Old-age pension status by state: IGNOAPS / NSAP — citizen guide 2026

Pension not credited for three months? You can check your old-age (IGNOAPS) status on the central NSAP portal in two minutes using your application number or bank account number, then chase the exact reason it stopped. This guide shows the state-wise way to do it and the RTI that forces an answer.

IGNOAPS is the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), run by the Ministry of Rural Development. It pays a monthly pension to a person aged 60 or above who belongs to a Below Poverty Line family. States add their own top-up on the central share.

NSAP is a centrally sponsored scheme launched on 15 August 1995 and administered by the Ministry of Rural Development (NSAP portal: nsap.nic.in). IGNOAPS is one of its five schemes, alongside the widow pension (IGNWPS), disability pension (IGNDPS), National Family Benefit Scheme and Annapurna.

Central pension amount. The central share is ₹200 per month for a beneficiary aged 60 to 79 years, and ₹500 per month from 80 years onwards. This is the Government of India contribution only.

State top-up varies. States and Union Territories add their own amount on top of the central share, so the pension you actually receive differs by state (commonly higher than the central figure). Do not assume a fixed all-India amount. Check your own state social-welfare portal for the current state rate.

Eligibility. The applicant must be 60 years or above and belong to a Below Poverty Line (BPL) family as per the criteria of the Government of India.

Who runs it in your state. NSAP is mostly implemented by the Social Welfare Department in the states, but by the Rural Development Department in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Meghalaya and West Bengal, the Women and Child Development Department in Odisha and Puducherry, the Revenue Department in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and the Labour, Employment and Training Department in Jharkhand. This matters: your RTI and your status query go to the department that actually runs the scheme in your state.

RTI angle. If your application or payment is stuck and the office will not explain why, the Right to Information Act, 2005 is your lever. Under §6(1) you can ask the Public Information Officer of the social-welfare or rural-development department for your file status and the reason for non-payment. Under §7(1) the PIO must reply within 30 days. Silence is treated as a deemed refusal, which you can carry to first appeal.

Central NSAP portal (payment / pension credited):

1. Open the NSAP portal at nsap.nic.in.
2. Go to “Pension payment detail of Beneficiary” (the pension-payment / ledger search).
3. Enter your Application Number or Bank Account Number and submit.
4. Read the disbursement history: it shows months paid, amount and pending entries.

State portal (application stage / sanction / arrears):

1. Search for your state social-welfare or rural-development department pension portal (for example, the e-district or pension portal of your state).
2. Find the application status or beneficiary search option.
3. Enter your application or registration number, or Aadhaar where asked.
4. Note the stage shown: pending at block, sanctioned, rejected or payment failed.

If you cannot find a state portal or the status is unclear, go to the next step and file an RTI. Do not rely on a private “status check” website that asks for money; the NSAP portal and your state portal are free.

• Pension application number or registration / sanction number
• Bank account number (and IFSC) linked to the pension
• Aadhaar number (often used for beneficiary search and DBT seeding)
• Age proof (birth certificate, voter ID, Aadhaar or BPL card showing date of birth)
• BPL card / ration card showing the family is below poverty line
• Your mobile number registered with the application, if any

To,
The Public Information Officer (PIO),
Office of the District Social Welfare Officer / Rural Development Department,
[District name], [State]

Subject: Information under the RTI Act, 2005 regarding my old-age (IGNOAPS / NSAP) pension status

Sir/Madam,

Under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, I request the
following information regarding my old-age pension:

Name: ____________________
Pension application / sanction number: ____________________
Bank account number (linked): ____________________

1. The current status of my IGNOAPS / old-age pension application
   and the date it was sanctioned, if sanctioned.
2. The months for which pension has been disbursed to me in the
   period [from month/year] to [to month/year], with amount per month.
3. If any pension instalment was not credited, the specific reason
   for non-payment and the official responsible.
4. The action and timeline by which the pending / failed pension
   will be released to me.

Please provide this within 30 days as required under Section 7(1).
I am [BPL / senior citizen]; if any fee applies, please inform me.
If this office is not the right one, please transfer this application
under Section 6(3) to the correct PIO and inform me.

If I receive no reply within the statutory period, I will file a
first appeal under Section 19(1).

I enclose the application fee of Rs 10 (waived if BPL).

Signature: ____________________
Full name and address: ____________________
Date: ____________________

Open nsap.nic.in, use the “Pension payment detail of Beneficiary” search, and enter your application number or bank account number. For the application stage, use your state social-welfare or rural-development pension portal.

The most common reasons are a pending annual life certificate, Aadhaar or bank KYC mismatch, a failed or dormant bank account, or a removal from the BPL list. Get the exact reason in writing, then fix that one item.

The central share is ₹200 per month for ages 60 to 79 and ₹500 per month from 80 years. Your state adds a top-up, so the total varies by state. Check your state portal for the current state amount.

Usually the Social Welfare Department, but it is the Rural Development Department in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Meghalaya and West Bengal, and other departments in a few states. Address your RTI to that department.

Yes. Under §6(1) you can ask the PIO of the social-welfare or rural-development department for your status and the reason for non-payment. Under §7(1) they must reply within 30 days.

No reply within the §7(1) period is a deemed refusal. File a first appeal under §19(1) to the First Appellate Officer of the same department within 30 days of the deadline.

No. The NSAP portal and your state pension portal are free. Avoid private sites that charge a fee to “check status”; they cannot release your pension.

From 80 years the central share rises to ₹500. If your pension did not increase, ask the office in writing or by RTI to confirm your age record and apply the higher rate, with arrears if due.

• NSAP portal, Ministry of Rural Development: https://nsap.nic.in/
• NSAP FAQ (Department of Rural Development): https://www.dord.gov.in/
• Pension payment detail of Beneficiary (NSAP search): https://nsap.nic.in/
• Right to Information Act, 2005: https://rti.gov.in/

• How to apply for old-age pension (NSAP) state-wise
• Pension status check (all pension types)
• Check pension PPO status
• RTI Act, 2005: full text and guide
• AI RTI Drafter tool
• The RTI Playbook