Synopsis: the latest NPS rule regulated by the Indian government has made retirement planning more rewarding and beneficial that offer higher lump sum withdrawals and expanded investment choices.
The Indian government has made a significant change to the National Pension System (NPS) for non-government subscribers, making the scheme more attractive and flexible for retired people.
The government has introduced a new rule for the National Pension Scheme (NPS) stating that the requirement to invest 40% of one’s NPS corpus in an annuity at withdrawal has been halved to 20%. In simpler words, only 20% of the corpus needs to be invested to buy an annuity instead of 40%.
What changes?
For example, Under the old rules, if a person has built a Rs 20 lakhs retirement corpus, they would earlier have to invest an annuity of Rs 8 lakhs (40%) to receive a regular monthly pension. The remaining Rs 12 lakhs (60%) can be withdrawn as a lump sum.
Under the new rules, the person will now be able to invest Rs 4 lakhs (20%) in an annuity product and the remaining Rs 16 lakhs (80%) can be withdrawn as a lump sum. The tax treatment would remain unchanged, based on the person’s slab.
The managing director and the chief financial planner of Dilzer Consultants, Dilshad Billimoria stated, “This is going to encourage a lot of people to use NPS, especially corporate-based NPS, because it provides a dual benefit.”
How would it impact the corpus size?
The withdrawals of the annuity product are completely dependent on the size of the corpus at retirement. If the corpus is up to Rs 8 lakhs, the entire amount can be withdrawn as a lump sum without purchasing an annuity. This can benefit the small-time savers in complete liquidity.
If the corpus is between Rs 8 lakhs and Rs 12 lakhs, the person can withdraw up to Rs 6 lakhs as immediate cash. The remaining amount can be used to buy an annuity with a minimum tenure of six years with an ensure pension stream.
For larger corpus exceeding Rs 12 lakhs, the non-government subscribers can withdraw up to 80% of their corpus as lump sum and at least the remaining 20% for annuity or structured pension income.
Tax treatment on withdrawal
The tax rules on the withdrawals have remained unchanged. Under the older NPS rules, 60% of the corpus withdrawn at retirement will be tax-free under Section 10(12A) of the Income Tax Act. With the new rules of allowing 80% as lump sum access, the tax on the remaining 20% will be taxable as per the Income Tax slab.
For example, if the corpus is up to Rs 20 lakhs, Rs 4 lakhs (20%) will go into annuity and the remaining Rs 16 lakhs (80%) will be withdrawn. Now out of the Rs 16 lakhs, Rs 9.6 lakhs (60%) will be tax-free and Rs 6.4 lakhs (20%) will be taxable based on the slab.
Also read: 5 Best Lifetime Free Credit Cards for This Christmas Shopping (No Annual Fees!)
Should you start investing in NPS from now on?
With the new NPS guidelines, NPS has become more appealing to the people who choose to seek a disciplined and stress-free retirement plan. With new revised guidelines, NPS has become flexible with their lower annuity requirements which brings more money in hand along with the tax benefits. The scheme offers up to 75% of equity exposure for the youngsters who are willing to take the risk with a lower cost compared to the other retirement products.
However, there remains a downside to this rule. The person is not allowed to withdraw the corpus under specific circumstances like medical emergencies and house purchase.
Investment strategies for the newcomers
Dilshad Billimoria advised the young generation by saying since the returns are as equal to mutual funds returns, one should look at the consistency and the performance of over at least five years before choosing a provider.
Young investors can either opt for auto allocation or active choice. The auto allocation adjusts the debt and equity exposure based on the age, while active choice offers up to 75% of equity exposure.
In conclusion
The new NPS rule results in a positive shift in regards to a retirement plan by offering greater flexibility and higher rewards. With reduced annuity compulsion and extended investment tenure, NPS has evolved into a more practical, investor-friendly retirement solution for today’s workforce.
Written by: Atin Kevin
