PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi: Rs 6,000 a year for farmers (2026 guide)

So the short answer is plain. If you own cultivable land and you are not in an excluded group, you can get Rs 6,000 a year for as long as your family stays eligible. There is no premium, no repayment, and no fee to register. The two things that trip most farmers up are eKYC and Aadhaar seeding, and we will walk through both below.

One point causes a lot of confusion, so read it slowly. The benefit follows the family, not each adult. A husband and wife who farm together get one share of Rs 6,000, not two. Minor children are part of the same unit.

There is also a land-record rule worth knowing. PM-KISAN draws from the land database that each state maintains. If land was transferred to you through sale after the cut-off the scheme used when it built that database, your name may not flow through unless the land came to you by inheritance or succession. The exact treatment depends on your state's records, so if your land is recent, check how it shows in your khatauni before you apply and read the latest rule on pmkisan.gov.in.

You get Rs 2,000 three times a year, Rs 6,000 in total, sent directly to your Aadhaar-seeded bank account by Direct Benefit Transfer. The benefit continues year after year for as long as your family stays eligible and your eKYC is current.

The instalments are meant to land roughly every four months, but the actual release dates shift with each cycle. As a guide, the Prime Minister released the 20th instalment on 2 August 2025, the 21st on 19 November 2025, the 22nd on 13 March 2026, and the 23rd instalment on 20 June 2026, with about Rs 2,000 reaching each of more than 9 crore farmer families. So the latest instalment as of now is the 23rd. The next one will follow in the coming months. For the exact date of the newest release, always check the press release section on pmkisan.gov.in rather than going by social media forwards.

Picture a small farmer with two acres in a village. Before PM-KISAN, the gap between harvests was the hard part. When seed, fertiliser and diesel had to be bought before the crop came in, the money came from a local lender at heavy interest, and a slice of every harvest went to clearing that loan. A bad season meant the debt rolled over.

Now picture the same farmer on the scheme. Three times a year, Rs 2,000 arrives in the bank account on its own. It is not a fortune, and nobody pretends it replaces a full income. What it does is take the edge off the sowing season. The fertiliser bag gets paid for without a fresh loan, the lender's interest does not pile up, and the family keeps a little more of what it grows. That steady, predictable trickle is the point of the scheme.

1. Visit pmkisan.gov.in. Open the Farmers Corner and click New Farmer Registration. Choose Rural or Urban farmer.
2. Verify with Aadhaar. Enter your Aadhaar number and an OTP comes to your linked mobile. Many fields then fill in on their own from your Aadhaar record.
3. Fill in family and land details. Add your survey, khasra or khatauni number and the area of land in hectares.
4. Add your bank details. Give an account that is Aadhaar-seeded and active on the NPCI mapper, because the payment only goes to such an account.
5. Submit and note your registration number. Save the number safely. You need it to check status and to file an RTI later if anything stalls.
6. Field verification. Your state's revenue staff, the patwari or equivalent, checks your land record and family details before approval.
7. Do your eKYC. This is mandatory and it repeats every year. Without a current eKYC, your instalments freeze.

Full document checklist: Documents required for PM-KISAN registration

These three steps are where money gets stuck, so here is each one on its own.

eKYC. It is mandatory and you redo it every year. You have three ways to finish it. Use the OTP method on pmkisan.gov.in if your mobile is linked to Aadhaar. If the OTP keeps failing, do biometric eKYC at a Common Service Centre. You can also use Face Authentication in the PMKISAN GoI mobile app, which is handy when your fingerprint or OTP does not work. Whichever way you choose, the eKYC must be live before a cycle for that instalment to come.

Aadhaar seeding and NPCI mapping. Seeding means your bank account is linked to your Aadhaar and switched on in the NPCI mapper, which is the system that routes Direct Benefit Transfers. This cannot be fixed on the PM-KISAN portal. You have to go to your bank branch and submit the Aadhaar Seeding and NPCI Mapping form. If your account is not seeded, the payment bounces even when everything else is correct.

Status check. On pmkisan.gov.in, open Know Your Status, enter your registration or mobile number, and you can see whether each instalment was sent, held, or failed, and why. If it says eKYC pending or Aadhaar not seeded, you now know exactly which of the two steps above to fix.

