FAQ’s On Pension Account
Q1. Can any pensioner draw his/her pension from HDFC Bank?
Yes, a pensioner can draw his/her pension from any HDFC Branch if he/she is a Central/State Govt. Pensioner/Defence/Autonomous Body/EPFO pensioner, which has agreed arrangement for pension payment with our Bank.
Q2. What are basic Documents required for opening a pension Account?
For Central / State Government / Defence:
- Release Order
- Retirement Order
- PPO copy
For EPFO – Opening as well as for Conversion of Existing Saving / Salary to Garv Pension Saving Account (any one of the following)
- A letter from the company stating that the customer is / was working with them (with date of retirement)
- Copy of Form 10 D duly signed by the employer
- Copy of Letter from pension authority wherein pensioner has been directed to open a pension a/c
- Copy of the PPO (The pages mentioning the basic details of the pensioner along with the signature / stamp of the pension disbursing authority)
- Copy of the Scheme certificate (EPS 1995) issued by the EPFO
Additionally, a request letter from client is required for opening/converting to pension account.
Q.3 Can a pensioner open a Joint Account with his/her spouse?
Yes, Pensioners can open Joint Account only with their spouses. The pensioner should be the primary holder.
Q4. What will be the Operating Instructions for Joint Pension Account?
The Joint Account of the pensioner with spouse can be operated either by ‘‘Former or Survivor" or “Either or Survivor".
Q5. Can I convert my existing savings account to pension account?
Existing savings account may be used for receiving pension credits; however, any specific benefits/features of separate Garv Pension Saving Account will not apply.
Q6. Where can a customer update their life certificate?
Pensioners can update their life certificates either using Jeevan Praman app from their residence (available as Android mobile app), Jeevan Praman Patra at Bank branch, or physically filling life certificate form and submitting the same at bank branches. If the pensioner is sick/Incapacitated/old and cannot visit the branch, the customer can request branch staff to visit for Life certificate updation.
Q.7 What will happen if life certificate is not submitted in the month of November?
If life certificate is not submitted in the month of November of a year, payment of pension for December and onwards is not be paid to the pensioner, in accordance with the guidelines from the Pension Sanctioning authority.
Q.8 Who is the pension sanctioning authority?
The Ministry/ Department /Office where the Government servant last served is the pension sanctioning authority. The pension fixation is made by such authority for the first time and thereafter the re-fixation of pay, if any, is done by the pension paying bank based on the instructions from the Central/State Government authorities.
Q.9 Is it compulsory for a pensioner to furnish a Life Certificate / Non-Employment Certificate or Employment Certificate to the bank in the month of November? If so, how can this requirement be complied with?
Yes, the pensioner is required to furnish a Life Certificate / Non - Employment Certificate or Employment Certificate to the bank in the prescribed format in the month of November every year to ensure continued receipt of pension without interruption.
The pensioner can also present himself / herself at any branch of the pension paying bank for being identified for issue of life certificate. In case a pensioner is unable to obtain a Life Certificate on account of serious illness / incapacitation, bank official will visit his / her residence / hospital for the purpose of obtaining the life certificate.
A pensioner having Aadhar number can alternatively submit Jeevan Pramaan, a digital life certificate introduced by the Government of India. For obtaining this, he / she will have to enrol and biometrically authenticate himself / herself by downloading the Jeevan Pramaan application & Adhaar Face Read application from the Google play store.
Once digital life certificate in the form of Jeevan Pramaan is updated, pension paying branches will be able to obtain information about the digital life certificate of their pensioner customers by logging on to the website of Jeevan Pramaan and searching for the certificate using the Pramaan ID.
Q.10 How Can an EPFO pensioner know their PPO number?
A: A Pensioner can visit the Official website of EPFO and then click on “Know your PPO no” then search the PPO using bank account number.
Link - PP Enquiry (epfindia.gov.in)
Q.11 How can an EPFO pensioner know their “Pension Status”?
A: A Pensioner can visit the Official website of EPFO and then click on “Know your Pension Status” then search by using the PPO no.
Link - Know your Pension Status (epfindia.gov.in)
Q.12 How can an EPFO pensioner enquire about their “PPO status”?
A: A Pensioner can visit the Official website of EPFO and then click on “PPO Enquiry/ Payment Enquiry” then search by using the PPO no.
Link - PP Enquiry (epfindia.gov.in)
Q.13 How can an EPFO pensioner enquire about their Life certificate status?
A: A Pensioner can visit the Official website of EPFO and then click on “Jeevan Pramaan Enquiry” then search by using the Jeevan Pramaan ID generated during the life certificate Updation.
Link - https://jeevanpramaan.gov.in/ppouser/login
Q14. How can a Central Civil Pensioner access their PPO details?
