NPS Death Claim: Procedure, Forms and Who Gets the Money

Published by Karan Bindal, Founder

To claim NPS after a death, the nominee or legal heir fills in the form "Exit from National Pension System Due to Death" and submits it with the death certificate and identity, address and bank proofs to the subscriber's Point of Presence or, for government staff, the nodal office. For private sector and all-citizen NPS, the entire amount is payable to the nominee or heir, while government sector NPS has separate rules that can require most of a larger amount to go into an annuity.

First: find the PRAN and the account type

The PRAN is the person's NPS account number. Look for the PRAN card or ePRAN, NPS statements, salary slips or emails. Then work out which group the account falls in, because the rules differ:

All-citizen or corporate NPS: opened personally, through a bank or other Point of Presence (POP), or through an employer in the private sector
Government sector NPS: central or state government staff, through their office
NPS Lite: handled through an aggregator

Where to submit

All-citizen and corporate NPS: to the POP. The POP checks your papers and raises the request online.
Government sector: to the nodal office, usually the person's drawing and disbursing office or Pay and Accounts Office.
NPS Lite: through the subscriber's aggregator.

The form states that a physical form sent straight to the record-keeping agency will not be processed, so go through the office above.

Documents

Protean's form (version 1.6) and its procedure for POPs (version 1.5, March 2026) list:

The filled and signed death claim form
The death certificate
Identity and address proof of the nominee or heir, with the address matching the form
A copy of the PRAN card or ePRAN. If you do not have it, the form asks for a notarised affidavit explaining why. This item does not apply to government subscribers.
A cancelled cheque or passbook in the claimant's name, showing the account number and IFSC
PAN of the claimant, where applicable

The POP may ask for further documents to support the claim. For NPS Lite and government subscribers, the nodal office attests the copies.

The name in the bank account should match the name on the claim. Bank details are checked online, and if that check fails the request cannot be started.

If there are several nominees: Protean's NPS Lite page says the form has to be submitted by all the registered nominees. Its procedure for POPs adds that a nominee who wants to give up their share signs a relinquishment deed, and the nominee who is claiming gives an indemnity bond. Both are on stamp paper of at least ₹100 and notarised.

If a nominee is a minor: the guardian fills in the form.

No nominee?

The money goes to the legal heirs. PFRDA's December 2025 regulations say this is based on a legal heir certificate from the state authority, or a succession certificate from a court. Our guide to these certificates explains the difference.

How much is paid: private and all-citizen NPS

Under PFRDA's amendment regulations of 12 December 2025, if the subscriber dies before exit, the entire amount is paid to the nominee or heir as a lump sum. No annuity is compulsory. The family may choose an annuity or periodic payouts instead, if they prefer. NPS Lite pages also state 100% with no annuity.

How much is paid: government sector NPS

If a government subscriber dies before superannuation, the same regulations set three bands:

Up to ₹8 lakh: the whole amount can be taken as a lump sum or periodic payouts.
More than ₹8 lakh and up to ₹12 lakh: up to ₹6 lakh as a lump sum, with the rest paid through systematic unit redemption over at least six years, or an annuity.
More than ₹12 lakh: at least 80% buys the default annuity, and the balance goes to the nominee or heir.

The default annuity covers the spouse for life, then the mother and father in turn, with the purchase price then returned to the children or, if none, to the other legal heirs.

A conflict you may run into

The older figure is ₹5 lakh. It still appears on the claim form we read (version 1.6) and on a PFRDA FAQ page. The Gazette text of December 2025 says ₹8 lakh. The Gazette is the later document, so ask your nodal office to apply it, and ask for its reply in writing if it uses the older figure.

Government employees' families may also be eligible for pension under service rules, and PFRDA's FAQ says an employer who gives such relief may adjust part or all of the NPS amount. The nodal office has to certify this on the form. We have not covered the Unified Pension Scheme or the option of old-pension benefits, so ask the employer's office before choosing anything.

Choose an annuity carefully

The annuity choice is hard to undo. The form warns that if you cancel a policy during the free-look period, the money does not come back to you and goes to another approved annuity scheme instead. Take your time, and ask someone you trust to read it with you.

What we could not confirm

A published time limit for paying a death claim
How a family claims an eNPS account opened directly online, without a POP. Ask NPS Trust or the record-keeping agency.
How the payout is taxed. Please ask a CA.

The form and procedure above are Protean's documents. If the account is with another record-keeping agency, ask for that agency's form. If a family dispute is likely, please speak to a lawyer before signing a relinquishment deed.

Tell your family where this account is

NPS accounts are easy to miss because no passbook sits in the almirah. Our free family checklist shows what to note down, and Aakhri Pal keeps your accounts and nominees in one private place for your family.

See also: what to do after a death.

Last checked: 31 October 2026. We read the December 2025 regulations in a reproduction of the Gazette notification, and some official forms and FAQs have not caught up with it. This is general guidance, not legal or tax advice.

Sources: PFRDA Exit Amendment Regulations, 12 December 2025, reproduced text · Protean: death claim form, version 1.6 · Protean: procedure for POPs, version 1.5 · Protean: NPS Lite withdrawal page · PFRDA FAQ on government sector exits