Every November, many pensioners worry about the same thing: will the pension stop if the life certificate is not in on time? For decades the answer meant standing in a bank queue with a form, often at an age when walking to the branch is hard. Jeevan Pramaan changed that. It is a government service that lets a pensioner prove they are alive from a phone or a computer, or at a nearby centre, without any paperwork.
This guide explains how Jeevan Pramaan works, who can use it, what you need, the two ways to generate the certificate (fingerprint or iris, and face scan), how to check that it was accepted, and what to do if it is rejected. It is written for pensioners and for the family members who usually end up helping them.
What Jeevan Pramaan is
Government pensioners have to prove every year that they are alive so that the pension keeps coming. Jeevan Pramaan is the digital way to do that. The official portal describes it as a biometric-enabled digital service for pensioners. It uses the Aadhaar platform to check your identity, and the certificate it creates is stored online in a repository that your pension disbursing agency can reach.
The service covers pensioners of the Central Government, State Governments and other government organisations. The certificate you generate is called a Digital Life Certificate (DLC), and it carries a Jeevan Pramaan ID.
You do not have to hand the certificate to anyone. The bank, post office or treasury that pays your pension can look it up electronically, which is the whole point of the system.
Who can use it, and who cannot
The portal’s FAQ gives a clear rule. You can use Jeevan Pramaan if your Pension Sanctioning Authority (the office that sanctioned your pension) has been onboarded to the service. The list of onboarded authorities appears under the circulars section of the site, so check it before you start.
Two groups cannot use it. Pensioners who are re-employed and pensioners who have re-married must submit a life certificate the conventional way, which means directly through their pension disbursing agency.
It is also worth knowing what the service is not. It is not a pension scheme, it does not change the amount of your pension, and it does not replace Aadhaar. You need Aadhaar to use it, and the details you enter must match what your agency holds. If you are saving for retirement rather than drawing a pension, our guides to NPS, EPF and annuities cover those stages instead.
What you need before you begin
Keep these details ready. According to the portal’s FAQ, wrong information can lead to the certificate being rejected.
- Your Aadhaar number or Virtual ID (VID).
- Your name and a mobile number that works, since the SMS with your ID goes there.
- Your Pension Payment Order (PPO) number.
- Your pension account number and bank details.
- The names of your Pension Sanctioning Authority and Pension Disbursing Agency.
Registration can be done through the PC app or the mobile app, or at a Jeevan Pramaan centre. Centres are run by Common Service Centres (CSCs), banks and government offices. The portal’s home page says the PC app needs Windows 10 or above and the mobile app Android 10 or above.
Three ways to generate your Jeevan Pramaan certificate
| Method | What you need | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| At a centre (CSC, bank, post office, government office) | Aadhaar and PPO details; the operator uses the biometric device | Pensioners without a smartphone |
| At home with a fingerprint or iris device | A certified biometric device with its RD service, the Jeevan Pramaan app and internet | Those who already own a device |
| At home with the face app | An Android phone, the Aadhaar Face RD service and the face app | Most smartphone users |
At a centre or agency counter, the operator enters your details and you give your biometrics (fingerprint or iris). After Aadhaar-based authentication, you get a Jeevan Pramaan ID by SMS. The FAQ adds that the certificate still needs approval from the pension sanctioning or disbursing authority.
At home with a device, the FAQ says you need an STQC-certified biometric device, the device’s RD service installed, the Jeevan Pramaan application and an internet connection.
How the face authentication app works
For many pensioners the face app is the easiest route, because no extra device is needed. The portal states that the app uses the phone camera. You need the Aadhaar Face RD service, available on the Google Play Store, along with the Jeevan Pramaan face app. The FAQ lists these minimum phone specifications:
- Android 7.0 (SDK 24) or later.
- 4 GB RAM or more.
- 64 GB storage, with at least 500 MB free.
- A camera of 5 MP or better.
The face app works only within India. The DoPPW campaign announcement adds that face authentication works on Android as well as iOS phones, so check the current app store listing for your phone. The steps are the same for everyone: install the two apps, enter your details, allow camera access, and look at the camera in good light until the scan is complete. A younger family member can help with the set-up. After success, an SMS with your Jeevan Pramaan ID arrives on your registered mobile number.
If your fingerprints are worn, which is common at older ages, the face route or iris scan is usually the better choice.
