Nomination in Post Office Schemes: How to Add, Change or Claim (2026 Guide)
Nomination is the least interesting form you will fill at a post office and the one your family will be most grateful for. It takes a few minutes, costs nothing, and is the difference between a claim settled over a counter and a claim settled through a court.
What nomination does — and what it does not
A nominee is a receiver, not an owner. On the death of the depositor, the post office pays the nominee, and the nominee holds that money for whoever is legally entitled to it under your will or under succession law.
This distinction catches families out. Naming one child as nominee does not disinherit the others. If you want a specific division of your estate, that belongs in a will — nomination only decides who the post office may safely pay.
Which schemes accept nomination
Nomination is available across the savings schemes, including:
| Scheme | Nomination | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Post Office Savings Account | Yes | At opening or later |
| Recurring Deposit (RD) | Yes | — |
| Time Deposit (TD) | Yes | — |
| Monthly Income Scheme (POMIS) | Yes | — |
| Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS) | Yes | — |
| National Savings Certificate (NSC) | Yes | Recorded on the certificate |
| Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) | Yes | Recorded on the certificate |
| Public Provident Fund (PPF) | Yes | — |
| Sukanya Samriddhi (SSY) | Operated by guardian | Different mechanics — account is the girl child’s |
How to add or change a nominee
- Go to the post office where the account is held. Nomination is recorded against the account at its home office.
- Ask for the nomination form for your scheme and complete it with the nominee's full name, date of birth, address and relationship to you.
- State the share for each nominee if you name more than one. Leaving shares blank is the most common cause of a disputed claim.
- If a nominee is a minor, name an adult to receive on their behalf.
- Sign in the presence of the official, have it witnessed as required, and get the passbook updated or an acknowledgement stamped.
- Verify it was recorded. Ask to see the nomination noted against the account — an unrecorded form is worth nothing.
When to revisit your nomination
- After marriage, divorce or the birth of a child
- After the death of an existing nominee
- When a minor nominee attains majority — the appointed adult is no longer needed
- After any change of address for you or the nominee
How a claim is settled
- The nominee applies at the post office with the prescribed claim form.
- They produce the death certificate, the passbook or certificate, and their own KYC documents.
- The office verifies the nomination on record and settles the claim.
Where no nomination exists, settlement moves to a different track: small balances may be paid on the basis of prescribed forms and indemnity, while larger amounts can require a succession certificate from a court. The threshold and procedure are set by India Post and change from time to time.
⚠️ Check the current figure: Claim limits, the forms in use and the point at which legal evidence of succession becomes mandatory are set by India Post rules. Confirm the current position at your post office or on the India Post savings schemes page or the National Savings Institute before starting a claim.