Financial changes in Oct: Higher bank charges, new pension rules and more

New Rules From 1 October 2025: New rules by Banks, Indian Railways and postal department may raise costs and tighten compliance requirements

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Some banks, Indian Railways and the postal department are among organisations that will in October implement rules that change how people keep money, buy train tickets or send mail. What follows is a list of expected changes.

 

HDFC Bank’s new rules for premium services

 

HDFC Bank has told Imperia customers that from October 1 it will implement new rules for premium services. Those who joined the programme on or before June 30, 2025, will now have to meet a revised Total Relationship Value threshold to retain their status.

 

Higher charges at Punjab National Bank

 

Punjab National Bank will revise several service fees. Customers will face higher locker rents and charges for failed standing instructions and nomination services. The changes depend on locker size and branch location.

 

RBI introduces continuous cheque clearing

 

The Reserve Bank of India will on October 4 move away from batch-based cheque settlement and shift to continuous clearing, which means banks will clear cheques continuously in real time instead of in fixed batches, enabling faster settlement and quicker fund availability. The rollout will happen in two phases, running until January 2026. The shift is expected to make cheque settlements faster and smoother for customers.

 

Railway bookings linked to Aadhaar

 

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation will from October 1 implement Aadhaar-based checks for booking general tickets online. The move is aimed at curbing misuse by touts and unauthorised agents.

 

YES Bank salary account revisions

 

YES Bank will update its salary account charges. Customers will see revised fees on cash transactions, ATM usage, debit cards, and cheque return penalties.

 

Speed Post becomes costlier

 

India Post will hike Speed Post tariffs across categories. At the same time, an OTP-based delivery system will be introduced to ensure that parcels are released only after recipient verification, improving both security and accountability.

 

PFRDA revises pension costs

 

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority has revised service charges levied by Central Recordkeeping Agencies under National Pension System (NPS) and related schemes. Non-government NPS subscribers will also get the option to invest up to 100 per cent of their corpus in equities under a single plan.

 

Deadline for switching UPS and NPS ends

 

For Central government employees, September 30 marked the last date to switch between the Unified Pension Scheme and NPS. From October, such transfers will no longer be allowed.

 

What it means for you

 

The changes, though spread across banking, pensions and public services, share a common theme. higher costs and tighter compliance. Customers may need to review their bank relationships, pension allocations, and even travel booking practices to avoid surprises.