When to submit: the November window
The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) is running its Nationwide Digital Life Certificate Campaign 5 from 1 to 30 November 2026, according to its press release of 30 October 2026. Camps are planned in 2,000 districts and cities, with banks, post offices and pensioners’ associations helping, and the focus is on face authentication. The release gives the campaign dates. It does not state how long a certificate stays valid or what your personal due date is.
On validity, here is what the readable sources say. The Jeevan Pramaan portal FAQ says the certificate is “not valid for life” and that its validity follows the rules of the Pension Sanctioning Authority, after which a new ID is needed. The portal gives no fixed date. You may also see other guides quoting a flat rule, such as a 30 November deadline each year or an earlier start for pensioners aged 80 and above. We could not confirm those on a page we could read, so do not rely on them. Ask your bank, post office or treasury for the due date that applies to you.
The safe habit is simple. Submit early in the window, keep the SMS, and never leave it for the last week, when helplines and centres are busiest.
How to check that it was accepted
Getting an ID by SMS means the authentication worked. It does not by itself mean your agency has accepted the certificate. The portal’s FAQ explains how to find out:
- Log in to the pensioner section of the Jeevan Pramaan portal with your ID details.
- Download the certificate. The portal says this shows whether it has been accepted or rejected.
- Do not treat the SMS with your ID as proof of acceptance. The portal tells you to download the certificate to know its status.
- Ask your bank or treasury to confirm that the certificate shows against your pension account.
It is a good idea to download the PDF and save it in your phone and email. If a question arises later about a stopped pension, the certificate and the SMS are your evidence.
If the certificate is rejected or the pension stops
A rejection is usually due to a mismatch, such as a wrong PPO number, an incorrect account number or a name spelled differently from the pension records. The FAQ says to contact your pension disbursing agency, and then generate a new Jeevan Pramaan ID with correct information and biometrics.
If your pension stops while you believe you have submitted, work through these steps:
- Check whether the SMS with your ID actually arrived.
- Log in and see if the certificate is marked accepted or rejected.
- Visit or call the bank, post office or treasury that pays the pension, with your PPO number and the Jeevan Pramaan ID.
- If the agency does not respond, write to the Pension Sanctioning Authority and keep a copy.
- For help with the service itself, email the Jeevan Pramaan team at jeevanpramaan@gov.in, or send “JPL” followed by your pincode as an SMS to 7738299899 to find a nearby centre.
Pensioners who cannot use any digital route can still submit the life certificate the old way at the agency. The digital option is a convenience and not a compulsion.
Helping a parent or grandparent
Many pensioners are happiest when a family member sits beside them. Do the set-up on a day when the phone is charged, the internet is steady and the room is well lit. Keep the PPO book and the Aadhaar card on the table, and read each field aloud before you press submit. A single wrong digit in the account number is the kind of slip that leads to rejection and a wasted week. If the pensioner lives in another city, a video call while they follow the steps is better than asking them to manage alone. Afterwards, note the Jeevan Pramaan ID in a diary and save the downloaded certificate in the family’s shared folder.
Safety tips and family checklist
Because the service uses Aadhaar, treat it with care. Install apps only from the official app store listings linked on the Jeevan Pramaan portal. Do not share your Aadhaar number, OTP or biometrics with a stranger who calls to “renew” your pension. A genuine process never needs you to pay money or to transfer funds. Centres operated by CSCs, banks and government offices should not charge you for authentication, and the portal FAQ does not mention any fee. If someone asks for a large amount, question it.
Pension money is also an income, so plan for tax on it. Our guide to senior citizen income tax explains how pensions are taxed, and the income tax calculator helps you estimate the bill.
Key takeaways
- Jeevan Pramaan is the digital life certificate service for government pensioners, using Aadhaar biometrics.
- You can generate it at a centre, at home with a fingerprint or iris device, or at home with a phone face scan.
- Re-employed and re-married pensioners cannot use it, and your pension sanctioning authority must be onboarded.
- Keep PPO, account and Aadhaar details exact, since a mismatch is the most common reason for rejection.
- Submit early in the November window, download the certificate and confirm acceptance with your agency.
- The face app needs Android 7.0 or later, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage and a 5 MP camera.
This guide is general information and not personal advice. Rules and dates change, so confirm with your pension disbursing agency.
