One of the best investments to have in your retirement portfolio
National Pension Scheme (NPS)
About NPS
National Pension System (NPS) is a voluntary, defined contribution retirement savings scheme. It is an attempt towards finding a sustainable solution to provide adequate retirement income to every citizen of India.
NPS is regulated by PFRDA, with transparent investment norms, regular monitoring and performance review of fund managers by NPS Trust.
Who can Invest
Any individual between the age of 18 to 65 years including NRIs can invest in NPS.
Account Type
Tier – I is a mandatory and non-withdrawable account aimed at building a corpus for retirement. You can withdraw from this account subject to conditions prescribed by PFRDA. Investment made in Tier I account is eligible for tax deduction.
Tier – II is an optional account and provides liquidity by allowing anytime withdrawal facility.
It is a voluntary savings facility available as an add-on to a Tier-1 account. You can open a Tier II account along with Tier I account or any time after opening Tier I account. However, to open a Tier II account you must have an active Tier I account. Investment made in Tier II account is not eligible for tax deduction.
Scheme Details
Scheme E: Represents Equity Scheme with investment in equity / Index fund / ETFs
Scheme C: Represents Corporate Debt Scheme with investment in corporate debt instrument with residual maturity of atleast 3 years
Scheme G: Represents Gilt Scheme with investment in government securities
Scheme A: Represents investment in Alternate Investment Fund (AIF). This scheme is not available for investment in Tier II account.
Tax Benefits On Contribution
Additional tax benefits up to Rs. 50000 u/s 80 CCD (1B)
A subscriber who contributes towards NPS scheme would get an additional benefit of 50,000 under section 80CCD (1B) which would be over and above the ceiling limit of 1,50,000 prescribed under section 80 CCE.
Tax benefit under NPS is available for investment made in Tier I account only. Investment in Tier II is not eligible for tax deduction.
Note: For further clarification about NPS tax benefit, kindly consult your tax advisor.
Benefits Of NPS
Additional Tax Benefit
Additional tax deduction of Rs. 50,000 is available by investing in NPS u/s 80CCD(1B) which is over and above 1.5 Lakh tax deduction under 80C
Portability
NPS account can be managed from anywhere in the country irrespective of the employment and geography
Flexibility
Subscribers have an option to choose – Pension Fund Manager, Asset Allocation (Equity, Corporate debt, Government Securities) and choice of Automatic asset allocation based on Investment Life Cycle.
Superior Returns
As returns are market linked, NPS has potential to deliver higher inflation adjusted returns
