EPFO and other pensioners can get Digital Life Certificate at home through India Post Payments Bank: Here's how

Pensioners who need to submit their annual life certificate or 'Jeevan Pramaan Patra' may not have to travel to a bank branch or pension office to complete the process. India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) offers a doorstep service that helps eligible pensioners generate their Digital Life Certificate (DLC) from home.

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) highlighted the facility in a social media post on October 12, asking pensioners to contact IPPB to avail of the doorstep service.

The service is available to both IPPB and non-IPPB customers, provided their pension-disbursing agency supports Digital Life Certificate services.

What is a Digital Life Certificate?

Eligible pensioners receiving pensions through participating central and state government departments, EPFO and other pension-disbursing agencies can use the facility, subject to the relevant agency's participation in the system.

Instead of physically submitting a life certificate, pensioners can complete Aadhaar-enabled biometric authentication to generate the certificate digitally.

How to get a Digital Life Certificate at home

• Contact the nearest post office: Ask about the Digital Life Certificate service offered through IPPB.

• Request a doorstep visit: Arrange a visit by a postman or Grameen Dak Sevak.

• Complete biometric authentication: Provide the required pension details and complete Aadhaar-based biometric verification.

• Receive the Pramaan ID: After successful generation, the National Informatics Centre (NIC) sends the Pramaan ID directly to the pensioner.

• Download the certificate: Visit the Jeevan Pramaan portal to download the Digital Life Certificate.

The service uses IPPB's postal network and its integration with the application developed and maintained by NIC.

What details do pensioners need?

• Aadhaar number

• Existing mobile number

• Confirmation that Aadhaar is registered with the pension-disbursing agency

• Type of pension

• Pension sanctioning authority

• Pension-disbursing agency

• Pension Payment Order (PPO) number

• Pension account number

Pensioners who have generated a Digital Life Certificate in previous years may find that some details are automatically populated during the process.

Who can use the doorstep service?

The facility is available to IPPB and non-IPPB customers whose pension-disbursing agencies are enabled for Digital Life Certificate services.

Pensioners can check the list of participating sanctioning authorities and pension-disbursing agencies on the official Jeevan Pramaan website.

Before booking a visit, pensioners should confirm that their pension-disbursing agency is eligible for the service.

Why is this service useful?

Submitting a life certificate is an important financial task for pensioners to continue receiving their pension. However, travelling to a bank or pension office can be difficult for senior citizens and people with mobility issues. The doorstep facility allows them to complete the process with assistance at home.

Pensioners should ensure that the certificate has been generated successfully and that they have received their Pramaan ID after completing the process.

Life Certificate deadline: Super senior citizens can submit from October, Last date November 30

What happens if you miss the November 30 deadline?

Pensioners should complete the process within the applicable submission window to reduce the risk of disruption to their pension payments. Failure to submit the required certificate can lead to pension payments being temporarily withheld until the required verification is completed.