The Central Government has made a historic change to the subscriber registration form for this powerful social security scheme. According to an office memorandum issued by the Department of Posts, only the new, revised APY form will be accepted for new registrations from October 1st.
This step has been taken to further simplify the registration process for individuals in the unorganized sector, in accordance with the latest guidelines issued by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The old form has been completely discontinued after September 30, 2025.
What is the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) and who can join
The Atal Pension Yojana is a secure government pension scheme launched for workers in the unorganized sector. It provides a guaranteed pension, making it an excellent means of retirement planning. Under this scheme, members receive a fixed minimum pension ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 per month upon attaining the age of 60. The pension amount depends on the monthly contributions made by the member. Any Indian citizen can join this scheme.
Eligibility to Join APY
Anyone applying for the Atal Pension Yojana must be an Indian citizen, between the ages of 18 and 40, and have a savings bank or post office account. Most importantly, they must not be an income tax payer on or after October 1, 2022. During registration, applicants must provide their Aadhaar number and mobile number to receive timely account information.
What are the key features of the new APY form
The new form has been introduced to ensure transparency and international standards in the registration process. A FATCA/CRS declaration is now mandatory in the new form. This declaration helps ensure that the applicant is not a citizen of a foreign country or pays taxes there. Since APY accounts through post offices are linked to post office savings accounts, only resident Indian citizens can open APY accounts through post offices.
New Guidelines Implemented
All post offices have been instructed to publicly display the new guidelines and ensure that only the updated form is used for new APY registrations. After September 30, 2025, the old registration form will no longer be accepted by the Central Record-Keeping Agency (Protean). This change streamlines the process of joining this social security scheme.
