Retirement is a major turning point in one’s life and it is always advisable to do some retirement planning ahead of time. Therefore, you should invest in a retirement plan well in advance to prepares you for all forthcoming responsibilities. Always plan considering your current standard of living, your assets and liabilities and the impact of inflation on them. You can check how much you would require by the time you retire with the help of our Retirement Calculator. Choose the most suitable plan for yourself that allows you to fulfil all your responsibilities and duties with ease.Plan now to enjoy a relaxed life later.

Investing in pension plans or retirement Solutions can help you in the following ways.

• They help you maintain a comfortable standard of living once you’ve retired.
• You’re eligible for tax benefits on the premiums paid.
• With a joint annuity option, you can also obtain a protective cover for your spouse.
• Depending on your post-retirement goals, you can choose from a variety of Retirement Solutions available in the financial market.

While some features may vary from one retirement plan to another, all the best pension plans have certain common characteristics.

There are different types of retirement solutions available in the financial market. What you choose ultimately depends on the kind of financial support you seek post-retirement. Some of the most commonly chosen types of retirement solutions are listed here.

• Deferred annuity plan: You can choose to pay a single lump sum premium or make periodic premium payments. Once the premium payment term is complete, you will begin to receive regular pension income.
• Immediate annuity plan: You only need to make a single premium payment, after which you immediately begin receiving pension payments regularly.
• Life annuity: Under this type of retirement plan, pension is paid out until the death of the policyholder. Thereafter, if the option had been chosen, the spouse continues to receive annuity payments.
• Pension plan with life cover: This kind of pension plan offers the dual benefit of a protective life cover along with a retirement corpus. Here, the policyholder’s nominee receives a lump sum amount in the event of the former’s death.

To choose the perfect retirement plan for yourself and your spouse, here are some factors to consider.

• Your current age
• The level of income you currently earn
• The amount of income you wish to receive post-retirement
• The maximum amount of premium you can afford to pay
• The period for which you can pay this premium

• Calculate the approximate amount of money you would require to sustain a comfortable life post-retirement. Find an appropriate plan that meets your requirements.
• Check the affordability of the premium rates and the efficiency of the claim procedures in advance.
• Do an in-depth research on all the options available before settling on a plan.

• In order to lead a comfortable life post-retirement, you need to plan and save up well in advance
• Financial self-sufficiency is a boon that will help you in your second innings.
• Retirement goals like the desire to pursue hobbies, go on a world tour, move to another city, or remodel your home can only be fulfilled if you have retirement solutions that help you meet the financial requirement of these goals.
• Nuclear family structures are common in today’s day and age. So, it is imperative to be prepared to look after yourself to ensure that there are no changes in your lifestyle.

You might need the following documents to invest in retirement solutions in India.

• Proof of age like passport, driving license, or PAN card
• Proof of address like Passport, Driving License, Aadhaar Card, Voter ID, or even a utility bill
• Proof of identity like PAN Card, Aadhaar Card, Passport, Driving License, or Voter IDM
• Proof of income like Salary Slips, Form 16, or ITR V for the previous 3 years
• Passport size photographs

PNB MetLife’s central focus is to provide customers with a wide array of plans, so they can find the perfect solution for the future. With a plethora of choices like the PNB MetLife Retirement Savings Plan, PNB MetLife Smart Platinum, and PNB MetLife Immediate Annuity Plan, among others, you can pick the one that best aligns with your post-retirement goals.

Get your PNB MetLife Retirement Plan today!

Investing in pension plans in India make you eligible for tax benefits, as specified in the Income Tax Act, 1961. Section 80CCC of this Act provides that premiums paid as part of contributions towards Retirement Solutions and pension plans can be deducted from your total taxable income. The maximum amount of deduction permissible is Rs. 1.5 lakhs. So, your tax liability also reduces correspondingly.

As for withdrawals made from the corpus fund at maturity, the tax benefits are generally limited to the portion that’s immediately paid out to the policyholder at the vesting age. In most cases, this is one-third of the corpus fund, and it’s entirely tax-free.

To help you with your retirement planning, there are different types of pension plans in India. Here’s a list of the most popular kinds of retirement solutions.

• Deferred annuity plans
• Immediate annuity plans
• Life annuity plans
• Pension plans with life cover
• Superannuation plans
• Employee benefits plans

A pension plan is, in essence, a retirement plan wherein the investor contributes to the retirement corpus through a single premium payment or periodic premium payments over the course of the accumulation phase. In the context of the workplace, a pension plan may include contributions by the employer and the employee, into a common pool of funds that’s used for the employee’s future benefits. 

Retirement corpus refers to the pool of money that your investments have grown to form over the years. This is the amount of funds required to get you through your post-retirement life. To calculate the corpus needed to maintain your quality of life after retirement, you need to follow these steps: 

• Calculate the number of years left until you intend to retire (expected retirement age minus current age).
• Identify the number of years to come after you’ve retired (life expectancy minus expected retirement age).
• Account for inflation by applying the inflation rate on your current annual expenses to arrive at your annual cost of living post-retirement.
• Multiply your annual cost of living after retirement by the number of post-retirement years, and you have your retirement corpus.

