Use the NPS Calculator to find out exactly how much lumpsum you will take home and what your monthly pension will look like at age 60.
Unlike a fixed deposit or mutual fund, where you withdraw everything, NPS has a strict government-mandated exit rule. When you retire at 60, you can only take 60% of your total corpus as a tax-free lumpsum.
The remaining 40% must be used to purchase an annuity plan from a life insurance company, which guarantees your monthly pension for life. NPS calculator maps out both numbers simultaneously, so you know exactly what you are walking away with.
Three main factors dictate how large your retirement fund gets:
This is the most critical variable. Because NPS relies on compounding, starting at 25 rather than 35 results in a massive difference in your final corpus, even if you make the same monthly contribution.
You can start with as little as ₹500 a month. The higher your monthly input, the faster your equity and debt funds compound over the decades.
Your actual return depends on how you split your money between NPS asset classes (Equity, Corporate Bonds, Government Securities). Equity generates higher returns but involves volatility, while government securities are safer but yield less.
NPS gives you a dual tax benefit under the old tax regime. You get a standard ₹1.5 Lakh deduction under Section 80C, plus an exclusive additional ₹50,000 deduction under Section 80CCD(1B). This makes it one of the most tax-efficient ways to build a retirement corpus.