Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM)

What is PM-SYM?

Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM) is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment for workers in the unorganised sector. PM-SYM was launched in 2019 and provides old-age protection to workers such as street vendors, head-load workers, brick-kiln workers, cobblers, rag-pickers, domestic workers, agricultural labourers, rickshaw pullers, construction workers, beedi workers, handloom workers and similar occupations.

According to the maandhan.in portal run by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, PM-SYM pays an assured pension of Rs 3,000 per month after the subscriber attains 60 years of age. The scheme is designed for roughly 42 crore unorganised workers in India, and Ministry of Labour and Employment figures cited in a 2025 Press Information Bureau release put actual enrolment at about 46.12 lakh subscribers across 36 states and union territories, registered through more than 3.5 lakh Common Service Centres.

Key objectives

• Give unorganised workers, who have no employer-backed pension, a guaranteed income in old age.
• Keep the entry cost low; as little as Rs 55 a month for an 18-year-old.
• Match every rupee the worker contributes with an equal contribution from the Central Government.
• Reach workers through the Common Service Centre network rather than requiring a bank or office visit.

Main features

• Assured pension of Rs 3,000 a month from age 60, for life.
• Matching contribution by the Government of India, the government pays the same amount as the subscriber, every month.
• Age-specific contribution. The monthly amount is fixed at entry and depends on the subscriber's age.
• Family pension of 50% to the spouse if the pensioner dies.
• Contributions are auto-debited from the subscriber's savings or Jan Dhan account.
• The Life Insurance Corporation of India is the pension fund manager and disbursing agency.

Who is eligible for PM-SYM?

You can join if:

• You are an unorganised sector worker; self-employed or working without a formal employer-backed social security cover.
• Your age is between 18 and 40 years on the date of enrolment.
• Your monthly income is Rs 15,000 or less.
• You have an Aadhaar card and a savings bank account or Jan Dhan account with an IFSC code.

You cannot apply if:

• You are covered under EPFO (Employees' Provident Fund Organisation).
• You are covered under ESIC (Employees' State Insurance Corporation).
• You are a subscriber of the National Pension System (NPS) through government or employer contribution.
• You are an income tax payer.
• You are younger than 18 or older than 40 years.
• Your monthly income exceeds Rs 15,000.

The exclusion rule matters more than anything else here. A worker who has any EPFO or ESIC membership; even from a previous job, is outside PM-SYM. So is anyone who has filed an income tax return. Enrolling anyway means the contributions will have to be refunded and no pension will be payable.

What documents are required for PM-SYM?

No income certificate, caste certificate or employer letter is needed. The scheme relies on a self-declaration by the worker, which is why the exclusion rules are worth reading carefully before you sign.

How to apply for PM-SYM

1. Take your Aadhaar card and your savings bank or Jan Dhan passbook showing the account number and IFSC code to the nearest Common Service Centre (CSC).
2. Ask the Village Level Entrepreneur to open a PM-SYM enrolment for you. Give your Aadhaar number, name and date of birth exactly as on Aadhaar.
3. Give your self-declaration that your monthly income is Rs 15,000 or less and that you are not covered by EPFO, ESIC or NPS and are not an income tax payer.
4. Confirm your monthly contribution amount, which the system calculates automatically from your age at entry — between Rs 55 and Rs 200.
5. Pay the first month's contribution in cash at the centre and sign the auto-debit mandate for your bank account so future contributions are debited automatically.
6. Collect the Shram Yogi Card printed at the centre. It carries your unique PM-SYM pension account number, which you will need for every future query.

Self-enrolment is also possible on maandhan.in using your Aadhaar number and mobile OTP, if you are comfortable completing the form and the bank mandate yourself.

How much do you contribute and how much do you get?

PM-SYM contributions are age-specific and fixed at entry. The younger you join, the less you pay each month, because you will contribute for more years.

According to the maandhan.in portal, the monthly contribution runs from Rs 55 to Rs 200 across the 18-to-40 entry age band, and the Central Government pays an equal matching contribution into the same account.

Contributions continue until the subscriber turns 60. From the month after turning 60, the subscriber receives Rs 3,000 per month; Rs 36,000 a year, for life. If the pensioner dies, the spouse receives 50% of the pension, that is Rs 1,500 a month, as family pension.

What happens if you exit PM-SYM early, or if the subscriber dies?

PM-SYM is a long-term commitment, but the guidelines do provide for exit and for events that interrupt contributions. The rules turn on how long you have been contributing.

• Voluntary exit within 10 years of joining: only the subscriber's own share of the contributions is returned, together with interest at the savings bank rate. The government's matching share and any fund gains are not paid out.
• Voluntary exit after 10 years but before age 60: the subscriber's share is returned along with the interest actually earned by the pension fund, or the savings bank rate, whichever is higher.
• Death of the subscriber before 60: the spouse may continue the account by paying the remaining contributions and eventually draw the pension, or exit and receive the subscriber's contributions with the accumulated interest.
• Permanent disability before 60, where the subscriber can no longer contribute: the spouse may continue the account with regular contributions, or exit and take the subscriber's contributions with the interest earned.
• Death after the pension has begun: the spouse receives 50% of the pension as family pension, Rs 1,500 a month, for life. Children and other relatives are not entitled to it.

If contributions stop temporarily, the subscriber can regularise the account by paying the outstanding dues along with the penalty the Government of India specifies. Repeated default without regularisation can lead to the account being discontinued and treated under the exit rules above.

How to check your PM-SYM contribution status

1. Keep your Shram Yogi Card and PM-SYM pension account number handy.
2. Open maandhan.in and use the subscriber login with your account number and mobile OTP.
3. Check your contribution history and confirm that the auto-debit has gone through each month.
4. If a debit has failed, arrange for the arrears through your CSC; repeated default can lead to the account being discontinued.

Common reasons PM-SYM enrolments fail

• Existing EPFO or ESIC membership, which disqualifies the worker outright.
• Income tax return filed, breaching the non-taxpayer condition.
• Age above 40 at enrolment.
• Bank account without an active auto-debit mandate, so monthly contributions bounce.
• Aadhaar name mismatch with the bank account, which blocks the mandate.
• Insufficient balance in the savings account on the debit date.

Help and grievance redressal

• PM-SYM helpline: 14434
• Alternate helpline: 1800-267-6888
• Common Service Centre, for enrolment, contribution arrears and card reprints.
• Ministry of Labour and Employment, which administers the scheme, and the Life Insurance Corporation of India, which manages the pension fund.

No agent may charge you a fee to enrol you under PM-SYM. The only money you pay at the Common Service Centre is your own first monthly contribution, and it must be reflected in your contribution history on maandhan.in.