A pension plan works by allowing you to build a corpus over the course of your working life, so you can have enough financial support to fall back on when you retire. Typically, as the policyholder, you will need to pay premiums into the corpus periodically until the age at which you plan to retire. In some cases, only a single premium payment can be made. In other cases, you can pay premiums for a limited term.

Once you reach the vesting age, the service provider pays out your retirement corpus either as a lump sum payment or as periodic payments. You can even opt for a combination of these two payout options, so your post-retirement life is comfortable and hassle-free.

During your working years, it can be easy to maintain a comfortable standard of living. However, when you retire and that regular source of income ceases, it becomes increasingly difficult to retain the same quality of life. If you aren’t employed in the public sector, your employer may not pay out regular retirement benefits to help you meet the cost of living after you’ve retired.

Here’s where retirement planning can help. By investing in the right pension plan, you can make sure that your post-retirement life is smooth and comfortable.

By investing in a retirement plan, these are some of the benefits you enjoy:

• Your money grows into a sizeable corpus that takes care of your post-retirement expenses.
• You earn a steady source of income after you’ve retired.
• You can fulfil your life goals like traveling or taking up a new hobby.
• You become eligible for tax benefits under section 80C of the Income Tax Act.
• Some plans also act as a safety net for your spouse in the event of your demise.

When you’re buying pension plans in India, consider these factors to ensure that you buy the best pension plan to suit your specific requirements:

• Your age at the time of purchase
• The age at which you plan to retire
• The amount of premium you can afford
• The size of the retirement corpus you’ll need
• Any other benefits or riders offered by the plan

The eligibility criteria for pension plans vary from one scheme to another. In general, however, these are some commonly required eligibility conditions that need to be satisfied:

• There’s a minimum age you need to attain to invest in this plan.
• There’s also an upper age limit beyond which you cannot purchase a pension plan.
• A minimum premium or purchase price is payable by the investor who wants to buy a pension plan.
• Similarly, some plans also have a clause about the minimum and maximum vesting age allowed.

To purchase a pension plan, these are some of the documents you’ll need:

• PAN card
• Aadhaar card
• Voter ID
• Driving license
• Passport
• A utility bill, like electricity, gas, or telephone bills
• Any proof of income such as form 16, salary slips, or bank statements
• Passport-sized photographs of the applicant

If you choose the joint annuity option, you and your spouse shall be considered as annuitants under the pension plan. So, even in the event of the policyholder’s death, the spouse continues to receive benefits under the pension plan during the payment period. In some cases, the payments may be reduced to 50% for the surviving spouse. 

When you surrender your pension plan before maturity, the financial institution pays you a surrender value, which is generally a predetermined percentage of the premiums paid by you. This surrender value thus received is treated as income in your hands, and therefore, it’s taxable at the applicable slab rate. Additionally, you become ineligible for all the benefits originally stated in the plan.

Yes, a person can have multiple pension plans in place. For instance, it may so happen that you could have invested in a pension plan when you were 25. And at 30, you could have received a hike in your salary that puts you in a more comfortable position to invest further in your retirement. In situations like these, you can certainly go ahead and purchase another pension plan. However, you need to keep in mind that the tax benefits on your premium payments are only limited to Rs. 1.5 lakhs under section 80C. 

Investing in Retirement Solutions offers you the following advantages:

• They help you inculcate the habit of saving up for your retirement.
• Pension plans prepare you for post-retirement life.
• They allow you to fulfil your dreams and aspirations after you retire.
• You enjoy tax benefits on the premium paid during the accumulation phase.

The first step to choosing the best Retirement Plan for yourself and your spouse is to identify your post-retirement goals. Figure out how much of a monthly income you’ll need to sustain your quality of life when you’ve retired. With this done, compare the many pension plans available in the market and identify the ones where the benefits align with your goals. Thereafter, you can go ahead and choose the plan that fits into your budget and offers you the advantages you’re looking for.

It’s best to invest in Retirement Solutions as early as possible. The earlier you invest, the more premium you can pay, and correspondingly, the bigger your retirement corpus will be. Purchasing a pension plan early also allows you to pay your premiums comfortably and makes you eligible for tax benefits for a longer period. So, if you haven’t already invested in a retirement plan, now might just be the best time to do so.

When it comes to retirement and pension plans, PNB MetLife offers a plethora of choices. You can compare different solutions and pick the one that best suits your specific needs. If you’re an employer looking to take care of the pension fund of your employees, we have a traditional employee benefits plan as well as a unit-linked employee benefits plan on our roster. There is also a group superannuation plan on offer. Alternatively, for individuals seeking to build a retirement corpus, PNB MetLife offers an immediate annuity plan as well as a retirement savings plan.

In addition to the great choice of plans on offer, here’s why you should choose PNB MetLife for investing in a pension plan:

• Simple and minimal paperwork
• Option to include your spouse in the plan
• Flexibility in investing age
• Customer-centric benefits