National Pension Scheme (NPS) and Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) are both meant to invest money for long-term. While there are some similarities between these two options, there are more differences.
NPS is meant for those individuals who want to get a pension after their retirement. Meanwhile, the main objective of a SIP investment is to create wealth over the long term. That wealth can be used to safeguard your retirement life, buy a house, or pay for your children’s education.
While making investments in NPS and SIP, you should be aware of tax rules, withdrawal norms, and several other factors. Read this blog, as it takes a deep dive into this topic of SIP vs. NPS.
What is the National Pension Scheme (NPS)?
The National Pension Scheme (NPS) was launched by the Central Government to help individuals create a fund for their retirement, which can help them get a pension after their superannuation.
NPS is administered and regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). NPS is a market-linked scheme. In other words, the value of a subscriber’s investments vary based on the changes in the market.
When a subscriber starts contributing to his NPS account, he can decide how much he would like to invest in equities, corporate bonds, government bonds, and alternative investment funds.
A subscriber should make this decision based on his risk-taking ability and investment objective. This is how NPS works broadly. Before a subscriber turns 60 (when he is employed and earning money), he makes a regular contribution to his NPS account.
After he retires, he can withdraw a portion of his NPS corpus as a lump sum amount and he can buy an annuity from the remaining amount. The annuity helps him get a pension for the rest of his life so that he can meet his financial obligations.
What is a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP)?
Systematic investment plans (SIP) have emerged as a popular way of making investments by retail investors in India and abroad. An SIP allows you to invest a fixed amount in a mutual fund at regular intervals, like once in a month, once in 3 months, once in a week, etc.
As you invest regularly, it makes you disciplined about your investments. Since you invest a fixed amount at regular intervals, your investment decision is not a function of market levels.
You invest the same amount whether the market is up or down. Over a long period, an SIP helps you average the cost at which you acquire a fund’s units. Moreover, you can start an SIP with only ₹ 500 a month. Hence, most middle-income and low-middle-income investors can start an SIP easily.
Because an SIP invests in a mutual fund, you have to rely on the judgment of a fund manager. Hence, you should select a fund with a responsible fund manager, who has a track record of consistently delivering returns.
NPS vs. SIP - Explore Key Differences
The following table captures the most important differences between NPS and SIP:
Criteria
| NPS
| SIP
|
Objective
| The primary objective of NPS is to create a fund for post-retirement life.
| An SIP’s objective depends upon the objective of an investor. If he wants to create a retirement corpus, an SIP can let him do so. If he wants to invest for his children’s education, he can do that. Overall, SIPs are meant for long-term wealth creation.
|
Lock-in Period
| If you want to invest in NPS, you have to mandatorily open a Tier I NPS account. Until you retire, you cannot make withdrawals from your Tier 1 account except for certain specific reasons. Meanwhile, NPS provides you an option to open a Tier 2 account from which you can make withdrawals anytime.
| SIPs do not have a lock-in period, with the exception of Equity Linked Savings Schemes (ELSS), which have a lock-in period of 3 years.
|
Assets invested in
| NPS invests in assets like equities, government bonds, corporate bonds, and alternative investment funds.
| SIPs are made in mutual funds, which invest in equities, debt, or a combination of equities and debt.
|
Returns
| In the case of NPS, your returns depend upon how the assets have performed in which the investments are made.
| In the case of SIP, your returns depend upon how the mutual fund has performed in which you have made an SIP.
|
Having got a grasp over SIP vs. NPS, let us move further on this topic.
SIP vs. NPS: Which one is good to go for Better Investment?
Whether NPS is better than SIP or the other way around depends upon your investment objective. Let us take the case of a government employee who is going to get a pension after he retires. Since he will get a pension, it perhaps does not make sense for him to invest in NPS because the scheme’s main objective is to provide you with a pension.
But, if you are employed in the private sector, which does not offer a pension after retirement, you can consider investing in NPS, especially if you are comfortable with a long lock-in period. Moreover, NPS also offers certain tax benefits on partial and lumpsum withdrawals from a Tier I account. So, you need to factor in these benefits to decide whether you want to invest in NPS or not.
On the other hand, if your objective is long-term wealth creation and you have a reasonable capacity to take risks, you can consider SIPs. With SIPs, you will have the flexibility to withdraw funds whenever you need. However, you will have to select an appropriate mutual fund to make an SIP. While making SIP investments, you should consider the tax obligations on such investments, which are explained below.
Tax Implications of NPS and SIP
While making investments in NPS or SIP, you need to keep the following points in mind:
ELSS tax deduction: You can claim a tax deduction of up to ₹ 1.5 lakh for making an SIP in ELSS. However, keep in mind that an investment in ELSS has a lock-in period of 3 years.
Tax deduction on NPS: You can claim a tax deduction of up to ₹ 1.5 lakh for your NPS contributions under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act. Besides, under sub-Section 80CCD (1B), you can claim another tax deduction of up to ₹ 50,000 for making NPS contributions.
Dividends from SIPs: Dividends earned from making SIP investments in mutual funds are exempt from tax.
Capital gains from SIPs: The taxation on capital gains from SIPs depends upon whether they are long-term capital gains (LTCG) or short-term capital gains (STCG). In the case of an equity fund, if you sell an investment after holding it for more than 1 year, the gains are classified as LTCG. However, if you hold the investment for a year or less, the gains are classified as STCG. In the case of a debt fund, an ELSS fund, or a debt-oriented hybrid fund, your gains are classified as LTCG if you hold your investment for more than 3 years. However, if you hold your investment for 3 years or less, your gains are classified as STCG. For details on the applicable tax rates, please consider the following table:
Type of a fund
| LTCG
| STCG
|
Equity Funds
| 10% on the amount more than ₹ 1 lakh
| 15%
|
Debt Funds
| 20%
| Taxed based on the income tax slab rate of a person
|
ELSS Funds
| 10% on the amount more than ₹ 1 lakh
| 15%
|
Final Takeaway
If you are thinking of making an investment in NPS or SIP, you should keep in mind one important thing. The sooner you make such investments, the better. If you invest in such options in your 20s, you can make a significant corpus due to the power of compounding by the time you turn 60. Apart from that, you should be thoroughly aware of the features of a scheme before investing in it.