NPS For Platform Workers: Start With Rs 99 And Build Your Retirement Corpus, Says PFRDA

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has introduced a flexible scheme for India's gig workforce, who can’t invest through the all-citizen model, which requires a minimum initial contribution of Rs 500 to open an account. To ensure platform workers' long-term financial security, PFRDA offers the NPS e-shramik (Platform Service Partner) Model.

As per PFRDA’s recent post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). “Your work may depend on your next booking, but your retirement shouldn’t. With NPS for Platform Workers, you can start with just Rs 99 and contribute at your own pace with no minimum and no maximum contribution limit. Build your retirement corpus today, one contribution at a time.”

NPS E-Shramik (Platform Service Partner) Model

PFRDA launched the scheme on October 29, 2025, to bring informal sector workers within the umbrella of the formal retirement system, especially those who are providing services through digital platforms, such as Zomato, Swiggy, Ola, Uber, and Urban Company, etc. While these platforms have created task-based employment opportunities, the workers are not full-time employees and aren’t considered the formal workforce. They are not covered under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) social security benefits, mandatorily available to formal sector workers earning up to Rs 15,000 per month.

The NPS e-shramik model addresses this gap and offers a structured scheme for these workers to save and build a retirement corpus for themselves.

Flexibility At The Core

The key feature of this model is the ‘flexibility’ it offers to subscribers, in line with the task-based nature of their work and irregular earnings. Unlike traditional schemes, this provides subscribers with flexibility to contribute at their own pace without imposing a mandated frequency and with no fixed limit on minimum and maximum deposits in the scheme.

While the PFRDA’s post highlights Rs 99 as a starting point, this is merely an example of a possible contribution. PFRDA has not fixed any mandatory initial contribution for the scheme.

Operational Roles

The model assigns responsibilities to the Points of Presence (PoPs) to engage and educate the platform aggregators to onboard their workers.

As per its October 2025 circular, the contribution structure and the minimum contribution can be determined between the platform and the worker. They are free to fix a minimum contribution between them for the individual pension account. They are also free to decide to contribute jointly, or solely by the Platform Service Partner (PSP), say, the worker, or solely by the Platform Aggregator.

Considering the large section of Indian population working in informal sector and the growing gig economy, it is crucial to provide them the schemes aligned to the nature of their work and income, the same way a formal sector workforce is ensured a social security through EPFO’s three schemes employee provident fund (EPF), employee pension scheme (EPS), and employee deposit linked insurance (EDLI).