The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) was notified by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India on 24th January, 2025. The Central Government employees who are on deputation/foreign service to an organisation which is not a Central Government office and are unable to apply for UPS, may physically submit the duly filled Form A2 to the respective nodal office of their parent organisation. The nodal office will thereafter process the migration to UPS through the Central Recordkeeping Agency (CRA) system as per the prescribed procedure.

The scheme is applicable to new recruits joining the Central Government services on or after 01.04.2025, and offers an option to existing Central Government employees under NPS to opt into UPS.

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has notified the PFRDA (Operationalisation of the Unified Pension Scheme under NPS) Regulations, 2025 on 19th March, 2025 to facilitate smooth implementation of this framework

The last date for eligible employees and past retirees under NPS to opt for UPS is 30th September, 2025.

Unified Pension Scheme option: deputation employees may submit physical Form A2 to enable migration through nodal office. Central Government employees on deputation or foreign service to non Central Government organisations who cannot apply online may physically submit a duly filled Form A2 to their parent organisation's nodal office; that nodal office will process migration to the Unified Pension Scheme through the Central Recordkeeping Agency system. The scheme applies to new recruits joining Central Government service on or after commencement and permits existing NPS employees and eligible past retirees to opt into UPS under PFRDA operational regulations.