Step-by-step apply guide: How-to-apply walkthrough · Track your application: How to check status · Check DBT link status: DBT Aadhaar seeding check

• Instalment not credited while others got it. Open Know Your Status first. It usually names the reason, most often eKYC pending or an unseeded bank account. Fix that one thing and the held amount tends to clear in the next cycle.
• eKYC pending or OTP keeps failing. Your mobile may not be linked to Aadhaar. Do biometric eKYC at a CSC, or use Face Authentication in the PMKISAN GoI app instead.
• Your name is not in the beneficiary list. Check the spelling against your Aadhaar and land record, since a small mismatch can drop your name. If everything matches and you are still missing, raise it with your village revenue officer or the block agriculture office.
• Bank account de-linked from Aadhaar. The DBT bounces. Visit your bank and submit the Aadhaar Seeding and NPCI Mapping form again.
• Name or land mismatch between Aadhaar and land record. Update one so both agree, then redo the eKYC.
• You were paid but fall in an excluded group. If you took the money while being, say, an income tax payer or a government employee, you have to return it, and your registration is cancelled. It is better to check eligibility honestly than to face recovery later.

• Official portal: pmkisan.gov.in
• Helpline: 155261 and 011-24300606
• Email: [email protected], with your registration number and Aadhaar details

When a helpline call or a portal grievance leads nowhere, a written Right to Information request often moves the file. The public authority then has to act, or tell you in writing why it has not. Most stuck cases get a clear answer within the statutory 30 days, and many move faster once the officer sees a formal application.

Keep your questions narrow and factual. A clean five-point request for a held instalment looks like this:

1. Present status of my PM-KISAN registration no. _____ dated _____ as on date.
2. Reasons my instalment for the cycle _____ was not credited, with the rule relied on.
3. Name and designation of the officer dealing with my file.
4. Copy of any noting or movement of my file in the last 30 days.
5. The likely date by which my held instalment will be disbursed.

• Draft it in minutes: AI RTI Drafter
• Know your rights first: RTI Act 2005 plain guide
• Full filing and appeal process: The RTI Playbook
• PM-KISAN-specific RTI help: RTI for a stuck PM-KISAN instalment
• More schemes for you: All farmers schemes

PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi was launched in 2019 by the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to give small and marginal farmers a steady income top-up. It is run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. You can see it alongside every other central and state welfare scheme on the All Modi-era Sarkari Yojana index 2014 to 2026.

If PM-KISAN fits your needs, a few related schemes often go with it. The PM Kisan Maandhan pension for small farmers builds an old-age pension on top of the same eligibility. The Kisan Credit Card for low-cost crop loans covers the borrowing side at far lower interest than a moneylender. For crop loss, look at PM Fasal Bima Yojana crop insurance, and to cut your input costs, the Soil Health Card for the right fertiliser dose is free. For the household, the NFSA ration card for subsidised foodgrain and the Ujjwala Yojana LPG connection help with food and fuel. Landless farm workers can look at the MGNREGA job card for 100 days of work and the e-Shram card for unorganised workers.

Checking your PM-KISAN payment status using just your mobile number is the fastest way to find out where your money is. You do not need your registration number handy, though having both helps.

Steps to check status by mobile number:

1. Step 1. Open pmkisan.gov.in on your phone or computer.
2. Step 2. In the Farmers Corner section on the right side of the homepage, click on Know Your Status.
3. Step 3. Select the search method as Mobile Number from the dropdown.
4. Step 4. Enter your Aadhaar-linked mobile number and the captcha code shown on screen.
5. Step 5. Click Get Data. You will see your registration details, the status of each instalment (credited, held, or failed), and the exact reason if a payment is stuck.

What each status means:

You can also check the status of older installments by visiting the PM Kisan status check guide or PM Kisan installment status guide.

PM-KISAN follows a four-month cycle, which means three installments are released each financial year. The dates shift slightly with each cycle because the release is tied to the Prime Minister's public event schedule and Treasury clearance.

