
Need funds but locked in NPS? Here’s how you can make partial withdrawals
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Investing in the National Pension System (NPS) is a long-term commitment, but life doesn’t always wait until retirement. What if you need funds for a medical emergency, your child’s education, or even to start a business? While NPS has a strict lock-in period, the Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA) allows partial withdrawals under specific conditions—offering a way to access some of your savings without breaking the long-term retirement plan.
Subscribers can withdraw up to 25% of their own contributions after completing three years in the scheme. This can be done up to three times before exiting NPS. However, there’s a catch: only the principal amount contributed by the individual is eligible for withdrawal, while the employer’s contributions and investment returns remain untouched.
Understanding how these withdrawals work can help you plan your finances better and avoid unexpected roadblocks. Read this | Should you opt for both NPS and EPF in the new tax regime? Take an example: if your personal contribution to NPS is ₹4 lakh and your employer has added the same amount, with returns on both contributions totaling ₹2 lakh, you can withdraw only 25% of your own ₹4 lakh—meaning ₹1 lakh. The employer’s share and the investment gains stay locked.
Subsequent withdrawals are calculated based on additional contributions made after the first withdrawal. If, after withdrawing ₹1 lakh, you contribute another ₹2 lakh, only 25% of that new contribution— ₹50,000—will be available for the second withdrawal. PFRDA has outlined specific reasons for which these withdrawals can be made.
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