National Pension System on WebNotes

ELSS vs NPS

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) and the National Pension System (NPS) are both used to claim income tax deductions in India, but they operate under different regulatory frameworks, serve different investor objectives, and carry different conditions on withdrawal. ELSS is a mutual fund category regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India. NPS is a defined-contribution pension scheme regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and governed by the PFRDA Act, 2013.

How to invest in NPS via Coin

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The National Pension System (NPS) is a government-sponsored, PFRDA-regulated defined-contribution pension scheme for Indian citizens aged 18 to 70 years. It provides long-term retirement savings with market-linked returns, portability across employers and locations, and significant tax benefits.

Zerodha Coin offers NPS account opening and contribution management through a partnership with the Central Recordkeeping Agencies (CRAs). Coin acts as a Point of Presence (PoP) under the PFRDA framework.

Prerequisites

Indian citizen aged 18 to 70 years with valid KYC documents.
Active Zerodha trading and demat account (for existing Zerodha users).
PAN card and Aadhaar card (for eKYC).
Bank account details for contribution and payout.
TOTP authenticator for Zerodha two-factor login.

NPS regulatory framework: PFRDA

NPS is governed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 2013 (PFRDA Act) and associated PFRDA Regulations. Key regulatory features:

NPS scheme overlap with MFs

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The National Pension System (NPS) and mutual funds are both market-linked investment vehicles regulated by government authorities, investing in equity, debt, and alternative assets. However, they differ fundamentally in their legal structure, tax treatment, liquidity, and purpose. Understanding the overlap and the differences is essential for investors allocating retirement savings across the two vehicles.

Overview of the National Pension System

The NPS is a contributory pension scheme administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) under the National Pension System Trust. It was introduced for central government employees in 2004 and extended to all citizens in 2009. Key structural features:

NPS on Coin (Zerodha)

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Zerodha’s Coin platform provides access to the National Pension System (NPS), a government-sponsored defined-contribution pension scheme regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). NPS allows Indian citizens between 18 and 70 years of age to build a retirement corpus through regular contributions to market-linked pension funds. Contributions qualify for tax deductions under Sections 80CCD(1), 80CCD(1B), and 80CCD(2) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Zerodha acts as a Point of Presence (PoP) registered with PFRDA, enabling it to onboard new NPS subscribers and accept contributions through the Coin interface.