Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2010-11/400 · issued 09 Feb 2011 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI allows PSBs to amortise additional pension and gratuity costs over five years from FY2011, with full P&L recognition in FY2010-11. Unamortised balance reduces reserves upon IFRS adoption from April 2013, but is not deducted from Tier I capital.
The rule, in the simplest words
Banks can spread the extra cost of reopening pension (retirement money) and raising gratuity (bonus for long service) over 5 years, instead of paying all at once.
The full cost must be recorded in the profit-and-loss (P&L) statement for the year 2010-11, but banks can pay it in yearly chunks of at least 1/5th.
Any leftover unpaid amount must be taken out of reserves (savings) when banks switch to IFRS (new accounting rules) from April 2013.
The leftover amount cannot include costs for employees who have already left or retired.
This extra cost does not reduce Tier I capital (core safety money), so banks' capital ratios stay the same for now.
How it plays out — a real example
A branch operations officer in Indore is reviewing her bank's annual accounts. She sees a huge one-time cost from reopening pension options for staff. Thanks to this rule, she can spread that cost over five years, so the bank's profit for this year doesn't crash. She also notes that the unpaid part will shrink the bank's reserves when IFRS starts in 2013, but it won't hurt the bank's core capital ratio today.
What changed
RBI permitted banks to spread the extra liability from reopening pension options for existing employees and raising gratuity limits over five years, starting FY2010-11, instead of charging it all in one year. The unamortised portion must be adjusted against reserves when IFRS is implemented from April 2013, and cannot include amounts for separated or retired staff.
What it means for you
Banks get breathing room to manage large one-time pension and gratuity costs without a severe hit to annual profits. However, the unamortised balance will eventually reduce reserves under IFRS, impacting net worth. Since this expenditure is not deducted from Tier I capital, capital adequacy ratios remain unaffected in the interim.
What you must do
Recognise the full additional pension and gratuity liability in P&L for FY2010-11, then amortise over five years if not fully charged.
Ensure unamortised expenditure excludes amounts for separated or retired employees.
Disclose the accounting policy for this amortisation in Notes to Accounts.
Factor in the eventual reserve reduction under IFRS from April 2013 when planning capital augmentation, including Basel III requirements.
Who it affects
All Public Sector Banks, Bank finance and accounting teams, Bank treasury and capital planning departments
❓ Common questions
Can we charge the entire pension and gratuity cost in one year?
Yes, you may fully charge it to the P&L for FY2010-11. If not, you must amortise over five years with a minimum of one-fifth each year.
Does the unamortised amount affect our Tier I capital?
No, RBI explicitly states that this unamortised expenditure will not be reduced from Tier I capital due to its exceptional nature.
What happens to the unamortised balance when IFRS starts?
From April 1, 2013, the opening reserves will be reduced by the unamortised carry-forward amount, but this cannot include any amounts for employees who have already separated or retired.
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2010-11/400
DBOD.No. BP.BC.80/ 21.04.018/2010-11
February 9, 2011
All Public Sector Banks
Dear Sir,
Re-opening of pension option to employees of Public Sector Banks and
enhancement in gratuity limits - Prudential Regulatory Treatment
Consequent on the re-opening of pension option to employees of Public Sector Banks and enhancement in gratuity limits following the amendment to Payment of Gratuity Act 1972, banks and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) have approached us for the amortisation of the enhanced expenditure resulting therefrom.
2. The additional liability on account of re-opening of pension option for existing employees who had not opted for pension earlier as well as the enhancement in gratuity limits should be fully recognised and charged to Profit and Loss Account for the financial year 2010-11.
3. However, banks have expressed that it would be difficult to absorb the large amount involved in a single year. We have examined the issues from a regulatory perspective and it has been decided that banks may take the following course of action in the matter:
The expenditure, as indicated in paragraph 2 above, may, if not fully charged to the Profit and Loss Account during the financial year 2010-11, be amortised over a period of five years {subject to (b) and (c) below} beginning with the financial year ending March 31, 2011 subject to a minimum of 1/5th of the total amount involved every year.
Consequent upon the introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from April 1, 2013 for the banking industry as scheduled, the opening balance of reserves of banks will be reduced to the extent of the unamortised carry forward expenditure.
The unamortised expenditure carried forward as aforementioned shall not include any amounts relating to separated/retired employees.
4. Appropriate disclosures of the accounting policy followed in this regard may be made in the Notes to Accounts to the financial statements.
5. In view of the exceptional nature of the event, new pension option and enhanced gratuity related unamortised expenditure would not be reduced from Tier I capital.
6. Banks should keep in view 3(b) above while planning their capital augmentation, suitably factoring in Basel III requirements also (a separate circular would be issued on Basel III).
Yours faithfully
(P R Ravi Mohan)
Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2010-11/400 · issued 09 Feb 2011. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
Factor in the eventual reserve reduction under IFRS from April 2013 when planning capital augmentation, including Basel III requirements.
📜 Compliance
Recognise the full additional pension and gratuity liability in P&L for FY2010-11, then amortise over five years if not fully charged.
Ensure unamortised expenditure excludes amounts for separated or retired employees.
Disclose the accounting policy for this amortisation in Notes to Accounts.
Grouped from the action items above — a single circular may involve more than one team.
Worked example & action-note template
Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (All Public Sector Banks, Bank finance and accounting teams, Bank treasury and capital planning departments), your first concrete step on “Pension Reopening & Gratuity Hike: Prudential Treatment” is: “Recognise the full additional pension and gratuity liability in P&L for FY2010-11, then amortise over five years if not fully charged.” (RBI issued this 09 Feb 2011).
Action required: Recognise the full additional pension and gratuity liability in P&L for FY2010-11, then amortise over five years if not fully charged.
Action required: Ensure unamortised expenditure excludes amounts for separated or retired employees.
Action required: Disclose the accounting policy for this amortisation in Notes to Accounts.
Action required: Factor in the eventual reserve reduction under IFRS from April 2013 when planning capital augmentation, including Basel III requirements.
Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.
💬 Banker Discussion
Discuss this circular with fellow bankers — reply, upvote what helps, report what doesn’t belong. Be professional; no client data. Views are the commenter’s own, not BankPulse’s.
BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly). Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=6259&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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