Installment cycle and recent dates:

The 24th installment is expected around October or November 2026, based on the four-month cycle pattern. The Government of India typically announces the exact date through a PIB press release about one to two weeks before the transfer. You can monitor PIB (Press Information Bureau) for the official announcement.

Important: Do not rely on WhatsApp forwards or YouTube videos claiming a specific date. Always confirm with the official PM-KISAN portal or PIB press release. You can also read our PM Kisan installment status guide for historical release patterns.

eKYC is the single most common reason instalments get held. It must be done every year, and it must be live before the cutoff date of a cycle for that instalment to be released. Here is every method in detail.

Method 1: OTP-based eKYC (online, fastest)

1. Step 1. Go to pmkisan.gov.in and open Farmers Corner then click eKYC.
2. Step 2. Enter your Aadhaar number and the captcha. Click Search.
3. Step 3. If your Aadhaar has your mobile number linked, an OTP is sent to that number.
4. Step 4. Enter the OTP within 10 minutes. If the OTP is accepted, your eKYC is done instantly.
5. Step 5. You will see a confirmation message. Save or screenshot it for your records.

Method 2: Biometric eKYC (at a CSC or bank)

1. If your mobile is not linked to Aadhaar, the OTP method will not work.
2. Visit the nearest Common Service Centre (CSC) or a bank branch with biometric eKYC facility.
3. The operator will scan your fingerprint or iris against the Aadhaar database.
4. This completes the eKYC within minutes. You may need to pay a small CSC service fee.

Method 3: Face Authentication via the PMKISAN GoI mobile app

1. Download the PM-KISAN GoI app from Google Play Store.
2. Open the app, tap eKYC, and choose Face Authentication.
3. Look into the camera. The app matches your face against your Aadhaar photo.
4. This is the best option if your fingerprints are worn (common among farmers and elderly beneficiaries).

Common eKYC errors and fixes:

For Aadhaar-related issues that block eKYC, see Aadhaar biometric locked guide or Aadhaar face authentication guide.

If your instalment has not arrived and others in your village have been paid, follow this step-by-step diagnostic. Most cases are resolved by fixing one specific issue.

Step 1: Check your status on the portal

Go to pmkisan.gov.in, open Know Your Status, and enter your mobile or registration number. The portal will tell you the exact reason for the hold. This single step solves 80% of cases because it tells you exactly what to fix.

Step 2: Verify the reason and apply the fix

Step 3: If the portal shows no clear reason or nothing moves

If you have fixed the issue shown and still nothing happens after one full cycle, escalate:

1. Call the helpline: 155261 or 011-24300606 with your registration number ready.
2. Email: [email protected] with your registration number, Aadhaar last 4 digits, and a screenshot of the status.
3. Visit your District Agriculture Office or the Kisan Call Centre (1800-180-1551).
4. File an RTI using the template in the section above. Most stuck cases move within 30 days of a formal RTI application.

For more help, see RTI for PM-KISAN installment delay and our farmer schemes overview.

The PM-KISAN beneficiary list is public. You can check whether your name appears in the approved list for your state, district, block and village. This is useful before a new installment drops, because if your name is missing, your payment will not come even if everything else is correct.

How to check the beneficiary list:

1. Step 1. Go to pmkisan.gov.in and scroll to the Farmers Corner.
2. Step 2. Click on Beneficiary List.
3. Step 3. Select your State, District, Sub-District (Block/Tehsil), and Village from the dropdowns.
4. Step 4. Click Get Report. You will see a list of all approved beneficiaries in that village, with their names, registration numbers and payment status for each cycle.

What to do if your name is missing:

1. Check the spelling of your name against your Aadhaar and land record.
2. Contact your village revenue officer (patwari/lekhpal) or block agriculture office.
3. If you applied recently, your name may appear after the next verification cycle.
4. If you believe you are wrongly excluded, file a grievance on the portal, and if that does not work, file an RTI. See RTI for PM-KISAN for the template.

When the portal, helpline and grievance system all fail to move your file, a formal Right to Information application under Section 6 of the RTI Act 2005 is the most effective tool you have. Here is the full process.

