Life Certificate for Pensioners: Last Date, Face Authentication at Home, and What Happens If You Miss It

Every year a pensioner has to prove to the bank that pays the pension that they are alive. That proof is the life certificate, and for most Central Government pensioners it falls due in November. It can now be given in two minutes on a smartphone, at the door through a postman, or across the counter at any branch of your bank. This guide sets out the dates, each way of submitting, the extra certificates family pensioners owe, and exactly what happens to the pension if the certificate is late.

Written on 3 November 2026. The dates and rules for Central Government civil pensioners are from the Central Pension Accounting Office's scheme for payment of pensions (sixth edition, 2026), which banks follow. EPS-95, defence and State Government pensioners have their own rules, set out below. DoPPW's fifth nationwide digital life certificate campaign is running from 1 to 30 November 2026.

Who must submit, and when

Two practical points. You can give the certificate at any branch of the bank that pays your pension, not only your home branch (CPAO scheme, para 17.2(A)(iii)). And the bank must give you a signed acknowledgement for a paper certificate, and a digital acknowledgement for a digital one; the Reserve Bank's pension directions of 2026 make the signed acknowledgement mandatory (Chapter VI). Keep it until the next year.

Five ways to submit

If you are seriously ill or bedridden, send the branch an intimation with a doctor's certificate; the scheme provides for the bank to depute an officer to record the life certificate at your home or in hospital (para 17.2(D)).

The face app, step by step

Before you start, the Aadhaar number must already be registered with your pension bank or post office, and you need your Pension Payment Order (PPO) number and pension account number at hand. The official Android manual asks for a phone on Android 9 or later, an internet connection and a camera of 5 megapixels or more; an iPhone version is also available.

1. Install AadhaarFaceRD. It is UIDAI's face-capture service, from the Play Store (or App Store). It shows no icon after installing; it appears only under Settings, App info. That is normal.
2. Install Jeevan Pramaan and open it. Allow the permissions it asks for. The app works in Hindi and other languages; pick one from the menu at the top.
3. Register the operator, once. Anyone can be the operator, including the pensioner. Enter the operator's Aadhaar number, a mobile number and e-mail, then the OTP, then scan the operator's face. The phone can then make certificates for several pensioners.
4. Enter the pensioner's details. Aadhaar number, mobile number and the OTP, then the name, PPO number, type of pension, sanctioning authority, disbursing agency and bank account, and whether the pensioner has re-married or been re-employed. Pick the PPO from the list if it appears. Check every field: wrong details are the reason a bank rejects a digital certificate.
5. Scan the pensioner's face. Keep the face inside the circle and blink when asked, following the prompts on screen.
6. Note the Pramaan ID. It appears on screen and comes by SMS with a link to download the certificate. The certificate goes to your bank automatically; there is nothing to hand in. Keep the ID to download the certificate later from the Jeevan Pramaan site.

The method is catching on. In DoPPW's November 2025 campaign, 1.54 crore digital life certificates were generated and over 91 lakh of them, more than 60%, by face authentication; more than 11 lakh came from pensioners aged 80 and above. The 2026 campaign, running from 1 to 30 November in 2,000 cities and districts, aims at 2.30 crore digital certificates, 1.50 crore of them by face.

What happens if you miss the last date

The bank does not cut the pension off without warning. Under the CPAO scheme, pension banks send SMS or e-mail reminders on 24 October, 1 November, 15 November and 25 November, draw up a list on 1 December of pensioners who have not submitted, and write to them again, offering a doorstep visit for no more than ₹60 (para 17.2(B)).

That is para 17.12 of the scheme. The pension is not forfeited by a late certificate, but every month of delay is a month without it in the account, and after three years the restart goes through the department, which takes time. Submit early in November; at 80 or above, in October.

Family pensioners: the certificates on top

• Life certificate, on the same dates as a pensioner.
• Marriage or re-marriage certificate. An unmarried, widowed or divorced daughter, or a son, drawing family pension gives a self-certificate of non-marriage every November. For a widow or widower, the scheme's form is a one-time undertaking, given when the family pension starts, to report a re-marriage, though para 17.7 also speaks of a yearly certificate, so ask your bank which it wants (para 17.7 and Annexure XXI). A disabled child keeps the family pension even after marriage.
• Income certificate. Every family pensioner other than the spouse certifies each November that they have not started earning a livelihood (para 17.8).

A pensioner drawing dearness relief also gives a non-employment or re-employment certificate each November (para 17.4). If it is missing, only the dearness relief is held back.

Living abroad

A pensioner living outside India can send a life certificate signed by an authorised official at an Indian mission (Embassy, High Commission or Consulate), a notary public, or an officer of an Indian authorised bank's branch in that country, in November (October and November at 80 and above). Where the pension is paid through a scheduled bank, an officer of that bank can sign. An authorised agent in India may produce the certificate on your behalf, signed by a magistrate, notary, banker or diplomatic representative (para 17.3).

Why a digital certificate is rejected, and how to avoid it

• A detail that does not match the bank's record. The PPO number, the disbursing agency and the account must match exactly. The Jeevan Pramaan manual warns that incorrect information leads to rejection.
• Aadhaar not registered with the bank or post office. This is a precondition for a digital certificate; register it at the branch first.
• The wrong office chosen. Pick the pension sanctioning authority and the disbursing agency named in your PPO, not a similar-sounding one.
• Nothing to show for it. Keep the Pramaan ID and the SMS. If the bank says it has nothing, download the certificate with that ID and take it to the branch.

One caution: the face app asks for an OTP only in the flow you start yourself. Nobody from a bank, EPFO or a pension office needs your OTP over a call, and EPFO has told pensioners not to pay anyone for its free doorstep service.

Frequently Asked Questions

By when must the life certificate be given? For Central Government pensioners and family pensioners, 30 November. At 80 and above the window opens a month earlier, on 1 October. EPS-95 pensioners have no fixed month: their certificate counts for twelve months from the day they submit it.

My father is 82. When should he submit? Any time from 1 October. A certificate he gives in October or November holds good until 30 November the following year.

Can I submit at a branch other than my home branch? Yes. The CPAO scheme lets you give it at any branch of the bank that pays your pension, and the branch must acknowledge it.

Will I lose my pension if I am late? You will not lose the entitlement, but the bank may not credit the pension for December onwards until it has your certificate. If no certificate is given for three years in a row, the papers go back to CPAO and restarting needs a fresh sanction.

Is the face authentication free? The Jeevan Pramaan and AadhaarFaceRD apps are free. A postman's doorstep service through IPPB costs ₹70, but is free for EPS-95 pensioners under EPFO's arrangement. A bank's doorstep visit offered after the deadline is capped at ₹60 under the CPAO scheme, and a CSC may charge a small fee.

How do I know my digital life certificate reached the bank? You get a Pramaan ID on screen and by SMS, and the certificate goes to your bank automatically. You can download it from the Jeevan Pramaan site with that ID; if in doubt, ask the branch to confirm it is recorded.

Do EPS-95 pensioners have to submit in November? No. Since November 2020 EPFO accepts the certificate at any time of the year, and it counts for twelve months from the date given.