NEW DELHI, Jan 14, 2026, 13:21 (IST)
- EPFO has launched a free home-visit service aimed at assisting EPS pensioners with submitting their Digital Life Certificates
- Staff from India Post Payments Bank, such as postmen and dak sevaks, will carry out biometric submissions directly at pensioners’ homes
- EPFO has instructed its offices to expedite clearing long-standing cases, aiming for a March 2026 deadline
India’s Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has introduced a free doorstep service allowing Employees’ Pension Scheme pensioners to submit their Digital Life Certificate from home, in collaboration with India Post Payments Bank. “The service will be totally free for the pensioners,” EPFO said in a circular cited by local media. The Economic Times
The move comes as pensioners once again grapple with the yearly hassle of proving they’re alive to continue receiving pension payments—a process that often involves travel, long lines, and multiple biometric scans. EPFO and IPPB are now offering home visits as a solution for seniors and others who find it difficult to use phones, visit banks, or go to EPFO offices.
EPFO has directed its field offices to approach long-pending cases as a priority cleanup, rather than just routine paperwork. The agency targets clearing all backlog Digital Life Certificate cases by March 2026, according to Moneycontrol, focusing first on the oldest ones.
The operational push comes under an EPFO circular dated Jan. 9, 2026, which details the rollout of the doorstep Digital Life Certificate service via IPPB for EPS pensioners with pending or due certificates, according to EPFO’s circular listings.
A Digital Life Certificate, also known as Jeevan Pramaan, uses biometric verification tied to Aadhaar, India’s digital ID system, to verify a pensioner’s survival. According to IPPB, the system produces a Pramaan ID once the process is successfully completed and aims to eliminate paper documentation.
According to Telugu media reports, pensioners initiate a doorstep request via IPPB channels. Then, a postman or dak sevak arrives, verifies if the certificate is due, and cross-checks the Pension Payment Order (PPO) name and date of birth against Aadhaar before taking biometrics. Pensioners can book a visit by calling IPPB’s customer care at 033-22029000, the reports added.
EPFO’s standard operating procedure marks a certificate as “successful” if an IPPB operator generates it when it’s due or due within 30 days, and EPFO approves it—either automatically or after manual review. It also specifies that doorstep agents must not charge pensioners and details how EPFO and IPPB will handle reimbursements for successful submissions.
Local reports highlight the service as a solution to cut down on multiple trips for pensioners—particularly those who are sick, elderly, or based far from service centers—by moving the verification process into their homes.
EPFO has been encouraging pensioners with smartphones to submit their certificates via face authentication themselves, aiming to reduce assisted visits gradually. The doorstep service targets those who can’t use the app, particularly pensioners who are overdue.
Still, the service depends heavily on clean data and functioning biometrics. If names or birthdates don’t match between PPO records and Aadhaar, or if authentication fails—or if EPFO drags on approvals—a certificate can get stuck in limbo, leaving pensioners waiting for system updates. The speed of home visits, meanwhile, hinges on the postal network’s capacity.
Pensioners able to navigate existing channels like banks, post offices, or government-backed apps can continue using those. EPFO’s new home service aims to ease the “prove you’re alive” hassle, targeting the backlog that’s been bogging down the system.
