How To Link Aadhaar Card With NPS (National Pension Scheme) Account

It’s never too late and never too early. Every individual has to come to terms with her/his retirement one or the other day and has to face this inevitable truth of one’s career graph. However, when it comes to retirement planning; none of us take this aspect seriously enough and we think it’s either too late or too early to start with the planning.

It’s important to understand that the perks of retirement planning are not only limited to make your life post-retirement secure but it also helps you take care of the inflation rate that can reach a whopping level in the next 30-40 years, depending upon your current age (whether you’re in your mid-twenties or mid-thirties).

Let’s try to illustrate this factor with the help of an example. Shikha is an average middle-class family girl who is 25 years old, has no dependents & has no liabilities (such as loans, EMIs, etc.) and can easily manage her monthly expenses within a range of Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000. True, she still has got decades to retire but if we simply move the time machine to 30 years ahead, her monthly expenses can easily shoot up to Rs 50,000. And yet again, if she is able to survive 20 years post her retirement; her total retirement budget can easily go up to an enormous amount of Rs 2.46 crores (at an inflation rate of 7%).

To help you out of such situations, the Government of India has introduced a voluntary retirement saving-scheme, known as National Pension Scheme (NPS). The goal of this scheme is to help the investors build a habit of systematic investment during a her/his career, so s/he can save a decent amount to lead a comfortable lifestyle post her/his retirement. As per the new mandate, people using NPS scheme have to now link their12-digit Aadhar Card number with their respective NPS accounts.

How to Link Aadhar Card with NPS (National Pension Scheme)?

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is the regulatory body that manages NPS accounts for the customers. The entity has taken effective measures to make the process of linking Aadhar with NPS much easier. The online facility helps the users to save their time and money rather than standing and waiting in long queues and paying commissions to unauthorized agents (hence, risking their money).

Step by Step Procedure to Link Aadhaar Card with NPS account (for an Existing User):

• You need to visit the website cra-nsdl[dot]com and log-in to your NPS account.
• Once logged in, click on the option of “Update Details”. After this, select the option of “Edit/Add Aadhaar Number” and enter your 12-digit Aadhaar Number in the given field.
• Before submitting the Aadhar number, an OTP (One Time Password) will be sent to the mobile number you have registered with UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India). The OTP is sent for the authentication purpose. Once you’ve received the OTP on your phone successfully, you can find your PRAN (Permanent Retirement Account Number – It’s a unique identification number given by NPS to its users) linked with your 12-digit Aadhaar Number.

Step by Step Procedure to Link Aadhaar Card with NPS Account (for a New User):

• Start with logging-on to cra-nsdl[dot]com and enter the details asked in the given form.
• Make sure that Aadhar details are entered correctly on the form.
• You also have an option to change your photo, if you are not satisfied with the one given on your Aadhaar Card (which is a very common case!).
• You also have to upload your signature as per the given directions (right size of the file, etc.)
• You can open your NPS account with a minimum amount of Rs. 500.
• The payment can be made either by debit card, credit card or net banking.
• Once you have successfully made the payment, you’ll get your PRAN account which will be linked to your Aadhar number.

Once you are through with all these steps, make sure that you take out the printout of your form. You need to sign the form and send it to the CRA along with an attached photograph of yours. Please make sure that you send the signed form within 6 months from the date your PRAN account is created. Or in another case, your PRAN can be deactivated temporarily.  

It’s also important to make sure that the name cited in PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority) and Aadhar Card should be matched. In case, the name mentioned in both the documents is not matching, you’ll need to submit a self-attested Aadhaar copy and PRAN copy.

Conclusion:

It can’t be a mere coincidence that the word ‘pension’ perfectly rhymes with the word ‘tension’. However, the good news is you can avoid this tension with the help of National Pension Scheme. There are several factors that make NPS as one of the most popular and low-cost investment options available in India. You’ll be charged a mere percentage of 0.01% by your Pension Fund Manager to manage your account. In case you aren’t comfortable with the idea of dealing with financial terms, you can simply choose the option of auto allocation which will automatically allocate your money between equity, government debt and corporate debt funds depending upon how old are you at the time of making the investment. Again, it will keep on re-balancing the allocated funds as your age increases. Hence, minimum stress and maximum profits to earn!