Can I submit my life certificate in October if I am below 80?

The early window from 1 October is only for pensioners aged 80 and above. Others should submit between 1 and 30 November.

Is the Jeevan Pramaan face app free?

Yes. The AadhaarFaceRD and Jeevan Pramaan Face apps are free. Doorstep services by IPPB or banks may charge a small fee.

Do EPS (EPFO) pensioners also have to submit in November?

No. EPS pensioners can submit at any time of the year, and the certificate stays valid for one year from the date of submission.

How do I know the certificate reached my bank?

You get an SMS with a Pramaan ID. You can download the certificate on jeevanpramaan.gov.in and confirm with your bank or its pension processing centre.

Will I lose my pension if I miss the deadline?

No. The pension is paused, not cancelled. Once you submit, the bank restarts it and pays the held-back months as arrears.

Jeevan Pramaan: how to submit your life certificate

Updated 11 October 2026

Every central government pensioner and family pensioner has to give a life certificate once a year, or the pension stops. The window is 1 to 30 November, and pensioners aged 80 or more can submit from 1 October. With Jeevan Pramaan, the Aadhaar-based digital life certificate, you can do it from home on a phone in a few minutes.

Who submits, and when

The dates depend on who pays your pension. For central government civil pensioners the rules come from the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare (DoPPW), which in July 2019 allowed pensioners aged 80 and above to submit from 1 October every year, ahead of the November rush.

Pensioner	When to submit	Valid until
Central government pensioner or family pensioner, below 80	1 to 30 November	30 November of the next year
Aged 80 or above	From 1 October, and by 30 November	30 November of the next year
EPS pensioner (EPFO)	Any time of the year	One year from the date of submission
State government pensioner	As per state rules (many follow November)	As per state rules

Defence, railway, bank and PSU pensioners also give an annual life certificate, though their dates can differ, so check with your pension office.

What Jeevan Pramaan is

Jeevan Pramaan, launched in 2014, is a digital life certificate (DLC). Instead of appearing before a bank officer, you prove who you are through Aadhaar authentication, using your fingerprint, iris or face. The system creates a certificate with a unique Pramaan ID and sends it electronically to your pension disbursing agency, usually your bank.

DoPPW runs a nationwide DLC campaign every November with banks, India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) and pensioners' associations. The fourth campaign, in November 2025, covered more than 2,000 districts and sub-divisional headquarters. In the previous year's campaign, over 1.6 crore life certificates were submitted.

Five ways to submit

Face authentication on your phone, free, using two apps (steps below).
Fingerprint or iris scan at your bank, a post office or a Common Service Centre (CSC).
Doorstep service by the postman through IPPB, for a small fee.
Doorstep banking offered by public sector banks for elderly and unwell pensioners.
In person at your bank branch with the paper life certificate form. If you cannot go, the pension rules also accept a certificate signed by an authorised official, such as a gazetted officer.

How to do it with face authentication

You need a smartphone with a camera (the apps are on Android, and an iPhone version is available), an internet connection and your Aadhaar number.

Install the AadhaarFaceRD app and the Jeevan Pramaan Face app from your app store.
Complete operator authentication once. The operator can be you or a family member: enter the operator's Aadhaar number, mobile number and email, type the OTP and scan the operator's face.
Enter the pensioner's Aadhaar number and mobile number, then the OTP.
Fill in or confirm the PPO number, type of pension, sanctioning authority, disbursing agency (your bank) and account number. These must match the bank's records exactly.
Give consent and scan the pensioner's face. Sit upright in even light, look straight at the camera with eyes open, and remove tinted glasses.
You get a Pramaan ID on screen and by SMS. Use it to download the certificate from jeevanpramaan.gov.in.

Most rejections come from a wrong PPO number or bank account, or a poor face scan. Keep your pension order handy; our guide on what a PPO contains shows where each detail is printed.

What happens if you miss the deadline

Missing 30 November does not cancel your pension. The bank pauses payment from December and restarts it once your certificate reaches it, paying the held-back months as arrears in the next pension cycle. If no certificate has been given for three years or more, the bank needs fresh authority through the Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO), which takes much longer.

Worked example. Mrs Rao's basic pension is ₹20,000 and Dearness Relief at 60% adds ₹12,000, so she receives ₹32,000 a month. She forgets to submit in November and gives her certificate on 15 February. Her December and January pensions are held back: 2 × ₹32,000 = ₹64,000. If the bank updates its records before the February run, her February credit is ₹32,000 + ₹64,000 = ₹96,000.

Validity runs to 30 November of the following year. So if you are 80 or older and submit on 5 October 2026, the certificate is valid until 30 November 2027, and you can give the next one from 1 October 2027.

What to keep ready

Aadhaar number (or Virtual ID) and a working mobile number for OTPs
PPO number, bank name and pension account number
Name of the pension sanctioning authority (your former department) and the disbursing agency
For family pensioners, any extra declaration your bank asks for, such as a non-remarriage or non-employment certificate, where it applies

Pensioners who turn 80 also become entitled to additional pension, and family pensioners should read family pension rules. For the current Dearness Relief rate, see the DA rate table. Official guidance is on the DoPPW website.