From October 1, 2025, several important changes will take effect across banks, government departments, and regulatory bodies in India.
These changes will directly impact the wallets of the general public, including banking fees, pension rules, and check clearing charges. Here’s a detailed look at the updates:
Banking Updates
HDFC Bank
HDFC has informed Imperio customers that the new rules for maintaining Total Relationship Value (TRV) will be effective from October 1, 2025.
These rules also apply to customers who joined the program on or before June 30, 2025.
Punjab National Bank (PNB)
PNB will revise charges for several services starting October 1, 2025:
Locker fees (increased based on size and branch)
Standing instruction failure charges
Nomination charges
Stop payment instruction fees (per instrument fee remains the same)
Yes Bank
Charges for Smart Salary Accounts will be updated from October 1, 2025:
Cash transaction fees
ATM withdrawal limits
Debit card charges
Penalty for cheque returns
RBI Check Clearing Update
From October 4, 2025, RBI will replace the batch-based check clearing system with a continuous clearing system.
Settlement will now be based on the realization of the check.
Implementation phases:
Phase 1: October 4, 2025 – January 2, 2026
Phase 2: January 3, 2026 onwards
Railway and Post Updates
IRCTC Rules
From October 1, 2025, new online ticket booking rules will apply to Aadhaar-verified users.
This aims to prevent misuse of the ticket reservation system.
Speed Post Charges
India Post will increase Speed Post rates from October 1, 2025.
GST will be shown separately, and new security features will be added.
Customers can now opt for OTP-based delivery, where parcels/documents are delivered only after OTP verification.
Pension and NPS Updates
PFRDA CRA Charges
From October 1, 2025, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) will revise charges for services by Central Recordkeeping Agencies (CRAs).
This applies to: NPS, NPS Lite, NPS Vatsalya, Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), and Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
Charges apply to both online and offline transactions.
Deadline to Switch From UPS to NPS
Last date to opt for UPS: September 30, 2025
Employees who already chose UPS can switch back to NPS by September 30, 2025, if done one year before retirement or three months before VRS.
Equity Option in NPS
From October 1, 2025, non-government NPS subscribers can invest up to 100% in equity.
Subscribers can hold multiple schemes under a single PRAN via different CRAs (CAMS, Protean, KFintech).
This facility is only for non-government NPS subscribers.