PMSBY Accident Claim: ₹2 Lakh Process

58.78 crore cumulative enrolments. ₹20 a year. ₹2 lakh if an accident kills you or leaves you permanently disabled. Since 2015, the scheme has paid about ₹3,660 crore to roughly 1.84 lakh families.

That sounds like success. Read the claims data and it is more complicated: between 2015 and April 2025, government data shows about 2.15 lakh claims received and 1.56 lakh disbursed. Roughly 27 of every 100 claims filed did not result in a payout.

PMJJBY, the sister life-insurance scheme, settles 99.94% of claims. PMSBY does not. The reason is almost never the scheme. It is the paperwork, the 30-day clock, and an auto-debit that quietly failed.

This guide gives you the exact PMSBY claim process, the document list, the deadlines, and the reasons claims get rejected, so yours does not.

What Is PMSBY?

PMSBY (Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana) is a government accident insurance scheme launched on 9 May 2015. Anyone aged 18 to 70 with a savings bank or post office account can join. The premium is ₹20 per year, auto-debited from your account. It was ₹12 until it was raised on 1 June 2022.

The cover runs for one year, 1 June to 31 May, and renews every year as long as the auto-debit succeeds.

Event (due to an accident)	Payout
Death	₹2 lakh
Total, irrecoverable loss of both eyes, or use of both hands or both feet, or one eye + one hand/foot	₹2 lakh
Total, irrecoverable loss of sight of one eye, or use of one hand or foot	₹1 lakh

There is no medical test to enrol. Only accidents count: road accidents, falls, drowning, snake bite, electrocution and similar. Death from illness is not covered. That is what PMJJBY is for. (Read our PMJJBY claim guide.)

How Many PMSBY Claims Are Actually Paid?

Official figures published by the Press Information Bureau show the gap between claims filed and claims paid:

Period	Claims received	Claims disbursed	Paid out
9 May 2015 – May 2024	1,80,812	1,37,404 (₹2,728.85 crore)	~76%
June 2024 – 16 April 2025	33,906	19,024 (₹377.73 crore)	~56%

"Not disbursed" includes rejected claims and claims still pending at the cut-off date, so the second period is likely understated. The first period is the cleaner number.

Either way, the pattern is clear. Insurance that costs ₹20 is not the hard part. Getting the claim accepted is.

For Eg: a farm labourer in Belagavi dies of a snake bite. His wife finds ₹20 debited every May in his Jan Dhan passbook but does not know what it is for. By the time a neighbour explains it, five months have passed. No hospital record names the cause of death. The claim is filed late with an incomplete file. This is the typical failure, not the exception.

Who Can Claim Under PMSBY?

The nominee named in the bank's PMSBY enrolment can claim. If there is no nominee, or the nominee died before the insured, the legal heirs claim. For a disability claim, the insured person claims directly.

A claim is valid only if all of these hold:

The person was enrolled and covered on the date of the accident: the ₹20 was successfully debited for that policy year (1 June – 31 May).
The accident was solely and directly the cause of death or disability.
Death or disability occurred within 12 months of the accident.
The cause is not suicide, which is excluded.

How to Claim PMSBY Insurance After an Accident?

To claim PMSBY, the nominee submits the Claim-cum-Discharge Form with the death certificate, accident proof (FIR or panchnama, post-mortem report) and KYC at the bank or post office branch where the PMSBY account is held. The branch verifies that cover was active and forwards the claim to the insurer, who pays directly into the nominee's bank account.

The entire process runs through the branch. The insurer works in the background.

Step 1 — Report the Accident Within 30 Days

Inform the bank or post office branch, in writing, as soon as possible and within 30 days of the accident. The claim form itself asks for submission preferably within 30 days. This is the single most important deadline in the scheme. Late claims are not automatically rejected (see "What if you missed 30 days?" below), but they are the ones that get stuck.

