Understanding Defined Benefit Pension Plan

Defined Benefit Pension Plan: Meaning and How It Works

A defined benefit pension plan provides fixed retirement income based on salary and service years, offering predictable and stable income.

Written by : Knowledge Centre Team

2025-12-23

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8 minutes read

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Do you know what’s better than knowing that you can save money after retirement? It’s knowing how much money you can get after investing for your retirement. Defined Benefit Pension Plans are retirement benefit plans in which you already know how much money you are going to get after retirement.

The return is calculated based on your salary amount and the number of years you have been in service.

A defined benefit plan is usually the result of your consistency and discipline rather than your financial contributions. Gratuity and leave salary are the two most popular defined benefit plans available to the employed workforce in India.

Key Takeaways

  • Defined benefit plans assure fixed retirement income based on salary and years of service.

  • Your employer fully funds most defined benefit plans without requiring your own contributions.

  • Gratuity and leave salary are the most common defined benefit options available in India.

  • Vesting period rules apply, so benefits may not be available if you leave a job too early.

  • Payments can be chosen as a lump sum, a monthly pension, or a joint pension with spousal support.

How does a Defined Benefit Plan Work?

Defined Benefit Plans give you a definite amount based on a predefined formula, regardless of your actual contribution to such a plan. There are formulas to calculate the resultant value, and the major factors of that formula are the salary amount and the years of service.

Some salient features of defined benefit plans are as follows:

  • The benefit may depend upon your length of service, salary, or an incident
  • Employers are the only ones who contribute to your DB Plans.
  • The benefit is payable only at the time of superannuation or upon the incidencei the eligible employees
  • Employers should consider using a group insurance policy to provide these benefits, thereby avoiding liquidity issues

Employers might use an insurance policy to provide you with gratuity. Otherwise, it’s a CTC. That’s because a company must pay gratuity to the employees who have completed certain years of service.

What is the Vesting Period in Defined Benefit Plans?

Many Defined Benefit Plans are defined based on years of service. Mostly this period is called the vesting period in a company that offers a Defined Benefit Pension Plan. An employer who leaves the company before the completion of the vesting period may not be entitled to the complete benefits of the Defined Benefit Plan.

Your returns are dependent on which plan you take. Many life insurance policies in India give returns as a lump sum of money. Some might provide a regular sum of the amount.

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How is Defined Benefit Paid?

Most defined benefit plans provide you with the option to decide how you want your funds to be delivered. The following are some of the often-provided payment options:

  1. A Single-life Pension: provides a set income each month for as long as the beneficiary lives. No payments are  made to the policyholder's survivors after thei passing.
  2. A Lump Sum Payment: is made when one receives the full amount of their plan. When the policyholder unfortunately passes away, no more payments are provided to the survivors.
  3. A Qualified Survivor and Joint Plan: Until death, the insured receives a set monthly benefit. Benefits are also paid to the policyholder's surviving spouse if they are still alive. When a spouse receives pension or retirement benefits, they get at least half of the policyholder's total payout.

Making the correct payment choice is crucial, as it can significantly impact the amount of benefit you ultimately receive. Therefore, you should carefully weigh all the available possibilities and evaluate the benefit amounts offered by each.

Also Read - How to Withdraw Pension Contribution?

What are the Pros and Cons of Defined Benefit Plans

Defined benefit plans offer a range of benefits, but there are certain disadvantages to these plans too. Here’s a list of both pros and cons of these plans:

1. Pros of a Defined Benefit Plan:

 

  • Enhanced retirement funds: Employee incentives are assured under a set benefit plan, providing retirees with a higher retirement benefit.
  • Benefits are unaffected by market swings: Employee retirement benefits remain unchanged regardless of what happens to the markets or investments.
  • Possibility of spousal support: After an employee's passing, a spouse could be allowed to receive the benefits.
  • Tax advantages for employers: Employers may often deduct their payments to defined benefit plans from their taxes.
  • Better employee retention: Employees who participate in defined benefit plans might stay with a firm for a long time as they wait for their benefits to vest and begin to accrue the most.

2. Cons of a Defined Benefit Plan:

 

  • No investment preference: You will not influence the investments made with their funds.
  • Vesting takes a while: If an employer needs six years of service before a benefit becomes vested, and you quit after four years, all the funds you have earned will remain with the employer.
  • Lack of flexibility: Although it may be simpler with cash balance plans, it may be challenging to transfer funds from one plan to another as a person changes employment. This does not imply that you won’t be getting all the collective benefits when you retire. Simply maintain numerous sources of income.
  • No possibility to enhance your benefit: Because the benefits equation is fixed, you cannot grow your retirement income.
  • High maintenance costs: Defined benefit plans are more demanding for firms to operate than defined contribution schemes as they provide assured payouts regardless of market conditions.

What are the Available Defined Benefit Plans in India

The Indian retirement system is a mix of defined-contribution and defined benefit plans. The following types of defined benefit plans are available in India:

  • Gratuity Payment: Statutory benefit applicable to employers with 10 or more employees.
  • Leave Salary: Not statutory but helps promote work-life balance among employees and compensates fairly for eligible leaves.
  • Employee Life Insurance: Life insurance benefits is available to the employee’s family in the case of the sudden death of the employee.
  • Employee Personal Accident Insurance: Compensates the employee and his/her family in the case of an accidental injury or disability, which may put them off work for a while or permanently. 
  • Workmen Compensation: Provides statutory benefits payable to workers and employees in the case of workplace injury.
  • Atal Pension Yojana (defined benefit pension plan): Guarantees a minimum monthly pension based on a minimum contribution for a minimum number of years.
  • Guaranteed Pension Plans: Pension plans offered by life insurance companies offer guaranteed lifetime pensions. If held jointly with the spouse, the pension continues until one of the holders is alive.

How to Provide Defined Benefits to Employees?

Statutory defined benefit plans that employers must offer to their employees can be seen as a financial challenge to the enterprises in India. However, you can use the insurance plans to offer these benefits and even offer better benefits than the statutory limits:

  1. Group gratuity plans:
    • Takes care of leave salary as well
    • Can be a guaranteed benefits plan or a unit-linked plan
    • Additional unpaid funds improve the employer’s cash flow
  2. Group personal accident insurance
  3. Group term life insurance plans
  4. Workers compensation insurance
     

Defined Benefit Plans for a Safer Retirement

Defined benefit plans are a great boost to your retirement kitty. However, do note that your benefits improve with your longevity at your employer. The longer you stick to one employer the better your gratuity and leave salary benefits will be.

Defined benefit plans are almost entirely funded by employers' contributions. However, saving schemes and retirement benefits such as guaranteed plans will require some contribution from you. However, understanding the plans can help you maximise your benefits from them.

You can earn a consistent income even after your retirement. This policy contributes positively to your post-retirement finances. So, we recommend that you understand the defined benefit pension plans to secure your post-retirement life.

To get a better understanding of how much you can save post-retirement, you can even refer to our user-friendly retirement calculator, available on the official website for free.

Disclaimer - This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Canara HSBC Life Insurance Company Limited or any affiliated entity. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the blog or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in the blog for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. You should consult with a qualified professional regarding your specific circumstances before taking any action based on the content provided herein.

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