EPFO extends last date to submit life certificates of pensioners till January 15

Providing relief to around 50 lakh pensioners facing difficulties in banks due to demonetisation, retirement fund body EPFO has extended the last date for submission of life certificate till January 15.

"Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has directed its over 120 field offices that the last date for submission of life certificate by pensioners is extended till January 15, 2017," a senior official said.  

"The decision is in line with the central government'smove to extend the date for submission of life certificate till January 15, 2017," he said. As per the practice, the EPFO pensioners are required to submit their life certificate by November.

In case the pensioners don't submit their life certificate their pension is stopped. "The decision is taken in view of heavy work load in banks due to demonetisation. Now pensioners are also allowed to submit their life certificate at over two lakh common service centres across the country," the official explained.

EPFO also accepts life certificate through Jeevan Pramaan software application through mobile phones. Besides the pensioners can use over two lakh common service centres across country to submit their life certificates. Earlier this month, the central government had extended the date of submission of life certificate for its pensioners till January 15, 2017.

The EPFO runs three social security scheme -- Employees'Provident Fund 1952, Employees' Pension Scheme 1995 andEmployees' Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme 1976 to provideprovident fund, pension and group term insurance to its overfour crore subscribers.