Enhanced family pension rule: Both parents must now submit individual life certificates, says DoPPW

The Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare (DoPPW), Government of India, has issued an important clarification regarding the submission of life certificates by parents receiving enhanced family pension under the CCS (EOP) Rules, 1939/2023.

Now, both parents will have to submit life certificates to avail of the enhanced rate of family pension benefit.

Earlier, there was no clause to submit a life certificate to avail of the enhanced rate of family pension.

This change aims to prevent the overpayment of pensions and ensure accurate payment following the death of one of the parents.

Enhanced family pension for parents

As per Rule 12(5) of the CCS (EOP) Rules, 2023, family pension is payable to parents of a deceased government servant if there are no surviving eligible children or spouse.

The pension rate is as follows:

• 75% of the family pension is entitled to a widow if both parents are alive.

• 60% of the family pension is entitled to a widow if only one parent survives.

The family pension is provided without reference to the income from other sources of the parents.

"Presently, there is no provision for submission of Life Certificates by both the parents in CCS (Pension) Rules for receiving family pension at the enhanced rate," the memorandum states. This has led to a situation where some parents continue to receive the higher pension amount (75%) even after the death of one of the parents.

New requirement for life certificates

This new provision ensures that only the right pension amount is paid, based on the surviving parent.

Impact on pensioners

Both parents must submit their life certificates annually, as per the new directive.

This measure will help prevent overpayment of family pension in cases where one parent is dead but the pension continues at the enhanced rate.

The Office Memorandum urges that this clarification be "given wide publicity and brought to the notice of all concerned" to ensure compliance.

Why is this important?

The DoPPW has issued this clarification to prevent overpayment and ensure that family pensions are paid accurately.

By submitting the life certificates annually, both parents can continue to receive the correct pension amount.

Life certificate submission deadline

Consequence of missing the November 30 deadline

Failure to submit the certificate by November 30 will typically result in the temporary suspension of pension payments starting from December until the certificate is successfully submitted and verified.