EPS-95 pensioners must submit life certificate yearly to avoid payment halt

More than 85.84 lakh pensioners under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS-95) must submit a Life Certificate, or Jeevan Pramaan Patra, every 12 months to continue receiving monthly payments. The government has disbursed Rs 15,819.28 crore under the scheme as of March 31, 2026, according to data submitted in Rajya Sabha.

Failure to submit the certificate before its validity expires can stop pension payments from the next cycle. Livemint reports that pensioners can use Aadhaar-based face authentication via the 'AadhaarFaceRD' and 'Jeevan Pramaan Face App' on smartphones with at least a 5 MP front camera to generate a Digital Life Certificate from home. Alternatively, they can visit participating banks or post offices for biometric authentication through fingerprint or iris devices.

The certificate remains valid for 12 months from the date of submission, and there is no fixed deadline. Pensioners unable to use a smartphone can seek help from family members or request doorstep services from banks and India Post Payments Bank. Once a new certificate is submitted and processed, delayed pension amounts are disbursed.