Where to file:

The Public Information Officer (PIO) for PM-KISAN matters sits within the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare or the state's Department of Agriculture, depending on whether the delay is at the central level (payment not released) or state level (verification not done).

1. For central payment issues, file with: Joint Secretary & CPIO, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi.
2. For state verification issues, file with your State Agriculture Department's PIO.

What to include in your RTI application:

1. Your full name and address.
2. Your PM-KISAN registration number and date of registration.
3. Your Aadhaar number (last 4 digits only for privacy in the body, full number if asked).
4. The specific installment cycle that is stuck.
5. A fee of Rs 10 via court stamp, IPO, or online payment (not required for BPL cardholders).

Sample RTI questions for PM-KISAN:

To: The Central Public Information Officer
Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi

Subject: Information under RTI Act 2005 regarding PM-KISAN instalment

1. Present status of my PM-KISAN registration no. _____ registered on _____.
2. Reasons for non-credit of my instalment for the cycle of _____, with the relevant rule.
3. Name and designation of the officer handling my file.
4. Daily movement of my file in the last 30 days.
5. Expected date of disbursement of the held instalment.
6. Whether my Aadhaar-Bank NPCI mapping is confirmed as active in the system.

Application fee of Rs 10 is enclosed.

Timeline: The PIO must respond within 30 days (48 hours if the matter concerns life or liberty). If no response comes, you can file a First Appeal within 30 days. If the First Appellate Authority also does not respond within 30 days, you can approach the Central Information Commission (CIC).

Draft your RTI instantly: Use the AI RTI Drafter or read the RTI Act 2005 plain guide and RTI Playbook for the complete filing and appeal process.

Also see RTI for a stuck PM-KISAN instalment and RTI for Fasal Bima claim for related templates.

PM-KISAN is one of several central and state schemes that serve farmers. They are not mutually exclusive. You can stack PM-KISAN with pensions, crop loans, insurance and input subsidies. Here is a comparison to help you decide which ones apply to your situation.

The recommended stack for a small farmer: PM-KISAN (income support) + PM Kisan Maandhan (pension) + Kisan Credit Card (credit access) + PM Fasal Bima Yojana (crop risk cover) + Soil Health Card (input cost savings). Together, these cover income, old-age security, credit, insurance and productivity.

Explore each scheme: PM Kisan Maandhan · Kisan Credit Card · PM Fasal Bima Yojana · Soil Health Card

Your land record is the backbone of your PM-KISAN registration. Unlike Aadhaar-linked schemes that rely only on identity, PM-KISAN requires proof that you hold cultivable land. Here is what you need to know.

What land records are accepted:

How land verification works:

1. When you apply, the state's revenue department cross-checks your submitted land record entry against the state land records database.
2. The Patwari, Lekhpal, Talati or Village Revenue Officer verifies that the land is in your name, that it is cultivable, and that it matches your family declaration.
3. In states linked to the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP), this check can be automated. In other states, it is manual and takes longer.
4. If your land entry is outdated, missing, or in another person's name, your verification fails and your application is held or rejected.

Common land record problems and fixes:

1. Land recently inherited or transferred: Make sure the mutation (entry of your name in the land record after a transfer) is complete. Without mutation, the record still shows the previous owner.
2. Land jointly held: All co-owners in the same family count as one family unit for PM-KISAN. If co-owners are in different families, each eligible family can apply separately for their share.
3. Land record has errors: Get corrections done at your revenue office before applying. A mismatch between your land record name and your Aadhaar name is the most common cause of rejection.
4. Tenant or sharecropper: PM-KISAN only covers landholding farmers. If you cultivate someone else's land, you are not eligible under PM-KISAN, but you may qualify for a Kisan Credit Card as a tenant farmer.

For more on land records and digital identity, see Bhu-Aadhaar ULPIN land parcel ID guide.

The following table shows the approximate number of PM-KISAN beneficiary families in the top 10 states by coverage. These figures are based on publicly available PM-KISAN dashboard data and PIB releases as of mid-2026.