Step 2 — Get the Accident Paperwork Done Immediately

Death or disability from an accident needs official proof of cause. Collect these while the records are fresh:

FIR / Panchnama / Inquest Panchnama from the police station
Post-mortem report (and viscera report, if one was done)
Hospital records: discharge summary, treatment record, doctor's certificate

Step 3 — Identify the Right Branch and Account

Go to the bank or post office branch where the PMSBY account is held. Check the passbook or statement for an annual debit of ₹20 (₹12 before June 2022) in May or June tagged "PMSBY" or "SBY". If the person had several accounts, only one carries the cover. Duplicate premiums are forfeited.

Step 4 — Collect and Fill the Claim-cum-Discharge Form

Get the PMSBY Claim-cum-Discharge Form from the branch (every participating bank and post office has it; the Jan Suraksha portal, jansuraksha.gov.in, lists the scheme documents). The nominee, or the guardian if the nominee is a minor, signs it.

Step 5 — Submit at the Branch With All Documents

The branch checks that the premium was debited, confirms KYC, and forwards the claim to the insurer, electronically, within 7 days of your submission. Keep an acknowledgement copy.

Step 6 — Insurer Decides and Pays

The scheme's claim procedure gives the insurer a maximum of 30 days to approve and disburse. Payment goes straight into the nominee's bank account. If anything is missing, the insurer or branch will ask for it, and that is where most of the delay happens.

What Documents Are Needed for a PMSBY Claim?

To claim PMSBY you need the signed Claim-cum-Discharge Form, the death certificate, accident proof (FIR or panchnama and post-mortem report), the nominee's KYC and bank details, and proof that cover was active. For disability, a Civil Surgeon's disability certificate replaces the death certificate.

Document	Death claim	Disability claim
Claim-cum-Discharge Form (signed)	✓	✓
Death certificate (attested copy)	✓	✗
Disability certificate: Civil Surgeon / government medical authority	✗	✓
FIR / Panchnama / Inquest Panchnama	✓	If required
Post-mortem report (+ viscera report, if done)	✓ (only if conducted)	✗
Hospital records and treatment documents	Where applicable	✓ (complete record with follow-up)
Nominee's KYC (Aadhaar, ID) and address proof	✓	✓
Cancelled cheque / bank details for NEFT	✓	✓
PMSBY enrolment form	✓	✓
Driving licence and RC book	Only if the insured was driving	Only if the insured was driving
Succession / Legal Heir Certificate	Only if no nominee	✗

Special cases:

Snake bite, fall from a tree and similar rural accidents often have no FIR or post-mortem. Insurers accept hospital records stating the person's name, father's/husband's name, address, and the date, time and cause of death.
Local-language documents should be translated to Hindi or English and attested where the branch asks.
Names must match across every document. A spelling mismatch between the deceased's Aadhaar, bank record and death certificate needs a reconciliation certificate from the issuing authority.

Document requirements vary slightly by bank and insurer, so ask your branch for its checklist on day one.

Why Are PMSBY Claims Rejected?

These are the failure points that account for most rejected or stuck claims:

Cover had lapsed. The ₹20 auto-debit failed because the balance was too low on the debit date, or the account was closed. No premium means no cover for that year.
Death was not accidental. Illness, natural causes, and suicide are not covered.
Death or disability happened more than 12 months after the accident.
Reported very late with no explanation for the delay.
Incomplete or inconsistent paperwork. Missing post-mortem, mismatched names, unattested copies.
Duplicate cover. Two PMSBY accounts. Only one is valid and the duplicate premium is forfeited.

A note on age 70: cover ends when the subscriber reaches 70. Banks relay a Ministry of Finance clarification (11 August 2023) that an accident in the policy year in which the person turns 70 remains admissible until that year's term ends. Ask your branch to confirm in writing if this applies.

What If There Is No Nominee?

If no nominee was registered, or the nominee died before the insured, the legal heirs must obtain a Succession Certificate or Legal Heir Certificate from a civil court, tehsildar or district magistrate, depending on the state. The rest of the process is identical.

Where there are multiple heirs, a minor heir or a succession dispute, get professional help early. Delay is what kills these claims.

What If You Missed the 30-Day Window?

The insurer's terms say claims should be reported within 30 days. They also allow condonation of delay where the claimant shows genuine hardship, such as grief, illness, distance or ignorance of the policy. It is discretionary, not guaranteed.

