PMSBY: ₹20 Accident Insurance, ₹2 Lakh Cover, Eligibility, Claim
Independent guide. We are not part of the Department of Financial Services, any insurer or any bank, and we never ask for your account number, Aadhaar or OTP.
PMSBY means Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. It is a Government of India accident insurance scheme for bank and post office account holders aged 18 to 70. For ₹20 a year, auto-debited from your account, your family gets ₹2 lakh if you die in an accident, and you get ₹2 lakh or ₹1 lakh for permanent disability.
- Full form
- Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana
- Type
- One-year personal accident cover, renewable every year
- Premium
- ₹20 a year per person (since 1 June 2022; earlier ₹12)
- Cover
- ₹2 lakh for accidental death or total disability; ₹1 lakh for partial disability
- Who can join
- Account holders of participating banks or the post office, aged 18 to 70
- Cover year
- 1 June to 31 May; renewal debit between 25 May and 1 June
- Offered by
- Public sector and other general insurers, through your bank or post office
- Helplines
- 1800-180-1111 / 1800-110-001 (national toll-free)
How PMSBY works
Your bank or post office holds one master policy with a general insurer for all its members. You give consent once; the premium is then auto-debited every year and your cover renews on 1 June. If an accident causes death or a listed permanent disability, the insurer pays the fixed amount straight into a bank account.
- Accident means a sudden, unforeseen and involuntary event caused by external, violent and visible means.
- Covered: road, rail and other vehicle accidents, drowning, snake bite, falls, murder, and death or disability from natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes.
- Not covered: suicide, death from illness (see PMJJBY for that), and hospital bills. There is no reimbursement of treatment costs.
- Extra cover: PMSBY is paid in addition to any other insurance you have.
Who can join
- Age 18 (completed) to 70 (age nearer birthday).
- A savings account with a participating bank or the post office. Individual accounts, single or joint, qualify; institutional accounts do not. Aadhaar is the main KYC document for the account.
- Joint accounts: every holder can join, paying ₹20 each.
- One account only. If you hold several accounts, join through one. If the insurer gets premiums through two accounts, cover stays at ₹2 lakh and the extra premium is forfeited.
- NRIs with an eligible account at a branch in India can join. Claims are paid only in rupees.
Cover amounts
The amounts are fixed. You get the full sum for a listed loss, or nothing.
| Event (due to an accident) | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Death | ₹2 lakh | Nominee (or legal heirs) |
| Total disability: total and irrecoverable loss of both eyes, or use of both hands or both feet, or sight of one eye plus use of one hand or foot | ₹2 lakh | You |
| Partial disability: total and irrecoverable loss of sight of one eye, or use of one hand or one foot | ₹1 lakh | You |
| Other injury or partial disability | Nothing | — |
Only one claim is paid per person, even if premiums were debited by more than one bank.
Premium and auto-debit dates
- ₹20 a year per member, in one instalment. That is under ₹2 a month. It was ₹12 from 2015 until it was revised from 1 June 2022.
- When it is debited: your consent lets the bank debit it after 25 May and not later than 1 June every year, until you instruct otherwise. Banks are told to do it preferably in May.
- Joining mid-year: you pay the full ₹20 (there is no reduced rate for late joiners), and cover runs from the date of the debit to 31 May.
- Keep a balance in late May. If the account is short on the due date, cover stops. It can be reinstated by paying the full annual premium, but cover is suspended in between and reinstatement is at the insurer's discretion.
- Rate changes: the premium is reviewed based on claims experience. The consent form says any revision will be intimated to you.
- For how auto-debit mandates work in general, see NACH.
How to join
- Get the form: the consent-cum-declaration form is at your branch, and on jansuraksha.gov.in in English, Hindi and regional languages.
- Online: the government's Jansuraksha portal offers end-to-end online enrolment and claims. All 12 public sector banks, 28 regional rural banks and 13 insurers were on it as of March 2026. Some banks also offer PMSBY in net banking or their app.
- Through a banking correspondent (the bank's village or street agent), or at camps run by banks.
- KYC proof: Aadhaar, voter ID, MGNREGA job card, driving licence, PAN card or passport.
- No account? Open one first; a Jan Dhan (PMJDY) account works.
How to claim
Use the PMSBY Claim-cum-Discharge Form and submit it at the branch or post office where the insured person held the account, preferably within 30 days of the accident. The bank fills in its part (enrolment and premium details) and sends it to the insurer.
Who claims: the nominee; the appointee if the nominee is a minor; the legal heirs if there is no nominee or the nominee died earlier. Money goes to the claimant's bank account.
Proof of accidental death, any one of:
- Proof of death (death certificate from the registrar, hospital discharge summary, or a doctor's certificate countersigned as the form describes) plus the FIR or panchnama plus the post-mortem report; or
- A certificate from the District Magistrate, Collector or an authorised Executive Magistrate (such as a Tehsildar) in the prescribed format; or
- For snake bite, fall from a tree and similar cases: the hospital record giving name, cause, date and time of death, instead of the above.
