- ₹2 lakhLife coverDeath from any cause
- ₹436Premium a yearAbout ₹1.19 a day
- 18 to 50Age to joinCover till 55
- 1 June to 31 MayCover yearRenewed every year
What is Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana?
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) is a one-year life insurance scheme of the Government of India. If the insured person dies from any cause, the nominee gets ₹2 lakh. The cover lasts one year and is renewed every year from your bank or post office account. It started on 9 May 2015.
PMJJBY is term insurance. Term insurance pays only if the person dies during the cover. There is no maturity amount and no money back. LIC and other life insurance companies run it with the banks and post offices. By 19 March 2025, 23.36 crore people had joined and 9,05,139 families had been paid ₹18,102.78 crore in all.
- Step 1Join at your bankAny age from 18 to 50, through one savings account.
- Step 2Pay ₹436 a yearTaken by auto-debit, before each new cover year.
- Step 3₹2 lakh coverFrom 1 June to 31 May, death from any cause.
- Step 4Nominee is paidThe money goes to the nominee's bank account.
Example: Ramesh, 32. He joins PMJJBY in October through his savings account. In the first year he pays the lower pro-rata premium. From the next 1 June, the bank takes the full premium every year. He keeps renewing for 10 cover years.
- Pays in October
- ₹342
- Pays in 10 years, in all
- ₹4,266
- Family gets if he dies
- ₹2 lakh
PMJJBY age limit and eligibility
- Yes: Age 18 (completed) to 50 (age nearer birthday)
- Yes: Anyone with a savings account in a participating bank or post office
- Yes: Each holder of a joint account, if each one is eligible and pays the premium
- Yes: NRIs with an eligible account at a bank branch in India (claims paid in rupees)
- No: People older than 50
- No: Through a second bank or post office account
- No: Institutional accounts
Aadhaar is the main KYC for the account. There is no medical test. If you join by 50 and renew every year, the cover runs until age 55. The table shows roughly how long the cover can last and the premium for all those years, if you join in June:
| Join at age | Cover until 55 | Total premium |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | About 37 years | ₹16,132 |
| 25 | About 30 years | ₹13,080 |
| 35 | About 20 years | ₹8,720 |
| 45 | About 10 years | ₹4,360 |
| 50 | About 5 years | ₹2,180 |
How to join PMJJBY
- Step 1Go to your bank or post officeWhere you have your savings account.
- Step 2Fill in the PMJJBY formThe enrolment and consent-cum-declaration form.
- Step 3Name a nomineeAnd an appointee if the nominee is a child.
- Step 4Give Aadhaar and mobileAadhaar is the main KYC for the account.
- Step 5Keep the premium in the accountIt is taken by auto-debit when you join.
- Step 6Or join onlineMany banks offer PMJJBY in net banking or their app.
| What you need | Why |
|---|---|
| Savings account in a bank or post office | The premium is taken from it |
| Aadhaar | Main KYC for the account |
| PMJJBY enrolment and consent form | Gives your consent to join and to auto-debit |
| Nominee's name and relation | The person who gets the money |
| Enough balance | ₹436, or the pro-rata premium in the first year |
The forms are on the official Jan Suraksha portal (jansuraksha.gov.in) and at the branch. The bank keeps your form and gives you an acknowledgement slip. Keep it safe and tell your family about it.
PMJJBY lien period: the 30-day rule
A lien period is a waiting time at the start of the cover. In PMJJBY it is the first 30 days after you join. In those days, the claim is paid only if death is due to an accident. Death from illness or any other cause in that time is not covered.
For example, Kavita joins in December and pays ₹228. If she dies of an illness in the first 30 days, no claim is paid. If she dies in a road accident in that time, her nominee gets ₹2 lakh. The same 30-day rule applies again if you leave the scheme and join later, or if your cover stopped because of low balance.
PMJJBY renewal and when the cover stops
The cover year is 1 June to 31 May. Your consent at the time of joining lets the bank renew the cover every year by taking ₹436 before the new year starts. You do not need to fill in a new form each year.
The cover stops if:
- You reach age 55 (age nearer birthday).
- You close the bank or post office account.
- There is not enough balance on the renewal date, so the premium is not paid.
- You leave the scheme.
You can join again later by paying the premium for that month. The cover is then treated as new, so the 30-day rule applies again.
PMJJBY nominee
The nominee is the person you name in the form to receive the money. The ₹2 lakh is paid only to the nominee. You can name anyone, usually a family member.
- Nominee is a child: name an appointee, an adult who receives the money for the child.
- No nominee, or the nominee died first: the money goes to the legal heirs. They must show a succession certificate or legal heir certificate from a court or competent authority.
- NRI members: the claim is paid to the nominee only in Indian rupees.
PMJJBY claim process
The claim is made at the bank or post office branch where the insured person had the account. The insurance company pays the money straight into the bank account of the nominee.
- Step 1Get the claim formPMJJBY claim-cum-discharge form, at the branch or on jansuraksha.gov.in.
- Step 2Nominee fills it inDetails of the person who died and of the nominee.
- Step 3Give it to the branchWith proof of death and the documents below.
- Step 4Bank fills its partIt confirms the premium, the account and the nominee.
- Step 5Money is paidInto the nominee's bank account. An SMS is sent either way.
The form asks for the claim "preferably" within 30 days of the death. If it is later than that, ask the branch. Whether a claim is paid or rejected, the insurer sends a message to the nominee's mobile and updates the Jan Suraksha portal.
