The clock is ticking for nearly 23 lakh central government employees who must decide whether to stay with the National Pension System (NPS) or migrate to the newly launched Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which came into effect on April 1, 2025. The original deadline of June 30 was extended to September 30 to give employees more time, and a series of regulatory relaxations have been announced in recent weeks to help smooth the transition. Advertisement

One-time switch flexibility

On September 2, the government allowed employees who opt for UPS to make a one-time switch back to NPS at a later stage. However, this option is only available once and must be exercised at least one year before retirement or three months before voluntary retirement (VRS). Employees facing dismissal, compulsory r

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