Also attach: the claimant's KYC document; passbook first pages, statement or cancelled cheque of the claimant's account; the nominee's death proof if the nominee died first; a succession or legal heir certificate if a legal heir claims; and the signed advance discharge receipt. Aadhaar and PAN are optional.
Who claims: you, the insured person. Money goes to your own account.
- Proof of disability: the FIR or panchnama, and a disability certificate from the Civil Surgeon, and the hospital record supporting it.
- State the type: total permanent (₹2 lakh) or partial permanent (₹1 lakh).
- Also attach: your KYC document, account proof and the signed advance discharge receipt.
- Remember: a disability not in the list (for example a broken leg that heals) gets nothing.
- Police report: road, rail and vehicle accidents, drowning and deaths involving a crime must be reported to the police. For snake bite or a fall from a tree, an immediate hospital record is needed instead.
- Missing person: only deaths confirmed by documents are covered.
- Forms: download the claim form from jansuraksha.gov.in or get it at the branch.
When cover ends
- On reaching age 70 (age nearer birthday).
- When you close the account, or there is not enough balance for the premium on the due date.
- Through duplicate accounts: only one stays covered, and duplicate premiums are forfeited.
- At the end of the cover year (31 May) if the renewal premium is not paid.
Renewal and opting out
- Renewal is automatic. Your consent covers future years "until further instructions", so the bank debits ₹20 each year.
- To stop: your consent runs "until further instructions", so give your bank or post office a written instruction to stop the PMSBY auto-debit, before the next renewal debit (which can happen from 25 May).
- Re-joining: anyone who leaves can re-join in a later year by paying the annual premium. Cover then starts from the date of the debit.
- Changing banks? Enrol through the new account and stop it on the old one, so you are not charged twice.
Problems and complaints
- Start with your branch (the master policy holder) for enrolment, debits and claims.
- Call the national toll-free numbers 1800-180-1111 or 1800-110-001, or your state's toll-free number listed on jansuraksha.gov.in.
- A bank service failure (for example ₹20 debited but no cover, or a debit after you opted out) can go to the bank and then the RBI Ombudsman.
Stay safe: the premium is only ₹20 a year and is taken by your own bank. Nobody needs your OTP, PIN or a "processing fee" to enrol you or pay a claim. Report fraud on 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.
PMSBY, PMJJBY and APY
| PMSBY | PMJJBY | APY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Accident insurance | Life insurance (death from any cause) | Guaranteed pension |
| Yearly cost | ₹20 | ₹436 | Depends on age and pension |
| Pays | ₹2 lakh death or total disability; ₹1 lakh partial | ₹2 lakh on death | ₹1,000–₹5,000 a month from 60 |
| Join at | 18–70 | 18–50 | 18–40 |
All three were launched together on 9 May 2015 as the Jan Suraksha schemes. You can hold PMSBY and PMJJBY together for ₹456 a year.
History
Launched by the Prime Minister with PMJJBY and APY, at ₹12 a year.
22 crore active members; insurers had paid ₹2,513 crore in claims against ₹1,134 crore of premium.
First premium revision: ₹12 to ₹20 a year.
Over 58.09 crore cumulative enrolments; ₹3,667.52 crore paid on 1,84,662 claims.
FAQs
What is the full form of PMSBY?
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, the Government of India's accident insurance scheme.
What is the PMSBY premium now?
₹20 a year per person, since 1 June 2022. It was ₹12 before that.
When is the PMSBY premium debited?
Once a year, after 25 May and not later than 1 June, for cover from 1 June to 31 May. If you join mid-year, ₹20 is debited when you join.
How much does PMSBY pay?
₹2 lakh for accidental death or total permanent disability, and ₹1 lakh for permanent partial disability (loss of one eye, one hand or one foot).
What is the age limit for PMSBY?
18 to 70. Cover ends at 70 (age nearer birthday).
Does PMSBY cover natural death or illness?
No. It covers only accidents. For death from any cause, see PMJJBY.
Is suicide or murder covered?
Murder is covered; suicide is not.
Does PMSBY pay hospital bills?
No. It pays only the fixed amounts for death or listed permanent disability.
Can I join PMSBY through two banks?
No. Join through one account. Cover stays at ₹2 lakh and duplicate premiums are forfeited.
How long do I have to file a claim?
The claim form asks for it preferably within 30 days of the accident.
How do I stop PMSBY?
Give your bank a written instruction to stop the auto-debit before the next renewal in late May. You can re-join later.
Official sources
- Department of Financial Services – Rules for PMSBY (w.e.f. 1 June 2022) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Department of Financial Services – FAQs on PMSBY (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Department of Financial Services – PMSBY consent-cum-declaration (enrolment) form (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Department of Financial Services – PMSBY claim-cum-discharge form and document list (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Jansuraksha portal – forms, rules and toll-free numbers (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Department of Financial Services – Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – First ever revision of PMJJBY and PMSBY premium rates w.e.f. 1 June 2022 (31 May 2022) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – Jansuraksha portal helps in enrolment and claim settlement under PMJJBY and PMSBY (10 Mar 2026) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – Jan Suraksha schemes complete 11 years (9 May 2026) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Ministry of Home Affairs – National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
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