Both parents of govt staff 'have to' give life certificates for pension
New Delhi, Oct 30, 2025
Rule aims to ensure benefits reach the correct people and records are updated, says department
The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) has said that both parents of a deceased government employee have to submit individual life certificates every year to receive any increase in family pension. The rule aims to prevent overpayment of pension benefits and ensure accurate record-keeping.
What changes under the new rule for Pension
Previously, there was no specific provision mandating both parents to submit life certificates separately. This had led to cases where the enhanced family pension continued to be paid at the higher 75 per cent rate even after the death of one parent, resulting in unintentional overpayments.
Under the revised procedure:
Both parents must submit individual life certificates annually.
The certificates are required for continuation of the enhanced family pension at the higher rate of 75 per cent of the last pay drawn.
If only one parent survives, the pension will be reduced to 60 per cent of the last pay drawn.
The rule will help the authorities update records promptly and ensure that benefits are released correctly, DoPPW said.
When are parents eligible for enhanced family pension
Parents of a deceased government servant become eligible when:
The employee dies unmarried or as a widower/widow without children, or
The spouse and all children cease to be eligible for the pension.
In such cases, both dependent parents are entitled to receive the family pension for life. The revised Central Civil Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 2023 specify that this benefit is provided without reference to the parents’ income from other sources.
What is a life certificate
A life certificate is a mandatory declaration by pensioners confirming that they are alive and eligible to receive pension. It is generally submitted between October and November every year to authorised pension disbursing agencies, including banks.
To make the process easier for elderly beneficiaries, those aged 80 years and above can submit their certificates starting October 1 each year instead of November. Pensioners can provide the certificate digitally through Jeevan Pramaan or in person.
Clarification for post-retirement deaths
The DoPPW has also clarified that when a government employee dies after retirement, the family pension at the enhanced rate is payable for seven years, or until the date the deceased would have turned 67, whichever is earlier.
This rule applies to all employees, including those who retire later, such as doctors in the Central Health Service (CHS) who can serve up to 65 years.
The latest clarification by DoPPW seeks to bring uniformity and transparency to pension disbursement, ensuring that dependents of deceased employees receive the correct entitlement and only for as long as they remain eligible.
[The Business Standard]
