Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme: Government frames rules, procedures

The State government has framed rules and procedures for the implementation of the Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme (TAPS), unveiled by the erstwhile Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government five months ago. It has also provided for sustenance support to eligible government servants retiring on or after January 1, 2026 in the intervening period till the notification of the TAPS rules.

The rules provide for a two-stage exit option from the TAPS framework in case they wish to exit TAPS — Stage I (Immediate Opt-Out Option) and Stage II (Post Notification Further Opt-Out Option). The exercise of Stage I will be “final and irrevocable” and upon its exercise, person concerned would “permanently forfeit any right or entitlement to claim the interim monthly payouts/family payouts under this order as well as any future assured benefits under the TAPS rules.”

The procedures would apply to government servants appointed in a regular scale of pay on or after April 1, 2003 to a civil service or post in connection with the affairs of the State, who were hitherto covered under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), who were in service as on January 1, 2026 and who ceased to be in service on account of exit due to superannuation after completing not less than 10 years of service or death-in-harness on of after January 1, 2026 (but prior to TAPS notification).

According to a Government Order (G.O.), every eligible government servant with a service of not less than 10 years and who superannuates on or after January 1, 2026 may choose to avail the monthly interim payout for sustenance after exit from government service until the notification of the TAPS rules. The rules would not apply for cases of exit from government service other than superannuation or death-in-harness.

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For persons (with service not less than 10 years and superannuates on or after January 1, 2026) willing to avail the interim payout in line with the rules, “… the interim payout for sustenance after superannuation from service shall be computed at 30% purely as an interim measure, of the monthly basic pay drawn or ₹10,000, whichever is higher, plus 60% dearness relief thereon, and the same shall be paid every month, till fixation of the regular assured monthly payout,” it said.

In the event of death of superannuated government servant on or after January 1, 2026, “the eligible family member shall be paid at 60% of the interim monthly payout payable to the superannuated government servant” till the TAPS is operationalised and a regular family payout is sanctioned. Till the TAPS rules are notified and given effect to, the deduction of monthly individual contributions and the remittance of matching government contributions for all serving government servants would continue.

“Upon notification and operationalisation of TAPS rules, the eligible monthly payouts to the government servants retired on superannuation and eligible monthly family payouts on account of death-in-harness or post retirement death shall be comprehensively assessed and fixed in accordance with TAPS rules,” the G.O. said.