Due to COVID-19 pandemic, Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has made several channels available to pensioners to submit Digital Life Certificate (DLC). Over 67 lakh pensioners can now get access to their social security benefit with ease said the Labour Ministry.
Note that pensioners classified under Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995 (EPS-95) are required to submit Jeevan Pramaan Patra (JPP) or Digital Life Certificate (DLC) every year to get access to uninterrupted pension benefits. The JPPs/DLCs submitted through any of the methods recommended are equally valid.
1. How to Submit DLC?
You can submit DLC through any of the following ways:
- Any of the 135 regional offices and 117 district offices of the EPFO across the country.
- Pension-disbursing bank branch or post office.
- Any of the 3.65 lakh Common Services Centres (CSCs).
- On UMANG app.
- Doorstep DLC service launched by India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) at a nominal fee.
To get the doorstep DLC service from IPPB, you must submit an online request. A postman from your nearest post office will visit the pensioner and guide through the process of generating DLC.
2. When to Submit DLC?
The latest guidelines permit the EPS pensioners to submit DLC at any time during the year based on their convenience. The JPP/DLC will remain valid for a year from the date of submission. Earlier, all pensioners had to submit JPP/DLC in November every year.
Also Read: Labour Ministry Releases Draft Rules Under Social Security Code, 2020
3. What Led to the Change in Guidelines?
Since all pensioners had to submit the life certificate in November, it created long waiting queues and rushed for the submission. The new guidelines provide hassle-free social security cover to pensioners making it safer during the COVID-19 times as senior citizens are at a high risk of contracting the infection.
4. What About Pensioners Who Received PPO in 2020?
Pensioners who received Pension Payment Order (PPO) in 2020 need not submit JPP/DLC for one year.
Leave all the worries of waiting in a queue to submit your life certificate amidst the pandemic. Use the most convenient way to submit the certificate only when the validity of the last submitted certificate is about to end.
For any clarifications/feedback on the topic, please contact the writer at apoorva.n@cleartax.in
