Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021 are available for download in PDF format on the official Pensioners' Portal at pensionersportal.gov.in. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions notified these rules through G.S.R. 868(E) dated 20 December 2021, and they now form the main set of rules for central government employees covered under Old Pension Scheme.
CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 are the revamped version of the earlier notified CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972. The complete rules are available in English and Hindi, and a full book edition with all the official forms can be downloaded from pensionersportal.gov.in.
These rules cover every main part of pension for old pension system employees, including qualifying service, emoluments, superannuation and retiring pension, retirement and death gratuity, family pension, invalid pension, commutation of pension and the full process of payment. As of 2026, these rules are fully in force for OPS covered central government employees.
Employees who joined service after 31st December 2003 and come under National Pension System are covered by Central Civil Services (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021. Still, in some special cases, benefits like Invalid Pension under Rule 39 and Family Pension under Rule 50 can be given to such NPS covered employees when they have exercised an option to get benefit under these rules.
Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021
CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 were framed by the central government so that all pension related rules for civil servants would be available in one clear set. The official book divides the rules into chapters starting from preliminary matters and general conditions to qualifying service, emoluments, classes of pension, premature and voluntary retirement, regulation of pension and gratuity, family pension, authorization of pension amounts and payment of pension along with the required forms.
Main details of CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 are given in the table below.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Rules Name | Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021 |
| Notified By | Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions |
| Notification | G.S.R. 868(E) dated 20 December 2021 |
| Amendment | G.S.R. 770(E) dated 7 October 2022 |
| Applies To | Central government employees covered under Old Pension Scheme |
| Replaces | Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 |
| Official Website | pensionersportal.gov.in |
Who Shall Be Covered Under CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021
These rules apply to specific groups of government servants in connection with the affairs of the Union. The main categories are listed below.
- A Government servant who was put on induction training on or before 31st December 2003 followed by appointment on regular basis after 31st December 2003. Completion of the induction training must be an essential condition for regular appointment, the Government servant should be eligible for salary or stipend during training and training period should count as qualifying service as per CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.
- A Government servant initially appointed on or before 31st December 2003 in an establish, establishment or department of the Central Government whose employees were covered by a pension scheme other than CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, or in a State Government or autonomous body under the Central or State Government having a non-contributory pension scheme similar to CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, and who was subsequently appointed after 31st December 2003 in a Central Government establishment to which these rules apply, subject to the condition that the said Government servant fulfills all other conditions for counting such service as per these rules or any general or special order issued in this regard.
- A Government servant appointed after 31st December 2003 to a civil service or post in connection with the affairs of the Union, if the conditions for coverage under these rules are satisfied in accordance with any special or general order issued by the Government.
- Persons who were regularly appointed in Government service after 31st December 2003 but got temporary status on or before 31st December 2003 under the Casual Labourers (Grant of Temporary Status and Regularisation) Scheme of Government of India 1993, and this temporary status was followed without interruption by regular appointment in Government service, subject to the provisions of Rule 15.
- Cases where, in the event of death or discharge on the ground of invalidation, a Government servant appointed after 31st December 2003 and covered by the Central Civil Services (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules 2021 gets Invalid Pension under Rule 39 and Family Pension under Rule 50 if the employee had exercised the option under Rule 10 of the NPS rules or the default option is for benefit under these rules or the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.
- Government servants appointed in temporary capacity on or before 31st December 2003 who retired or were retired before being appointed in a substantive capacity, to the extent provided in the Central Civil Services (Temporary Service) Rules, 1965.
CCS Pension Rules 2021 PDF Download
Official copies of the rules are available on the Pensioners' Portal. The notification, the complete book and the Hindi edition can be downloaded from the links below.
- CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 English Notification PDF
- CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 Book in English
- CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 Hindi Notification PDF
- Pension Rules page on Pensioners' Portal
Amendment in CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021
An amendment to the central civil services pension rules was issued through G.S.R. 770(E) dated 7 October 2022. It covers Rule 8, Rule 20, Rule 46, Rule 50 and Rule 76 related to pension withdrawal, counting of military service, nominations, family and pension and payment matters. Always check the latest version of the rules before going any pension related claim.
Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) and CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021
Central government introduced Unified Pension Scheme for employees covered under NPS, and it started from 1 April 2025. UPS is implemented through the Central Civil Services (Implementation of UPS under NPS) Rules, 2025 notified on 2 September 2025. Under UPS, employees under NPS get an assured pension option when they retire.
CCS (Implementation of UPS under NPS) Rules, 2025 Notification PDF and CCS (Implementation of UPS under NPS) Rules, 2025 Book are available on the same portal. Existing OPS covered central government employees continue under CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021.
FAQ's
Where can I download CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 PDF?
Go to pensionersportal.gov.in and open the Pension Rules section. The English and Hindi notifications and the full book are available for download on the same page.
Do CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 apply to NPS employees?
No. NPS employees are covered under CCS (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021. CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 mainly apply to employees covered under the Old Pension Scheme, with some exceptions for invalid pension and family pension benefits.
Can I still use the old CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972?
The 2021 rules replaced the 1972 rules. The 1972 version is kept in the archive section of the pensioners portal only for reference, while new claims are processed under the 2021 rules.
Does UPS change the applicability of CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021?
No. UPS is a separate and optional assured pension for NPS covered employees with the CCS (Implementation of UPS under NPS) Rules, 2025. Existing OPS covered employees and their pension claims remain under CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021.
Appreciable and done. But I am unable to down load the PDF file