Atal Pension Yojana (APY) Calculator
Find your exact monthly contribution for a guaranteed government pension of ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 a month from age 60 — using PFRDA's official contribution chart.
Monthly Contribution Required
For 32 years, until age 60
APY contribution amounts follow PFRDA's official chart by entry age and are fixed for the life of the scheme once you enroll — they don't change with market returns. On the subscriber's death after 60, the spouse receives the same pension for life.
How Atal Pension Yojana Works
Atal Pension Yojana is a government-backed pension scheme aimed primarily at unorganized-sector workers who don't have access to EPF or a formal employer pension. Unlike NPS, where your eventual pension depends on how your invested corpus performs in the market, APY works the other way around: you choose the pension you want (between ₹1,000 and ₹5,000 a month), and PFRDA tells you exactly how much you need to contribute every month until you turn 60, based purely on your entry age.
This makes APY a defined-benefit scheme — the government guarantees your pension amount regardless of investment performance. The trade-off is that returns are effectively fixed and modest compared to what a well-performing NPS or mutual fund SIP might deliver over the same period; APY is designed for guaranteed minimum income security, not wealth maximization.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the APY contribution amount decided?
PFRDA publishes a fixed contribution chart based on your entry age and your chosen pension amount (₹1,000 to ₹5,000/month). The younger you join, the lower your monthly contribution, since you'll be contributing for more years before turning 60. This is a lookup-table figure — it isn't calculated from an interest rate.
Is APY a market-linked scheme like NPS?
No. Unlike NPS, which is market-linked and your final corpus depends on investment returns, APY is a government-guaranteed defined-benefit scheme. You're guaranteed the exact pension amount you signed up for, regardless of how markets perform — the government bears that risk, not you.
What happens to my APY pension after I die?
If you die after 60, your spouse receives the same monthly pension for their lifetime. After both you and your spouse have passed, your nominee receives the accumulated pension corpus as a lumpsum — a fixed amount depending on your pension slab (for example, ₹1.7 lakh for a ₹1,000/month pension, scaling up to ₹8.5 lakh for a ₹5,000/month pension).
Can I change my APY pension amount later?
Yes, APY allows you to increase or decrease your chosen pension slab once a year (typically in April), and your monthly contribution is recalculated based on your current age and the new slab. Frequent changes aren't allowed — only once per financial year.
Who is eligible for Atal Pension Yojana?
Any Indian citizen aged 18-40 with a bank account can join APY. It was originally designed for workers in the unorganized sector without access to formal pension schemes, but anyone in the eligible age range can enroll through their bank or post office.