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

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 →