NPS Traders Scheme 2026: ₹3,000 Pension for Shopkeepers

The National Pension Scheme for Traders and Self-Employed Persons (NPS-Traders), also called the Pradhan Mantri Vyapari Maandhan Yojana (originally PM-LVM), is still open in 2026. It gives small shopkeepers, retail traders and self-employed people a minimum assured pension of ₹3,000 a month from age 60, in return for ₹55 to ₹200 a month that the Centre matches. You can join between 18 and 40 if your annual turnover is up to ₹1.5 crore and you do not pay income tax.

Status as of October 2026: open, not merged

There has been confusion online about whether NPS-Traders was merged into PM-SYM or shut. Here is what the record shows:

• Enrolment is open. The official portal maandhan.in, run by CSC e-Governance Services for the Labour Ministry, still offers new enrolment, contribution, revival and exit services for NPS-Traders in October 2026.
• The ministry is still promoting it. In late September 2026 the Ministry of Labour and Employment publicly urged traders with turnover up to ₹1.5 crore to enrol for the ₹3,000 pension.
• A merger has only been discussed. In 2025, reports said the ministry was deliberating a broader umbrella pension scheme that could absorb PM-SYM and NPS-Traders. As of October 2026 no merger, closure or change in terms has been notified.
• Take-up is very low. Parliamentary replies have put enrolment in the tens of thousands, far below PM-SYM, and since no member reaches 60 before 2039, nobody draws a pension yet.

Some news articles and posts mix the two up and call it "PM-SYM for traders". They are separate schemes with separate eligibility; you can be in only one.

NPS-Traders vs PM-SYM vs PM-KMY

All three pay ₹3,000 a month from 60, have the same age-wise contribution chart, a 50% family pension for the spouse, and LIC as the pension fund manager. Farmers should read our PM Kisan Maandhan Yojana guide.

If you work for wages rather than run a shop, our guide to PM Shram Yogi Maandhan covers the worker version of the same pension.

Eligibility

You can join NPS-Traders if you:

• Are 18 to 40 years old at entry.
• Run a shop, retail business or are self-employed, for example a kirana or stationery shop owner, commission agent, small hotel or restaurant owner, rice mill owner, real-estate broker or similar.
• Have annual turnover not exceeding ₹1.5 crore.
• Have a savings bank or Jan Dhan account and Aadhaar.

You cannot join if you:

• Pay income tax.
• Are covered by EPFO, NPS, ESIC or a central government pension scheme.
• Are already enrolled in PM-SYM or PM-KMY.

Contribution chart

Your contribution depends on your age at entry and stays fixed until 60.

The full chart is under "Contribution Chart" on maandhan.in.

Worked example: a 32-year-old shopkeeper

Sunita runs a small garment shop with turnover of about ₹40 lakh and her income is below the taxable limit. She joins at 32.

• Contribution: ₹120 a month for 28 years (336 months).
• She pays: 336 × ₹120 = ₹40,320. The Centre adds the same.
• From 60 she gets ₹36,000 a year. She recovers her own payments in a little over 13 months of pension.

The limit is the size of the pension. ₹3,000 is a minimum assured amount with no promised yearly increase; at 6% inflation, ₹3,000 in 2054 would buy about what ₹590 buys today. Run your own numbers in our retirement calculator.

How to apply for NPS-Traders

At a Common Service Centre:

1. Visit the nearest CSC with Aadhaar and your savings or Jan Dhan passbook (with IFSC).
2. The operator enters your details, turnover and nominee, and authenticates your Aadhaar.
3. Pay the first contribution in cash.
4. Sign the auto-debit mandate for future contributions.
5. Get your Vyapari Pension Account Number (VPAN) and pension card.

Self-enrolment: on maandhan.in, choose NPS-Traders under New Enrollment, verify with mobile OTP, fill your details and set up the mandate.

Enrolment is free. Use only maandhan.in or a CSC. Do not pay agents or websites promising "guaranteed approval" or a bigger pension.

Exit and missed payments

• Exit within 10 years: your own contribution with savings bank interest.
• Exit after 10 years, before 60: your contribution with the fund's accumulated interest or savings bank interest, whichever is higher.
• Death before 60: your spouse can continue the contributions, or exit and take the contributions with interest.
• Missed payments: you can revive the account by paying dues with interest through the "Revival Module" on maandhan.in or at a CSC.

The government's share is never paid out on exit.

Better alternatives for many traders

Many shopkeepers earn above the tax limit, which rules out both NPS-Traders and APY. For them the regular NPS is the main route; see NPS tax benefits. If your income swings month to month, our guide to budgeting with irregular income shows how to fund retirement savings reliably.

Where to complain

1. The CSC where you enrolled, with your VPAN and Aadhaar.
2. The Maandhan helpline listed on maandhan.in (1800-267-6888 for NPS-Traders, and 14434), or the grievance option on the portal.
3. For wrong auto-debits, your bank; mandate disputes go through the NPCI dispute system.

Key takeaways

• NPS-Traders (PM Vyapari Maandhan) is open as of October 2026; a merger was discussed but not notified.
• It pays a minimum ₹3,000 a month from 60 to traders aged 18-40 with turnover up to ₹1.5 crore who do not pay income tax.
• Contributions are ₹55-₹200 a month, matched by the Centre; exit before 60 returns only your share with interest.
• Taxpayers and people above 40 cannot join; the regular NPS or APY may suit them better.
• Enrol free at a CSC or on maandhan.in; ignore agents charging fees.