DoP&PW Issues Clarification on Timelines for Pension and Gratuity Authorization for Superannuating Employees

DoP&PW Issues Clarification on Timelines for Pension and Gratuity Authorization for Superannuating Employees

NEW DELHI: Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoP&PW) has issued a fresh Office Memorandum (O.M.) dated 31 October 2025, outlining the timelines for completion of various activities involved in the authorization of pension and gratuity on the superannuation of Central Government employees.

The clarification aims to ensure that pensionary benefits are processed and disbursed well before the date of retirement, in line with the provisions of the Central Civil Service (Pension) Rules, 2021.

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According to the circular, each stage of the pension authorization process has defined deadlines to streamline coordination between the Head of Department (HoD), Head of Office, Accounts Officer, and the Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO).

Under Rule 54, every HoD must prepare by the 15th of each month a list of employees due to retire within the next 15 months, enabling early initiation of pension-related work.

Further, Rule 55 mandates obtaining details of government accommodation at least one year before retirement, and forwarding them to the Directorate of Estates for issuance of a No Demand Certificate eight months before the retirement date.

The rules also specify that during the one-year pre-retirement period, service records must be thoroughly verified and any discrepancies corrected. As per Rule 57(2)(a), employees must submit Form 6-A—their pension application—six months prior to retirement.

The Head of Office is required under Rules 59 and 60 to finalize Part-I of Form 7, along with a checklist and pension calculation sheet, four months before the retirement date. Subsequently, the Accounts Officer must process and issue the Pension Payment Order (PPO) at least two months in advance of retirement.

The CPAO, upon receiving the PPO, must issue the Special Seal of Authority within 21 days, forwarding it to the Pension Disbursing Authority to ensure pension payments commence on the due date.

The DoP&PW has directed all Ministries and Departments to circulate the instructions to their pension-related staff for strict compliance, ensuring no delays in the release of retirement benefits.

(O.M. No. 11/1/2025-P&PW(H)-VII, dated 31.10.2025, issued by Subhash Chander, Under Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare, New Delhi.)