All you need to know about Withdrawal in NPS

The Government of India established the National Pension Scheme (NPS) to provide citizens with a secure future after retirement. It is usually observed that participation in a scheme is frequently easier than exiting a scheme. That's not the case with the National Pension Plan, which offers various withdrawal choices.

NPS Withdrawals

Subscribers may withdraw up to 25% of their own contributions (not the returns on them), up to four times before the age of 60, with at least four years between two withdrawals. To qualify for partial withdrawal, the subscriber must have been in the scheme for at least 3 years. Further, partial withdrawals are permitted only for specific needs: children's higher education or marriage, buying or building a first house, medical treatment of the family, disability, or settling a loan taken against the NPS account.

NPS tier 1 account and their withdrawals

Tier-1 account is a permanent retirement account with restricted withdrawals, in which the subscribers' contributions are invested and credited according to the fund manager or the plan subscribed to. If you exit before 60 (premature exit), a corpus of up to ₹5 lakh can be withdrawn in full; above that, up to 20% can be taken as a lump sum and at least 80% must be used to buy an annuity. At 60, a non-government subscriber can take up to 80% as a lump sum (see the update below).

NPS tier 2 account and their withdrawals

Another voluntary withdrawable account is the NPS tier-2 account which is available only to those who already have a tier-1 account under their names. Withdrawal in this account works as per the convenience of the subscriber. Tier-2 accounts have unlimited withdrawal effects, just like any other savings account. Withdrawal requests can be placed online through your Point of Presence (for example, Tier-2 withdrawals on PensionBox).

Tax on NPS withdrawals

When the NPS account matures, one might withdraw 60% of the sum, which is completely tax-free. The remaining 40% of the contribution can be used to purchase annuities. The amount used to buy the annuity is not taxed, but the pension it pays is taxable every year at your income-tax slab.

Update — NPS exit rules changed in December 2025. The 60% / 40% split described above was the rule up to that point. It is left here on purpose, because a lot of older paperwork and third-party calculators still quote it. Under the PFRDA (Exits and Withdrawals under NPS) Amendment Regulations notified on 16 December 2025, a non-government subscriber (All Citizen and Corporate NPS) taking normal exit can now withdraw up to 80% as a lump sum, with a minimum 20% annuity. By corpus: up to ₹8 lakh — the entire amount can be withdrawn; above ₹8 lakh and up to ₹12 lakh — up to ₹6 lakh as lump sum, with the balance going into an annuity or a Systematic Unit Redemption spread over at least six years; above ₹12 lakh — up to 80% lump sum with a minimum 20% annuity. For premature exit there is no longer any minimum subscription period, and a corpus up to ₹5 lakh can be taken in full. One caution on tax, because it is a separate question from the withdrawal limit: Section 10(12A) exempts 60% of the corpus, and whether the extra 20% of lump sum is tax-free has not been settled — do not plan around it without checking. (Source: PFRDA FAQs on Exits and Withdrawals from NPS, All Citizen Model, updated March 2026.)

NPS Withdrawal due to the User’s Death

According to the PFRDA (Exits and Withdrawals under NPS) Regulations 2015 and provisions thereto, in the event of the User's death, the entire access to adequate wealth of the User (100 percent NPS Corpus) paid to the Nominees or Family members, as the case may be. However, the deceased User's Nomination Heir shall have the option to buy any of the annuities of been offered upon exit, while trying to apply for withdrawal of benefits from the deceased Subscriber's Permanent Retirement Account. If the nominee/legal heir wishes to choose an annuity (pension), they must select an Annuity Service Provider (ASP) and annuity Scheme on the Death Withdrawal Form.

How much time does it take to process a withdrawal request ?

In most cases, the funds are credited to your bank account within a few working days of the request being processed.

Documents required from Nominee in case of death withdrawal request

Following are the documents required to submit in case of death withdrawal request.

1. Organised Death Withdrawal Form
2. Death certificate
3. KYC Files (identity & address proof)
4. Account Bank details, and other documents.
5. All People of India Sector, under "Forms," contains a list of additional documents to be submitted.

Process to be followed by Nominee

Nominees and claimants must submit the death withdrawal form, along with any supporting documents, from the subscriber's related Point of Presence (POP). POP processes the death withdrawal requests through the CRA system online, and after the process, funds are transferred to the nominee/claimant within the timeframes specified. In addition, the selected annuity by the heir, and Respondent's information is shared with the Annuity Service Provider (ASP) to complete the prior formalities.

How will PensionBox help ?

The financial health of your workforce boosts morale and output at work. With PensionBox, your employees can more effectively plan their retirement, keep track of all of their private pensions, including EPF, PPF, and NPS, in one location, and get prospective. You can also withdraw money from your NPS Tier 2 account directly on PensionBox.

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