Pension payments of EPS subscribers can be stopped if you don’t submit this document every year; details here

More than 85 lakh people covered under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS-95) depend on their monthly pension payment for financial security, especially if they have limited or no other source of regular income.

As of 31 March 2026, 85,84,604 pensioners were receiving monthly pensions under EPS, according to the government data submitted in Rajya Sabha earlier. The total pension amount disbursed under the scheme up to 31 March 2026 stood at ₹15,819.28 crore.

If you are one of the beneficiaries, it is mandatory to keep your Life Certificate or Jeevan Pramaan valid to avoid disruption in timely pension payments. The document serves as a proof that the pensioners are alive and needs to be submitted every 12 months digitally or in person.

What happens you don’t submit life certificate?

Pensioners in India are required to submit Life Certificate or Jeevan Pramaan Patra, every year to their pension disbursing authority in order to continue receiving their pension payment. There is no specified deadline to submit the document and it remains valid for 12 months from the date of submission.

If a fresh certificate is not submitted before the validity period expires, pension payments can be stopped from the next payment cycle.

However, the pension can also be resumed after the new certificate is submitted and processed. Your delayed or held back pension amount will only be disbursed once the Life Certificate has been received by the authorities.

How can pensioners make the submission online?

Aadhaar-based face authentication allows pensioners to generate their Digital Life Certificate without visiting a bank or pension office. To use this facility, an individual needs a valid Aadhaar number and an active Aadhaar-linked mobile number along with some other pension-related details.

Pensioners must ensure that their Aadhaar number is already registered with the pension disbursing agency, such as a bank or post office. After confirming that, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Download and install ‘AadhaarFaceRD’ and ‘Jeevan Pramaan Face App’ from Google Play Store (for android devices) or App Store (for iOS devices).

Step 2: The pensioner must ensure that the smartphone they are using has at least a 5 MP front camera.

Step 3: Take a photograph from the application to scan the pensioner’s face.

Step 4: Enter the pensioner’s details.

Step 5: Submit after ensuring that the photo scan and details have been filled.

You will receive a message with a link on your registered mobile number. Open that link to download the Jeevan Pramaan Certificate.

The status of your life certificate will be mentioned in your downloaded certificate. Tracking the status of the life certificate after submission can help take prompt action in case of rejection.

What if a pensioner cannot use a smartphone?

A pensioner can also seek assistance from family members or caregivers but if that is not possible at that moment, they can also visit participating banks or post offices to get it done. Biometric authentication through fingerprint or iris devices is also supported through registered devices.

Some banks and India Post Payments Bank also offer doorstep services for elderly or immobile pensioners, making it easier to stay compliant.

For EPS-95 beneficiaries, it is therefore important to track the 12-month validity of their Life Certificate. Those who can use Aadhaar Face Authentication can submit their Jeevan Pramaan from home, while others have alternative options to complete the process and avoid disruption to their monthly pension.