PMJJBY claim documents
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Claim-cum-discharge form | Filled in and signed by the nominee, appointee or legal heir |
| Proof of death | Death certificate, or hospital discharge summary, or a certificate from the last doctor (countersigned), or a certificate from the District Magistrate or Tehsildar |
| Extra proof for an accident in the first 30 days | FIR or panchnama and the post-mortem report; for snake bite or a fall from a tree, the hospital record |
| KYC of the nominee | Aadhaar, voter ID, MGNREGA card, driving licence, PAN or passport |
| Nominee's bank details | First two pages of the passbook, an account statement or a cancelled cheque |
| Advance discharge receipt | Signed by the nominee for ₹2 lakh, with a witness |
| Only if needed | Death certificate of the nominee if the nominee died first; legal heir or succession certificate if there is no nominee |
Aadhaar and PAN of the person who died and of the nominee are asked for, but they are optional.
PMJJBY tax benefit
- DeductionOn the premiumOld regime, Section 123 (earlier 80C)
- Tax-free₹2 lakh to the nomineeDeath benefit of life insurance
- No deductionIn the new tax regime
- The PMJJBY premium is a life insurance premium. In the old tax regime it counts for the deduction under Section 123 of the Income-tax Act, 2025 (earlier Section 80C), within the overall ₹1.5 lakh limit.
- Money paid to the nominee on the death of the insured under a life insurance policy is not taxed (earlier Section 10(10D)).
PMJJBY: strengths and limits
- Yes: ₹2 lakh cover for ₹436 a year, the same at every age
- Yes: Death from any cause is covered after the first 30 days
- Yes: No medical test to join
- Yes: Renews by itself from your account
- Yes: Paid in addition to any other insurance you have
- No: Cover ends at 55, and joining closes at 50
- No: Only death is covered; no money back or maturity
- No: Cover is fixed at ₹2 lakh
- No: Stops if the balance is short on the renewal date
- No: One account only
PMJJBY vs PMSBY
PMJJBY and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) are both Jan Suraksha schemes run through banks and post offices. PMJJBY is life cover. PMSBY is accident cover.
| PMJJBY | PMSBY | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Life insurance | Accident insurance |
| Pays on | Death from any cause | Death or disability from an accident only |
| Cover | ₹2 lakh | ₹2 lakh (death or full disability), ₹1 lakh (partial disability) |
| Premium a year | ₹436 | ₹20 |
| Age to join | 18 to 50 | 18 to 70 |
| Cover ends at | 55 | 70 |
| Cover year | 1 June to 31 May | 1 June to 31 May |
A person can hold both. The two premiums together come to ₹456 a year. If a member of both schemes dies in an accident, each scheme pays its own claim, so the nominee can get ₹4 lakh in all. Read the full PMSBY scheme details. For a pension rather than insurance, see Atal Pension Yojana, the third Jan Suraksha scheme.
Frequently asked questions
What is the full form of PMJJBY?
PMJJBY stands for Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana. It is a Government of India life insurance scheme that pays ₹2 lakh to the nominee if the insured person dies from any cause. It started on 9 May 2015.
What is the PMJJBY premium in 2026?
The PMJJBY premium is ₹436 a year for ₹2 lakh of life cover. That is about ₹1.19 a day. The bank takes it from your savings account by auto-debit, once a year. If you join for the first time after August, you pay a lower pro-rata premium for the first year only.
Is the PMJJBY premium still ₹330?
No. The premium was ₹330 a year from the start of the scheme in 2015 until 31 May 2022. From 1 June 2022 it is ₹436 a year. The cover stayed the same at ₹2 lakh. No change to the premium or the cover had been announced as of November 2026.
What is the PMJJBY age limit?
You can join PMJJBY from age 18 (completed) up to age 50 (age nearer birthday). If you join by 50 and renew every year, the cover continues until you turn 55. You cannot join after 50.
When is the PMJJBY premium deducted?
The PMJJBY cover year runs from 1 June to 31 May. The bank takes the renewal premium of ₹436 from your account before the new cover year starts on 1 June. For a new joiner, it is taken on the day you join. Keep enough balance at the end of May, or the cover stops.
How much is the PMJJBY premium if I join in the middle of the year?
It depends on the month you join: ₹436 in June, July, August; ₹342 in September, October, November; ₹228 in December, January, February; ₹114 in March, April, May. From the next 1 June, you pay the full ₹436.
What is the PMJJBY claim process?
The nominee fills in the PMJJBY claim-cum-discharge form and gives it to the bank or post office branch where the account was, preferably within 30 days of the death. The bank sends it to the insurance company within 7 days. The insurance company decides and pays within 7 days after that. The money goes into the nominee's bank account.
What documents are needed for a PMJJBY claim?
The filled claim form, proof of death (such as a death certificate), the nominee's KYC (Aadhaar, voter ID, driving licence, PAN or passport), the first page of the nominee's passbook or a cancelled cheque, and the signed advance discharge receipt. If death was by accident within the first 30 days, an FIR or panchnama and the post-mortem report are also needed.
Does PMJJBY cover natural death and suicide?
Yes. PMJJBY covers death from any cause, including illness, accident, natural disasters, suicide and murder. The only exception is the first 30 days after you join or re-join: in that time, only death by accident is covered.
Can I take PMJJBY from two bank accounts?
No. You can join through one bank or post office account only. If premium is taken from more than one account by mistake, the cover is still only ₹2 lakh, and the extra premium can be forfeited (kept by the insurer).
Do I get money back from PMJJBY if nothing happens?
No. PMJJBY is pure term insurance. It pays only on death during the cover year. There is no maturity amount and no surrender value. This is why the premium is low.
What is the difference between PMJJBY and PMSBY?
PMJJBY is life cover: it pays ₹2 lakh on death from any cause, for ₹436 a year, age 18 to 50 to join. PMSBY is accident cover: it pays up to ₹2 lakh on death or disability from an accident only, for ₹20 a year, age 18 to 70. You can hold both.