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Why should NPS never be overlooked in tax planning?

February 17, 2022

For most of us, retirement may seem to be a long way off. It may look like we have a lot of time on our hands to plan for the retirement of our dreams, but more often than not, it arrives sooner than we anticipated. The key to a stress free retirement is having a great retirement plan, one that not only meets all your needs, but also gives you more than that. While there are many retirement plans that are at your disposal, not every plan suits your requirements. It is crucial that you take the time to sort out your priorities and decide a retirement plan before you proceed with it.

The National Pension System, introduced by the Government of India in 2004, is among one of the most beneficial retirement plans. Apart from the trust that comes with being associated with a government fund, it also provides substantial benefits and a healthy monthly compensation as pension after your retirement. The NPS is a great tool, not only for planning your retirement, but also to help with your taxes.

Tax Free Money on Maturity?

Yes, investing in the NPS effectively makes your accumulated corpus tax-free on maturity. According to the current rules on taxation, if you are a subscriber to the National Pension System, you are eligible to withdraw 60% of the corpus at maturity, completely tax-free. For the remaining 40% of the corpus, you are required to buy an annuity, which is also exempted from the taxation systems. This effectively means that the entire corpus we invest becomes tax-free.

However, the monthly payments that you receive as pension after your retirement will be taxable, which will qualify under the base tax exemption limit. This means that only a portion of that income will be taxed.

Since the National Pension System is a government retirement plan, the taxation rules are very investor friendly, which makes it an attractive venture for us all.

A true-blue retirement plan?

As young individuals, we all think retirement is far away, and that we have time to save up for it. While we are busy living our lives, our retirement age dawns upon us sooner than we realise. It is important to make savings that can help us lead our desired lifestyle even after retirement.

Moreover, starting early means that we can accumulate a higher corpus, which can lead to more payouts. The lock-in period of NPS until our retirement is a blessing in disguise because it prevents us from misusing our retirement funds for unnecessary expenses. We can still opt for a loan in case of emergencies, but we cannot get a loan for our expenses post retirement. It is important that we start saving early and restrict ourselves from using the amount for other miscellaneous expenses.

Highly regulated at super low costs?

The National Pension System is regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), which is a government body, assuring the protection of your rights and interests with utmost efficiency. This is a crucial aspect, taking into account the long term investments which concern your life after retirement. The financial goal in this scenario is to ensure a good, stable life after retirement, which is among the most important but vulnerable phases of your life.

A Diverse Portfolio?

The amount you invest into your NPS account is pooled together into a larger investment fund, which is then further invested into the market by fund managers vetted by the PFRDA. These investments are made in a diversified portfolio comprising government bonds, bills, corporate debentures, and shares. Over time, these investments multiply and form a substantial corpus, a part of which you can withdraw as lump sum post retirement.

Furthermore, NPS also allows you the provision to choose from multiple fund managers and different asset allocation options. Depending on your risk and return expectations, you can choose the options that best suit your needs. You can also switch between funds if the performance is not upto your expectations.

Investing from your home?

You can apply for a National Pension System account online, upon which you receive a Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN). A PRAN is a unique number that remains constant throughout your lifetime, even if you change cities or jobs. 

Upon opening the account, you are given access to an online portal which allows you to track and manage your NPS account. All updates, statements, fund performance details, and new investments can be done using the portal. It can also be used to switch between different funds. Not having to visit financial institutions, or stand in those long and tiring queues, is surely an advantage.

The advantages provided by the National Pension System are hard to ignore, and if you are an investor looking for a retirement plan, delay no more. Apply for NPS with KFintech here https://nps.kfintech.com/

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Make sure you retire with a pension | How to choose the best retirement plan?

February 7, 2022

You have a certain lifestyle that you are accustomed to, and it is reasonably easy to understand that you would want the same lifestyle moving forward, if not a better one. While you work hard to build a stable life for yourself and your loved ones, you also have a responsibility to secure your own future. In order to do so, it is essential to have a proper retirement plan in place.

When planning your retirement, here are answers to some questions you should be asking.

What exactly is a Retirement Plan?
A retirement plan gives you the opportunity to relish your retirement by giving you a regular income, which can help you sustain your finances. While it may seem that retirement is a long way off, it is not. Retirement comes sooner than you think and that is why it is important to figure out what you need from your retirement plan. Moreover, having a retirement plan also ensures that you are prepared for an emergency, however far-fetched that might be.
Planning for retirement now means ensuring that you make systematic savings over time, which, in turn, gives you returns when you need a steady source of income the most. While retirement means that you are void of your usual income from your employer/client, your sustenance costs do not go down. This includes your usual cost of living, medical expenses, and any others associated with your lifestyle.
While every retirement plan is unique with their own attributes, the National Pension System is a retirement plan that supersedes most other retirement plans by a large margin.

Why do you need a retirement plan?
You can be the master of your trade, and can possess a great deal of knowledge, but what we can never be certain of, is what the future holds for us. While we hope that it is certainly bright and the best, it does not hurt to take precautions and ensure safety in case of uncertainties. Saving now, to ensure that you do not have to struggle in the future, is one of the biggest precautions we can take while we’re still gainfully employed.
Moreover, retirement plans like the National Pension System, an initiative by the Government of India, ensures that you save a significant amount of money every year in taxes. You can save as much as ₹62,400 every year over and above the tax redemptions you can get on other investments.
This retirement plan not only ensures that you have an adequate amount of income every month after retirement as a pension, but also saves you money right now with its tax benefits, which make it a prospect that is hard to pass by.

What makes NPS a special retirement plan?
The National Pension System, or the NPS, is a government initiative that was introduced in 2004 and is regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), and has appointed KFintech as Central Recordkeeping Agency (CRA).
What makes NPS special is its ability to increase in value over time. The funds invested into the National Pension System are pooled together and then reinvested into the market as government bonds, bills, corporate debentures, and shares, making it a highly diversified portfolio. These funds are invested by portfolio managers who have been vetted by the PFRDA. These investments increase in value over time and accumulate to form a substantial corpus that you can withdraw on retirement as lump sum, and in the form of monthly payouts as pension.
The National Pension System is among the most flexible retirement plans because it gives you the liberty to have the investment schemes and the fund managers of your choice. Depending on the returns you expect from your investment, you can make the necessary choices. Moreover, you can also switch between schemes and fund managers, keeping in accordance with certain regulations.
The National Pension System also provides you with substantial tax benefits. You can save upto ₹1,50,000 under section 80CCD, plus an additional amount of upto ₹50,000 under section 80CCD (1B). This attribute of NPS makes it a retirement plan with dual benefits, of both saving your money as well as ensuring that you have a superior return on your investments.
This scheme is open to all Indian citizens between the ages of 18 and 75. If you are looking for a retirement plan, you check the National Pension System with KFintech here <https://nps.kfintech.com/>