The government’s Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has issued a major update regarding the Atal Pension Yojana (APY). The PFRDA has introduced a new registration form effective October 1, 2025.
According to a notification from the Department of Posts, only the revised APY form will be accepted for new registrations. The old form was valid until September 30, but starting October 1, only the new registration form will be accepted. Additionally, new charges will apply to NPS, UPS, and APY starting October 1.
The postal department stated that the old form has now been discontinued and is no longer valid for submission through the central recordkeeping agency (CRA) for pension schemes, Proteus (formerly NSDL). The move is aimed at simplifying the customer onboarding process, increasing accuracy in data collection, and ensuring compliance with regulatory norms.
The order dated September 26, 2025, states that the existing APY forms under the Department of Posts (DOP) have been revised in accordance with the latest edition of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The updated subscriber registration forms are available for immediate reference and action. For offline users, the Department of Posts also stated that the new forms will be accepted in place of the old ones. Therefore, use the new forms only.
What’s special about the new form?
The biggest change in the updated APY registration form is a mandatory FATCA/CRS declaration, which helps identify foreign nationals or taxpayers. This registration aligns the APY enrollment process with international tax compliance standards and ensures that only resident Indian citizens can open APY accounts through post offices.
New charges in pension schemes from October 1:
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has introduced new charges for National Pension System (NPS), Atal Pension Yojana (APY ). (APY), NPS Lite, and Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). The new rates are effective from October 1.
For the government sector, the PRAN opening charge is ₹18 for the e-PRAN kit and ₹40 for the physical card, while the annual maintenance charge is ₹100. APY and NPS Lite accounts will incur a charge of ₹15 each for opening and maintaining a PRAN.
In the private sector, AMCs have slab-based charges, ranging from ₹100 for balances up to ₹2 lakh to ₹500 for balances above ₹50 lakh. All transaction charges are 0.
What is Atal Pension Yojana?
Launched in 2015, the Atal Pension Yojana is a government-backed social security scheme that guarantees a minimum pension of ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 per month after individuals turn 60. The pension amount depends on the customer’s age at entry and the level of monthly contributions during the accumulation phase. This scheme was specifically launched for workers in the unorganized sector who do not have formal pension coverage.
Any Indian citizen between the ages of 18 and 40 can register, provided they have a savings bank or post office account and are not income tax payers on or after October 1, 2022. Customers must link their Aadhaar number and mobile number to their APY account to receive regular updates and details. The Atal Pension Yojana has over 80 million subscribers.
