Section 80CCD(1) allows an employee, being an individual employed by the Central Government or by any other employer on or after 01.01.2004, or any other assessee being an individual, a deduction of an amount paid or deposited out of his income chargeable to tax under a pension scheme as notified vide Notification No. F.N. 5/7/2003- ECB&PR dated 22.12.2003 (National Pension System –NPS) or as may be notified by the Central Government.
As per Section 80CCD(2), where any contribution in the said pension scheme is made by the Central Government or any other employer then the employee shall be allowed a deduction from his total income of the whole amount contributed by the Central Government or any other employer subject to limit of 10% of his salary of the previous year.
Section 80CCE provides that the aggregate amount of deductions under section 80C, section 80CCC and section 80CCD shall not, in any case, exceed Rs. 1,50,000
With effect from assessment year 2015-16, amended sub-section (1) has clarified that a non-government employee can claim deduction under section 80CCD even if his date of joining is prior to January 1, 2004.
With effect from the assessment year 2012-13 section 80CCE is amended so as to provide that contribution made by the Central Government or any other employer to a pension scheme under sub-section (2) of section 80CCD shall not be included in the limit of deduction of Rs. 1,50,000 provided under section 80CCE.
With effect from assessment year 2016-17, sub-section (1A) of Section 80CCD which laid down maximum deduction limit of Rs. 1,00,000 (under sub-section (1)) has been deleted.
Further, a new sub-section (1B) is inserted to provide for additional deduction to the extent of Rs. 50,000. The additional deduction is not subject to ceiling limit of Rs. 1,50,000 as provided under Section 80CCE.
However, it is to be noted that addition deduction of Rs. 50,000 shall not be allowed in respect of contribution which is considered for deduction under Section 80CCD(1), i.e., within limit of 10% of salary/gross total income
Any payment from NPS to an employee because of closure or his opting out of the pension scheme is chargeable to tax. However, with effect from the assessment year 2017-18, the whole amount received by the nominee from NPS on death of the assessee shall be exempt from tax.
Please note that In order to provide parity between an individual who is an employee and an individual who is self-employed, section 80CCD is amended with effect from Financial Year 2017-18 so as to increase the upper limit of ten per cent of gross total income to twenty per cent in case of individual other than employee. Budget 2017: Section 80CCD limit for self-employed individual increased to 20%
Also Read- Sec. 80CCD- Additional deduction for National Pension System contribution.