A: Pensioners can access vital pension details such as Basic Pension, Number of Revisions, Recent Payment Amount, and Last Updated Life Certificate Date through the Dirghayu Mobile App
Q15. How can a defence pensioner locate nearest HDFC Bank SPARSH enabled branch?
A: One can visit the “Service Centre Locator” section location on the SPARSH website
Link - https://www.sparsh.defencepension.gov.in/?page=serviceCentreLocator
Q16. Should acknowledgement be given by pension paying banks while accepting Life Certificates from pensioners?
There have been complaints that life certificates submitted over the counter of pension paying branches are misplaced causing delay in payment of monthly pensions. In order to alleviate the hardships faced by pensioners, agency banks were instructed to mandatorily issue duly signed acknowledgements.
They were also requested to consider entering the receipt of life certificates in their CBS and issue a system generated acknowledgement which would serve the twin purpose of acknowledgement as well as real time updation of records. Banks may provide digital acknowledgements in respect of digital life certificates submitted by the pensioners.
Q17. Is it possible to submit life certificates without visiting the branch?
Yes, pensioners can submit life certificates without visiting the branch using Jeevan Praman provided the Pension Sanctioning Authority is on boarded on the platform. Further, banks have also been advised to provide super senior citizens (pensioners over 70 years of age) and differently abled or infirm persons (having medically certified chronic illness or disability) including those who are visually impaired, the facility to submit life certificate at the premises/ residence of such customers.
Q18. Can a pensioner withdraw pension from his/ her account when he/she is not able to sign or put thumb/toe impression or unable to be present in the bank?
Yes, instructions have been issued by RBI to pension disbursing banks to allow withdrawal of pension by following certain procedures which are given below: Withdrawal of pension by old/ sick/ disabled/ incapacitated pensioners
(i) In order to take care of problems/ difficulties faced by sick and disabled pensioners in withdrawal of pension / family pension from the banks, agency banks may categorise such pensioners as under: (a) Pensioner who is too ill to sign a cheque / unable to be physically present in the bank.
(b) Pensioner who is not only unable to be physically present in the bank but also not even able to put his/her thumb impression on the cheque/ withdrawal form due to certain physical defect / incapacity.
(ii) With a view to enabling such old/sick/incapacitated pensioners to operate their accounts, banks may follow the procedure as under:
(a) Wherever thumb or toe impression of the old/sick pensioner is obtained, it should be identified by two independent witnesses known to the bank, one of whom should be a responsible bank official.
(b) Where the pensioner cannot even put his/her thumb/ toe impression and also would not be able to be physically present in the bank, a mark can be obtained on the cheque/withdrawal form, which should be identified by two independent witnesses, one of whom should be a responsible bank official.
The responsible bank official has to be from the same bank, preferably from the same branch, where the pensioner is having his/her pension account.
Agency banks have been asked to display the instructions issued in this regard on their notice board at the branches so that sick and disabled pensioners can make full use of these facilities.
Q19. Whether a pensioner is entitled for any compensation from the agency banks for delayed credit of pension/ arrears of pension?
Yes, pension paying banks should compensate the pensioner for delay in crediting pension/ arrears thereof at a fixed interest rate of 8 per cent per annum for the delay after the due date of payment. This compensation should be credited to the pensioner's account automatically without any claim from the pensioner on the same day when the bank affords credit for revised pension/ pension arrears, in respect of all delayed pension payments made since October 1, 2008.
Q20. Whether a Joint Account can be continued for family pension after death of a pensioner?
Yes, the banks should not insist on opening of a new account in case of Central Government pensioner if the spouse in whose favour an authorization for family pension exists in the Pension Payment Order (PPO) is the survivor. The family pension should be credited to the existing account without opening a new account by the family pensioner for this purpose
Q21. When is the pension credited to the pensioner's account by the paying branch?
The pension paying banks credit the pension amount in the accounts of the pensioners based on the instructions given by the Pension Paying Authorities
Q22. Can the pension paying bank recover the excess amount credited to the pensioner’s account?
(a) Agency banks are requested to seek guidance from respective Pension Sanctioning Authorities regarding the process to be followed for recovery of excess pension paid to the pensioners, if any.
(b) Where excess pension payment has arisen on account of mistakes committed by the bank, the amount paid in excess should be refunded to the Government in lump-sum immediately after detection of the same and without waiting for recovery of any amount from the pensioners
Q23. How the payment of Dearness Relief at revised rate is to be paid to the pensioners?
The pension paying agency banks have to revise the Dearness Relief based on the copies of government orders provided by government to them through post, fax, emails or by accessing the information from the website of the concerned governments, and authorize their pension paying branches to make payments to the pensioners immediately