Key observations:

1. Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for nearly 1 in 6 PM-KISAN beneficiaries nationwide.
2. The top 5 states together cover more than half of all beneficiary families.
3. States with higher land-fragmentation (smaller average landholding per family) tend to have more beneficiaries because the scheme targets small and marginal farmers.
4. Beneficiary counts fluctuate as states periodically clean their rolls of ineligible names through eKYC and Aadhaar seeding drives.

For the most current state-wise data, visit the PM-KISAN dashboard at pmkisan.gov.in or see PIB releases at pib.gov.in. For state-level farmer scheme comparisons, see Kisan Kalyan Yojana status and Annadata Sukhibhava status.

Rs 2,000 at a time, three times a year, so Rs 6,000 a year in total. The instalments come roughly every four months, but the exact dates shift each cycle, so check pmkisan.gov.in for the latest release.

The 23rd instalment was released on 20 June 2026. The next one, the 24th, follows around October or November 2026. Always confirm the newest date on the official portal or PIB.

No. The benefit is one share per family. Husband, wife and minor children count as a single unit, so the family gets Rs 6,000, not Rs 12,000.

Do your eKYC right away through the portal, a CSC, or Face Authentication on the app. Once it is current, a held instalment is usually credited in the next cycle.

Check the spelling against your Aadhaar and land record first, since a small mismatch can drop your name. If everything matches, raise it with your village revenue officer or block agriculture office, and you can file an RTI if there is no clear answer.

No. Registration, eKYC and status checks are free on pmkisan.gov.in. If anyone asks you to pay to get you onto PM-KISAN, that is a scam.

Open Know Your Status to find the exact reason. If it stays stuck with no clear answer, file an RTI with your registration number using the template above.

You can update your bank account details through a CSC or by contacting your District Agriculture Office, but the new account must be Aadhaar-seeded and NPCI-mapped. Your mobile number is tied to your Aadhaar, so updating it requires a visit to an Aadhaar enrolment centre. See Aadhaar update status guide.

If your circumstances change and you fall into an excluded category (for example, you start paying income tax or take up a government job), you must inform the authorities and return the money received after the change. Failing to do so can result in recovery proceedings with penalty.

No. PM-KISAN instalments are classified as a welfare benefit and are not taxable under the Income Tax Act. You do not need to declare them in your ITR.

No. PM-KISAN is only for Indian citizen landholding farmer families. NRIs and OCIs are not eligible. If you hold agricultural land in India but are an NRI, you cannot receive PM-KISAN benefits.

From registration to the first instalment, it typically takes 2 to 4 months, depending on how quickly your state completes field verification and how soon you complete eKYC and Aadhaar seeding. Delays beyond this are usually due to land record mismatches or pending verification.

You can call the helpline at 155261 or 011-24300606 with your registration number. You can also visit your nearest CSC or Common Service Centre, where the operator can check the status for you on the portal.

• PM Kisan Maandhan pension for farmers
• Kisan Credit Card for crop loans
• PM Fasal Bima Yojana crop insurance
• Soil Health Card
• PM Shram Yogi Maandhan pension
• Atal Pension Yojana for old-age income
• PM Awas Yojana Gramin for rural housing
• All Modi-era Sarkari Yojanas 2014 to 2026

• Official PM-KISAN portal: pmkisan.gov.in — eligibility, eKYC, beneficiary list, status check and installment data
• Press Information Bureau: pib.gov.in — press releases for 20th through 23rd installment announcements
• Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare: agricoop.gov.in — scheme operational guidelines and notifications
• PM-KISAN operational guidelines, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, agricoop.gov.in
• PIB release on 23rd instalment (20 June 2026), approximately Rs 2,000 to 9+ crore farmer families: pib.gov.in
• 20th instalment released 2 August 2025, news coverage on newsonair.gov.in
• eKYC and Aadhaar seeding rules, pmkisan.gov.in Farmers Corner
• Helpline 155261 and 011-24300606, pmkisan.gov.in contact page
• All India Survey on Agriculture (AISA) report for state-wise landholding distribution, agricoop.gov.in
• PM-KISAN dashboard beneficiary statistics, pmkisan.gov.in

Last reviewed: 30 June 2026. Next review due: October 2026 (after 24th installment).