Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)

What is Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana?

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) is a one-year personal accident insurance scheme run by the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, and delivered through banks, India Post and general insurance companies. PMSBY was launched on 9 May 2015 as part of the Jan Suraksha package along with PMJJBY and the Atal Pension Yojana.

According to the Department of Financial Services, PMSBY provides a cover of Rs 2 lakh for accidental death or permanent total disability and Rs 1 lakh for permanent partial disability, for an annual premium of Rs 20. The cover period runs from 1 June to 31 May and renews every year on payment of the premium by auto-debit.

Key objectives

• Give low-income working households protection against the income shock caused by an accidental death or a disabling injury.
• Deliver accident cover at a price - Rs 20 a year, under 6 paise a day - that removes cost as a reason not to be insured.
• Use bank and post office accounts as the distribution channel so that no agent or medical test stands between the citizen and the cover.

Main features

• Pure accident cover. Illness and natural death are not covered.
• Age band of 18 to 70 years, wider than PMJJBY's 18 to 50.
• No medical examination and no good-health declaration required.
• One cover per person, irrespective of the number of bank accounts held.
• Cumulative enrolment has crossed 58.78 crore, with claims of about Rs 3,667 crore settled on more than 1.84 lakh claims, according to Department of Financial Services figures released in 2026.

Who is eligible for PMSBY?

You can apply if:

• You are aged 18 to 70 years (completed) on the date of enrolment.
• You hold an individual savings bank account or post office savings account.
• You give consent for auto-debit of Rs 20 from that account each year.
• Your Aadhaar is available as the primary KYC for the account.

You cannot apply if:

• You are below 18 or above 70 years of age. Cover also ceases automatically on attaining age 70, even mid-year.
• You hold only a current account or a loan account, with no eligible savings account.
• You are already enrolled under PMSBY through another bank - duplicate cover is not permitted and the second premium is forfeited.
• Your account balance is insufficient for the auto-debit on the due date.

Certain events are not eligible for a claim even when the member is properly enrolled: suicide, self-inflicted injury, death or disability while under the influence of liquor or drugs, injury arising from a criminal act, and war or allied perils. These exclusions are set out in the scheme rules published on jansuraksha.gov.in.

What documents are required for PMSBY?

How to apply for PMSBY

1. Confirm that your savings bank or post office account is active and that your age is between 18 and 70 years.
2. Get the PMSBY consent-cum-declaration form from jansuraksha.gov.in or from your bank or post office branch. Forms are available in English, Hindi and regional languages.
3. Fill in your account number, Aadhaar number, date of birth and nominee name and relationship, then sign the auto-debit mandate.
4. Submit the form at the branch and keep the acknowledgement carrying your enrolment number.
5. Alternatively enrol through net banking, the bank's mobile app, an ATM or by SMS - most participating banks list PMSBY under social security or insurance services.
6. Verify each year that Rs 20 has been debited by 31 May so that the cover renews without a gap.

How much benefit does PMSBY provide?

PMSBY pays according to a fixed benefit table:

The benefit is a fixed sum, not a reimbursement of medical costs. PMSBY does not pay hospital bills - a health scheme such as Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY covers that need. Against a payout of up to Rs 2 lakh, the annual premium is Rs 20, revised from Rs 12 with effect from 1 June 2022.

When does PMSBY cover end?

• On the member attaining age 70.
• On closure of the bank or post office account or an insufficient balance on the auto-debit date.
• Where cover exists through multiple accounts, on the duplicate account, with that premium forfeited.
• On settlement of a claim for accidental death or permanent total disability.

How to make a PMSBY claim

1. The nominee or the injured member informs the bank or post office branch where the enrolled account is held, ideally within 30 days of the accident.
2. Collect and submit the PMSBY claim form along with the FIR or panchnama and, in a death claim, the death certificate and post-mortem report.
3. For a disability claim, attach a disability certificate from a civil surgeon or the treating government hospital.
4. The branch verifies that the cover was in force on the date of the accident and forwards the claim to the insurance company, which credits the benefit to the nominee's or member's account.

Banks now upload PMSBY claims on the Jan Suraksha portal, which lets the member or nominee track the claim as it moves from the branch to the insurer. The revised claim procedure published by participating banks provides for settlement within about 30 days of the insurer receiving a complete claim. In practice, a claim with the death certificate, FIR or panchnama and, for a disability case — the civil surgeon's disability certificate attached moves fastest; a delayed or missing FIR is the single biggest cause of a stalled claim. The nominee should keep photocopies of every document submitted and note the claim reference given by the branch.

How does PMSBY renew each year?

PMSBY runs on an annual cover cycle from 1 June to 31 May, and it renews automatically as long as the Rs 20 premium is auto-debited before the due date. The member does not fill a fresh form each year. Two habits keep the cover alive: keeping enough balance in the enrolled account around late May, and keeping the account and its Aadhaar seeding active. If the auto-debit fails in any year, the cover lapses for that year and can be revived only by paying the full annual premium and, where required, submitting a fresh consent form. A member who lets the cover lapse and rejoins later is treated as a new entrant for that cover year.

Common reasons PMSBY claims are rejected

• The premium was not debited in the current cover year, so the policy had lapsed.
• The death was from illness or a natural cause, which PMSBY does not cover.
• No FIR or panchnama was filed, leaving the accident unproven.
• The claim falls under an exclusion - suicide, intoxication, self-inflicted injury, or a criminal act.
• The member was above 70 years on the date of the accident.

Help and grievance redressal

• Jan Suraksha national toll-free numbers: 1800-180-1111 and 1800-110-001
• Official portal: jansuraksha.gov.in for rules, application forms and claim forms in multiple languages
• First point of contact: the branch of the bank or post office where the enrolled account is held

Enrolling in PMSBY costs nothing beyond the Rs 20 premium. No agent fee, service charge or facilitation payment is payable at enrolment or at the claim stage.