If you are past 30 days:

File anyway. Do not wait to "complete" the file.
Attach a written explanation for the delay: when you learned of the policy, and why you could not file earlier.
Keep proof that the policy was active (passbook entry or bank certificate).

When	What to do
Within 30 days of accident	Report to branch in writing. Standard claim.
Day 31 – 12 months	File with a written delay explanation. Condonation is at the insurer's discretion.
Death or disability beyond 12 months of the accident	Not covered. Only deaths or disabilities within 12 months of the accident qualify.
Cover not in force on accident date	No claim possible for that year.

What If the Claim Is Delayed or Rejected?

Ask the branch for the written reason and the claim reference number.
Escalate to the bank's grievance officer, then the insurer's grievance cell.
Lodge a complaint on IRDAI's Bima Bharosa portal, bimabharosa.irdai.gov.in. IRDAI helpline: 155255 or 1800 4254 732 (toll-free).
If still unresolved, approach the Insurance Ombudsman for your region.

At least one PMSBY insurer's published terms state that if a claim is not settled within the timeline, interest is payable at bank rate plus 2% from the date of intimation. Check the terms of your bank's partner insurer.

Is the PMSBY Payout Taxable?

PMSBY is a general (non-life) accident cover. Section 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act, the usual exemption for life-insurance maturity and death proceeds, is written for life policies. Compensation received by a nominee or legal heir on the death of an insured is generally treated as a capital receipt rather than income. Treatment can vary with facts, so confirm with a CA before filing.

FAQs

Q: How much money does PMSBY give on accidental death?
A: ₹2 lakh to the nominee on accidental death. The same ₹2 lakh applies for total loss of both eyes, both hands/feet, or one eye plus one hand/foot. ₹1 lakh applies for loss of one eye or use of one hand or foot.

Q: PMSBY mein kitna paisa milta hai?
A: PMSBY mein accident se mrityu ya poori vikalangta par ₹2 lakh milte hain, aur ek aankh ya ek haath/pair ke nuksan par ₹1 lakh. Premium sirf ₹20 per saal hai.

Q: What is the time limit to file a PMSBY claim?
A: Report the accident within 30 days. Delay is condoned only on proven hardship. Death or disability must occur within 12 months of the accident.

Q: PMSBY claim kaise kare?
A: Jis bank ya post office mein PMSBY ka account hai, wahan Claim-cum-Discharge Form, FIR, post-mortem report, death certificate aur nominee ka KYC jama karein. Bank claim insurer ko bhejta hai aur paisa nominee ke account mein aata hai.

Q: Can I claim PMSBY if there is no FIR?
A: For accidents like snake bite or a fall from a tree, hospital records stating the cause, date and time of death are accepted. For road accidents, an FIR or panchnama is normally required.

Q: Is PMSBY payable for natural death or illness?
A: No. Only accidental death and disability are covered. For death from any cause, see PMJJBY.

Q: How do I know if the deceased had PMSBY?
A: Look for an annual debit of ₹20 (₹12 before June 2022) in May or June in the passbook or statement, tagged "PMSBY" or "SBY". Take it to the branch and ask it to confirm enrolment.

Q: Can I get PMSBY on more than one bank account?
A: No. Only one account carries cover. A duplicate premium is forfeited.

Q: PMSBY claim reject kyun hota hai?
A: Sabse common wajah: ₹20 auto-debit fail ho gaya tha, mrityu accident se nahi hui, 12 mahine ke baad mrityu, ya documents adhure/naam mismatch.

Complex Cases

Missing nominee, legal heir disputes, succession certificates, wrong Aadhaar linking — these need a CA who knows the documentation chain.

Varish Partners handles these end to end. Minimal fee. No recovery percentage. Cross-border cases and multi-state succession included.

Contact Varish Partners →

This guide covers the standard claim process. Document lists and timelines can vary by bank and partner insurer, so confirm with your branch. If someone in your family or circle could need this, share it.

How we checked the figures

Enrolment, claim and payout figures were checked against the sources below. The 2.15 lakh received and 1.56 lakh paid totals are calculated from the PIB data, not published as one figure.

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PMSBY Accident Claim: How to Get ₹2 Lakh on a ₹20 Policy (Step-by-Step)