EPS pensioners can submit life certificate from home through India Post Payments Bank or face scan

Pensioners under the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) no longer need to stand in long queues at a bank or pension office to submit the required document. The work can now be done quickly from home, the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) said on the social media platform X.

A life certificate can be submitted through the doorstep service of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), with the help of a postman or a Gramin Dak Sevak. The same process can also be completed on a mobile phone.

EPS pensioners must submit a life certificate every year so that their pension continues without interruption. It is also called the digital life certificate or Jeevan Pramaan. It is important to remember the date of submission. For example, if the certificate was submitted last year on October 20, the next one must be submitted by October 19 so that the pension is not stopped. A certificate can be submitted after this date too, but the pension may be delayed.

Pensioners who cannot go to a bank or pension office can use IPPB's doorstep banking service. The facility is available to IPPB account holders as well as customers of other banks. One can contact the nearest post office to request that a postman or Gramin Dak Sevak be sent to the home. The IPPB doorstep banking helpline, 033-22029000, can also be called. After biometric identification is completed at home and the life certificate is submitted successfully, the pensioner receives a Pramaan ID.

Those with an Android smartphone and an internet connection can also submit the certificate through face authentication. This requires the Jeevan Pramaan app, the UMANG app and the Aadhaar Face ID app.

The steps are as follows. First, keep ready an Android smartphone with a front camera of at least 5 megapixels and an internet connection. Second, make sure the Aadhaar number is registered with the pension-disbursing agency. Third, download the Aadhaar Face RD and Jeevan Pramaan Face apps from the Google Play Store. Fourth, complete operator authentication in the app; pensioners can act as the operator themselves. Fifth, enter the pensioner's name, Aadhaar number, Pension Payment Order (PPO) number and other required details. Sixth, take a clear photograph of the face with the phone's front camera to complete the process. Once it is done, a link to download the life certificate is sent by SMS to the mobile number.

Before submitting the certificate, keep ready the Aadhaar number, current mobile number, type of pension, name of the department sanctioning the pension, name of the agency disbursing it, PPO number and pension account number. The Aadhaar number must already be registered with the disbursing agency. A digital life certificate remains valid for one year from the date of submission. Pensioners should therefore submit it on time to avoid any hitch in their pension.