Call NowTop Performing NPS Schemes 2026
The National Pension Scheme (NPS) is one of India’s most accepted pension-oriented products. Investing in NPS will give you an edge over fixed-income schemes and allow you to avail tax benefits up to Rs.1.5 lakh under Section 80C and an additional ₹50,000 under Section 80CCD(1B) for old tax regime fillers under the Income Tax Act, 1961.
NPS allows investors to choose the allocation of investments. While the active choice allows investors to determine the plan and investment percentage, the auto choice allocates the investments based on the investor’s age and risk profile.
National Pension Fund Managers in India
There are 11 NPS pension fund managers in the country that are operating pension funds.
- SBI Pension Funds Pvt. Ltd.
- LIC Pension Fund Ltd.
- UTI Retirement Solutions Ltd.
- HDFC Pension Management Co. Ltd.
- ICICI Prudential Pension Fund Management Co. Ltd.
- Kotak Mahindra Pension Fund Ltd.
- Aditya Birla Sunlife Pension Management Ltd.
- Tata Pension Management Pvt. Ltd.
- Max Life Pension Fund Management Ltd.
- Axis Pension Fund Management Ltd.
- DSP Pension Fund Managers Pvt. Ltd.
SBI Pension Fund, LIC Pension Fund, and UTI Retirement Solutions are the only fund managers who manage pension contributions of government employees under NPS.
Top Performing NPS Fund Managers – Central Government Scheme
| Particulars | LICPF (Rs.) | SBIPF (Rs.) | UTIPF (Rs.) |
| NAV as on 27July 2026 | 49.4219 | 50.5855 | 49.2968 |
| Returns | (%) | (%) | (%) |
| 1 year | 2.75 | 2.69 | 2.86 |
| 3 years | 7.52 | 7.39 | 7.64 |
| 5 years | 7.20 | 7.12 | 7.18 |
| 7 years | 7.88 | 7.80 | 7.93 |
| 10 years | 8.18 | 8.14 | 8.23 |
| Since Inception | 9.11 | 9.25 | 9.10 |
Best Performing NPS Fund Managers – State Government Schemes
| Particulars | SBIPF (Rs.) | LICPF (Rs.) | UTIPF (Rs.) |
| NAV as on 27 July 2026 | 42.4846 | 43.3322 | 48.4415 |
| Returns | (%) | (%) | (%) |
| 1 year | 5.91 | 6.31 | 6.39 |
| 3 years | 8.74 | 9.08 | 9.1 |
| 5 years | 7.18 | 7.52 | 7.48 |
| 7 years | 8.7 | 8.86 | 8.87 |
| 10 years | 8.86 | 8.94 | 9.01 |
| Since Inception | 9.1 | 9.23 | 9.24 |
Best Performing NPS Tier-I Returns 2026 – Scheme E (as of 27 July 2026)
| Pension Fund | NAV (Rs.) | 1 Year (%) | 3 Years (%) | 5 Years (%) | 7 Years (%) | 10 Years (%) | Since Inception (%) |
| Aditya Birla | 29.2148 | 10.54 | 15.74 | 14.87 | 14.66 | - | 13.06 |
| Axis | 14.7008 | 7.77 | 14.64 | - | - | - | 12.47 |
| DSP | 12.8869 | 5.95 | - | - | - | - | 12.85 |
| HDFC | 55.2747 | 11.32 | 16.17 | 15.58 | 15.32 | 14.83 | 14.65 |
| ICICI | 75.1936 | 11.54 | 17.63 | 16.40 | 15.51 | 14.59 | 12.83 |
| Kotak | 69.7553 | 11.45 | 17.11 | 16.53 | 15.64 | 14.64 | 12.32 |
| LIC | 46.2974 | 10.72 | 15.49 | 15.82 | 14.61 | 13.64 | 13.01 |
| SBI | 56.7858 | 9.04 | 13.60 | 13.63 | 13.31 | 13.21 | 10.94 |
| Tata | 16.4235 | 13.84 | 17.89 | - | - | - | 15.46 |
| UTI | 73.0625 | 9.23 | 16.80 | 15.94 | 14.90 | 14.45 | 12.64 |
