Do you have to pay to apply for a government scheme in India?
No. Every central government welfare scheme covered on this site — Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana, PM Kisan, and every other one — is completely free to apply for through official channels.
If anyone asks you to pay a fee to process, guarantee, or speed up your application, it is not a legitimate part of any government process.
Why this needs saying plainly
Every scheme guide on this site ends with a version of this same line, and for good reason: the single most common way people lose money in connection with government schemes isn’t a policy problem — it’s someone else exploiting the fact that the real process feels confusing, slow, or bureaucratic.
A confident-sounding person offering to “handle it for you” for a fee is one of the oldest tricks around, and government schemes are a particularly attractive target because the potential payoff (a house, a pension, a loan) feels large enough to justify paying “just to be safe.”
It isn’t. Not for a single scheme covered here.
What a real application actually costs
| Scheme | What it costs to apply |
|---|---|
| PM Kisan | Free |
| Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY | Free — including card generation |
| PM Awas Yojana (Urban & Gramin) | Free |
| PM Fasal Bima Yojana | You pay only the subsidised premium (2%/1.5%/5% depending on season) — never a separate “processing fee” on top |
| PMEGP, Mudra, Stand-Up India, PM SVANidhi | Free to apply; you only repay the loan itself, at standard bank terms |
| PM Ujjwala Yojana | Free connection application (cylinder refills are paid at market rate, which is normal and not a scam) |
| Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana | No application fee — you simply make your chosen deposit into the account |
| National Scholarship Portal | Free to apply |
| PM Jan Dhan Yojana | Free, zero-balance account |
If someone asks for money that isn’t listed here — a “processing fee,” a “verification charge,” a “fast-track fee” — that request itself is the fraud, regardless of how official they sound or how convincing their explanation is.
Common patterns worth recognizing
Fraud attempts around government schemes tend to share a few recognizable shapes. You don’t need to memorize exact scripts — just notice these patterns:
- Urgency. You’re told you must act right now or lose the benefit entirely. Real government processes essentially never work this way; they may have deadlines, but they don’t pressure you into decisions within minutes.
- A request to pay before you receive anything. Legitimate schemes pay you — through DBT to your bank account — or provide a service directly. None of them require you to pay a stranger first to “unlock” a benefit.
- A request for your OTP, PIN, or full bank login details. No genuine scheme process requires your OTP to be read aloud over a phone call. Ever.
- An unofficial-looking website or app that resembles a real government portal but has a slightly different domain name, extra ads, or asks for unusual permissions on your phone.
- A door-to-door “agent” collecting cash and promising to submit your application on your behalf, especially common with housing and loan schemes.
What to do if someone asks you for money
- Don’t pay. No matter how official the request sounds.
- Verify independently. Go directly to the scheme’s official portal (linked in every guide on this site) or visit your local Common Service Center, Gram Panchayat, or bank branch yourself, rather than through whoever contacted you.
- Report it. India’s National Cyber Crime Helpline — 1930 — and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in exist specifically for this. Both are run by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Center (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs and are free to use.
What to do if you’ve already paid
This happens to genuinely careful people — fraud is designed to be convincing, not just to fool the careless. If you’ve already sent money:
- Report it immediately to the 1930 helpline — faster reporting genuinely improves the chance of freezing or recovering a fraudulent transaction before it’s moved further.
- File a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in, which creates an official record and routes it to the relevant state law enforcement agency.
- Contact your bank to flag the transaction, especially if you shared any banking details or completed a UPI/bank transfer.
- Don’t be embarrassed to act. The faster fraud gets reported, the better the odds of a real outcome — hesitating out of embarrassment only helps whoever took the money.
Government Scheme Applications Are Free: FAQ
Is it ever legitimate to pay someone to help fill out a government scheme form?
Genuine assistance (a CSC operator, a bank employee helping with paperwork) may charge a small, official, receipted service fee in some cases — but this is different from an unofficial agent demanding cash with no receipt to “guarantee approval.” When in doubt, ask for an official receipt; a real fee will have one.
What if the person contacting me knew personal details, such as my Aadhaar number?
Unfortunately, this doesn’t confirm legitimacy — some of your basic details may already be available through prior data exposure elsewhere. Verify independently regardless of how much they seem to already know.
Are all government scheme–related phone calls scams?
No — but no genuine call will ever ask for your OTP, PIN, or a payment over the phone. If a call asks for either, treat it as fraudulent regardless of what number it came from, since caller ID can be spoofed.
Can I get in trouble for reporting a scam that turns out to be a genuine mistake?
No — the cybercrime reporting system exists precisely to sort out genuine complaints, and reporting in good faith carries no risk to you.
Where can I check if a specific website is the real official portal?
Every scheme guide on this site links directly to the verified official portal. If a link you’re using looks different from what’s shown here, treat it as a red flag.
Related Reading
Browse the full scheme directory to confirm any scheme’s real, official process directly.
Last verified: July 2026. Helpline and portal details confirmed against official Government of India and Press Information Bureau sources. This is independent informational content, not affiliated with the Government of India or any law enforcement agency. If you are in the middle of an active fraud attempt or have already lost money, contact 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in directly rather than relying solely on this article.