Central Govt Employees In Foreign Service Or On Deputation Can Submit This Form To Opt For UPS

Central government employees posted in the Foreign Service or on deputation in other organisations are also required to exercise their pension option by the deadline if they wish to opt for the unified pension scheme (UPS). According to the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India’s (PFRDA) latest press release, such employees need to fill Form A2 to switch to the UPS. The last date to switch to the scheme is September 30, 2025. UPS was implemented on April 1, 2025, and is open to central government employees; however, State governments are also free to opt for the scheme for their employees. 

According to the PFRDA’s press release, “Those 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 then process the migration to UPS through the CRA system as per the applicable procedure.”

Eligible employees can opt for the scheme by the deadline by downloading the form online, filling it out, and submitting it offline to their parent organisation’s nodal office.

UPS offers an assured pension and enjoys tax parity with the National Pension System (NPS), which was the only and mandatory pension scheme for central government employees until UPS was launched. Now, they have two options to choose from: UPS and NPS. Recently, PFRDA has changed the UPS provisions, making employees who opt for UPS eligible to receive gratuity, a tax benefit similar to the NPS, and a pro rata-based pension on voluntary retirement after 20 years.

All central government employees who want to change their pension scheme from NPS to UPS must exercise their option by the last date; failing to do so would mean they want to stay with the NPS.