From October 1, 2025, several crucial changes will come into effect across India’s banking sector, postal services, pension rules, and railway ticketing. These updates will directly impact customers, account holders, and subscribers to various services. Here’s an overview of the major changes you need to know.
Banking and Financial Updates
- HDFC Bank Imperia customers: HDFC has revised the eligibility requirements for its Imperia programme. Customers with membership as of June 30, 2025, must meet the new Total Relationship Value (TRV) criteria starting October 1, 2025.
- Punjab National Bank (PNB) charges: PNB will modify service charges, including locker fees, standing instruction (SI) failure, and nomination charges. While locker fees will rise sharply in many categories, stop payment charges remain unchanged.
- Yes Bank salary account charges: YES Bank has updated its Smart Salary account fee structure. Changes cover cash transaction charges, ATM withdrawal limits, debit card-related costs, and penalties for cheque returns. These will all take effect from October 1, 2025.
- PFRDA CRA charges: The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has revised fees applicable for Central Recordkeeping Agency (CRA) services across pension schemes like NPS, APY, UPS, and others. These will apply to both online and offline account maintenance starting October 1.
- NPS investment option: Non-government NPS subscribers will be allowed to allocate up to 100% of their contributions into equities under a single scheme. They can also manage multiple schemes under one PRAN across different CRAs, offering greater flexibility from October 1, 2025.
Service and Regulatory Changes
- RBI cheque clearing: The Reserve Bank of India will gradually shift from the batch clearance method to continuous clearing with settlement on realisation. Phase 1 starts on October 4, 2025, and continues till January 2, 2026, followed by Phase 2 beginning January 3, 2026. This move aims to speed up the cheque clearance process and make fund availability faster.
- Indian Railways ticket booking: IRCTC will implement new rules for booking general tickets online through its website and app for Aadhaar-authenticated users. Starting October 1, 2025, these rules are designed to reduce system misuse and improve accessibility for genuine passengers.
- India Post Speed Post services: Speed Post tariffs will increase starting October 1, 2025. The new system introduces transparent GST billing, OTP-based deliveries for added security, and improved convenience features to make the service more reliable.
- Deadline for UPS to NPS switch: September 30, 2025, marks the final date for Central Government employees to opt for the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) in place of the NPS. Those enrolled in UPS also have until this date to switch back to NPS, provided it meets eligibility timelines related to retirement. After this cutoff, no fresh switches between the schemes will be possible.
