Abstract: “I opened an NPS account just a few years in the past for the Rs 50,000 tax break. I haven’t contributed in years. It’s now frozen, and I can’t even log in. The cellphone quantity I used on the time has modified. What do I do?”
Some model of this query lands within the Ask Worth Analysis queue each week. The reactivation guidelines are easy. The tougher half is getting previous the OTP step when the cellphone or electronic mail on document not works.
Why NPS accounts go quiet
A Nationwide Pension System (NPS) Tier I account is flagged dormant the second your annual contributions fall under the Rs 1,000 minimal prescribed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Growth Authority (PFRDA). Probably the most affected accounts had been opened for the Rs 50,000 deduction underneath Part 80CCD(1B), which ended underneath the brand new tax regime. The annual top-up stopped and the account froze. The cash stays invested. Till you reactivate, you can not contribute, change nominees, change fund managers or withdraw.
The reactivation guidelines
Two issues convey the account again. A recent contribution of a minimum of Rs 1,000 for the present 12 months, and a reactivation cost for the years missed.
In case your cellphone and electronic mail on document nonetheless work, the net route is the only. Use the ‘Contribute On-line’ hyperlink in your CRA portal (Protean, KFin Applied sciences or CAMS) — no login required — pay the dues and confirm with the OTP. The account will likely be energetic inside 3-4 working days.
If they do not, the offline route is to submit Kind UOS-S10-A to your related Level of Presence, normally a financial institution department that handles NPS. Three to seven working days.
The actual drawback: When your cellphone or electronic mail not works
Most subscribers by no means get to the reactivation step. They get caught as a result of each authentication path requires a cellphone or electronic mail they not have. Contribute On-line, Forgot Password, first-time login — each path sends an OTP to the registered cellular or electronic mail. The CRA portal is, for you, a locked door.
The unlock is a two-step sequence.
The first step. Replace your contact particulars. Go to your Level of Presence with three paperwork: a replica of your PRAN card, a self-attested photograph ID (Aadhaar, PAN, passport, or voter ID) and a self-attested handle proof. Submit Kind S2, the usual subscriber particulars change type. The PoP forwards your request to the CRA, which updates your cellphone and electronic mail inside 3-7 working days. You’ll obtain a affirmation SMS.
Step two. Reactivate. As soon as the brand new contact particulars are reside, use the ‘Contribute On-line’ hyperlink in your CRA portal. The OTP now reaches you. Pay the dues, and the account is energetic in three to 4 working days.
What to do that week
In case your NPS is a part of your retirement plan, the trail above is your route. If you’re reactivating solely to contemplate exiting, that could be a separate choice. Both approach, the bottleneck is similar: get your cellphone and electronic mail up to date first. All the pieces else follows.
Additionally learn: The way to unfreeze your NPS account?
This text was initially printed on Could 14, 2026.
