New Delhi: 

The Atal Pension Yojana (APY), the popular retirement savings scheme for the unorganised sector, has enrolled over 76.5 million (7.65 crore) subscribers as of April 2025. The government controlled pension scheme’s total corpus stood at Rs 45,974.67 crore. It may be noted that women now account for 48 percent of the total subscribers.

APY Pension Benefits

Atal Pension Yojana subscribers are entitled to get a fixed monthly pension at the age of 60 years, based on their contributions. The government has fixed the pension slabs, which are Rs 1,000, Rs 2,000, Rs 3,000, Rs 4,000, and Rs 5,000 per month.

The subscriber is required to make a minimum contribution for 20 years, depending on the age of joining. Monthly contribution varies based on: Age at the time of enrolment and the desired pension amount.

The Atal Pension Yojana exit and withdrawal rules state that if a subscriber of the scheme exits at age 60, the beneficiary will be eligible for full pension. However, if the person plans to exit before attaining the age of 60, he/she will be permitted only in cases of death or terminal illness.

The APY scheme is administered by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and managed under the National Pension System (NPS) architecture.

People aged between 18 to 40 can apply for the APY scheme. As per the rules since October 1, 2022, income taxpayers cannot enroll for the financial instrument. To tackle the challenges of “longevity risks” and lack of “retirement security” among India’s vast unorganised workforce, the Atal Pension Yojana was launched by the Centre on 9th May 2015.

The pension scheme was designed to encourage voluntary savings amongst the poor and underprivileged workers in the informal sector.

Voluntary Exit is allowed, but the beneficiary will be entitled to receive the contribution made (with interest) and government co-contribution (if any) is forfeited.

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