporate NPS works →
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PensionBox simplifies the National Pension System(NPS), the government's pension scheme for private employees both for retail users and HRs/companies.
If you don’t have an NPS account, you can simply open your pension account within 2 minutes and if you have NPS PRAN already, you will be able track, invest and manage everything free of charge with best user experience.
We never touch or hold your money directly, your investments go safely to your chosen pension fund through approved channels.
We are built with Zerodha as POP , ensuring transparency, data security, and peace of mind. Your retirement savings are protected by regulation and secured by technology.
That’s why, PensionBox brings transparency, zero charges, timely support and freedom to select any pension fund so that you get the best experience investing in NPS & be better future ready.
That’s not it, we help you & your company together to maximise contribution and tax savings with minimal charges & best user experience.
If you are an existing zerodha user then you get a fast login or sign up using kite ID.
Once you are onboarded with kite ID, you get free access to
- Open NPS in 2 minutes
- Track existing NPS
- POP shift or CRA shifting
- Invest in one time or create SIP in NPS
- Withdraw NPS requests & instant withdraw tier 2
- Create your dream retirement plan
- Open NPS Vatsalya for your kid
- Share with HR (To unlock more tax benefits)
- Employer Contribution:
- Contributions made by your employer to your NPS account are tax-free up to 14% of your basic salary under Section 80CCD(2). Do connect us with your HR to enable this for you.
Tax Benefits in Old Tax Regime - Self-Contribution:
- Deduction up to ₹1.5 lakh under Section 80C.
- Additional deduction of ₹50,000 under Section 80CCD(1B) — exclusive to NPS investments!
- This allows you to claim a total deduction of up to ₹2 lakh every year on your NPS contributions.
- Employer Contribution:
- Contributions made by your employer to your NPS account are tax-free up to 10% of your basic salary (Basic + DA) under Section 80CCD(2). Do connect us with your HR to enable this for you.
- This is over and above your personal deduction limits, giving you extra tax efficiency.
Feel free to book a free call to learn more about NPS, NPS Vatsalya, Corporate NPS & PensionBox or contact the support team.