| Benchmark | 30048.5514 | 9.95 | 16.31 | 15.73 | 15.30 | 14.63 | - |
Best Performing NPS Tier-I Returns 2026 – Scheme G (as of 27 July 2026)
| Pension Fund | NAV (Rs.) | 1 Year (%) | 3 Years (%) | 5 Years (%) | 7 Years (%) | 10 Years (%) | Since Inception (%) |
| Aditya Birla | 19.0754 | 4.34 | 7.92 | 5.97 | 7.96 | - | 7.67 |
| Axis | 12.6083 | 3.70 | 7.38 | - | - | - | 7.32 |
| DSP | 11.6335 | 3.47 | - | - | - | - | 7.48 |
| HDFC | 28.0995 | 3.15 | 7.42 | 5.54 | 7.75 | 8.19 | 8.61 |
| ICICI | 37.7273 | 3.73 | 7.62 | 5.65 | 7.70 | 8.15 | 8.27 |
| Kotak | 37.3028 | 2.84 | 7.29 | 5.51 | 7.61 | 8.18 | 8.19 |
| LIC | 30.6749 | 4.20 | 7.84 | 5.84 | 8.10 | 8.82 | 9.36 |
| SBI | 41.0434 | 4.22 | 7.89 | 5.77 | 7.81 | 8.30 | 8.81 |
| Tata | 12.7233 | 3.43 | 7.48 | - | - | - | 7.23 |
| UTI | 36.6651 | 4.05 | 7.83 | 5.72 | 7.77 | 7.99 | 8.09 |
| Benchmark | 396.5187 | 4.58 | 8.12 | 5.76 | 7.67 | 7.79 | - |
Best Performing NPS Tier-I Returns 2026 – Scheme C (as of 27 July 2026)
| Pension Fund | NAV (Rs.) | 1 Year (%) | 3 Years (%) | 5 Years (%) | 7 Years (%) | 10 Years (%) | Since Inception (%) |
| Aditya Birla | 19.9496 | 6.87 | 8.05 | 6.57 | 8.25 | - | 8.23 |
| Axis | 12.7956 | 7.15 | 8.08 | - | - | - | 7.81 |
| DSP | 11.781 | 7.39 | - | - | - | - | 8.12 |
| HDFC | 29.893 | 7.62 | 8.35 | 6.90 | 8.55 | 8.48 | 9.15 |
| ICICI | 44.9362 | 7.30 | 8.17 | 6.65 | 8.15 | 8.29 | 9.41 |
| Kotak | 43.1383 | 7.47 | 8.13 | 6.54 | 7.73 | 7.89 | 9.13 |
| LIC | 28.8773 | 6.93 | 7.83 | 6.35 | 8.12 | 8.05 | 8.83 |
| SBI | 45.1386 | 7.34 | 8.16 | 6.61 | 8.20 | 8.26 | 9.43 |
| Tata | 12.8038 | 7.14 | 8.06 | - | - | - | 7.42 |
| UTI | 39.882 | 7.25 | 8.15 | 6.44 | 7.93 | 7.98 | 8.63 |
| Benchmark | 462.4203 | 6.80 | 7.69 | 6.44 | 8.44 | 8.36 | - |
Best Performing NPS Returns 2026 – Scheme APY (as of 27 July 2026)
| Pension Fund | NAV (Rs.) | 1 Year (%) | 3 Years (%) | 5 Years (%) | 7 Years (%) | 10 Years (%) | Since Inception (%) |
| LIC | 24.8425 | 6.18 | 9.08 | 7.54 | 9.05 | 9.07 | 8.91 |
| SBI | 24.0965 | 5.94 | 8.77 | 7.21 | 8.82 | 9.04 | 8.60 |
| UTI | 24.7615 | 6.31 | 9.10 | 7.38 | 8.89 | 9.05 | 8.87 |
| Benchmark | 464.6647 | 6.09 | 9.14 | 7.47 | 9.09 | 8.96 | - |
NPS Pension Calculator
NPS investors can use the NPS Calculator to easily estimate monthly pension and tax benefits. Simply enter the key details of your NPS scheme, and the tool will calculate your expected lump sum amount and provisional pension upon maturity or retirement based on your monthly contributions.
Conclusion
While many invest in NPS to save on taxes, it’s important to understand the full scope of the program, especially since contributions are mandatory for central and state government employees. Before you start investing, ensure you’re aware of the withdrawal rules and any mandatory clauses involved to make the most of your NPS benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
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