Comprehensive Guidelines for Timely Processing of Retirement Dues and Issuance of PPOs

The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) has issued comprehensive guidelines to ensure pension and pensionary dues are paid promptly and Pension Payment Orders (PPOs / e-PPOs) are issued at least two months before retirement for all Central Civil Services employees.

Major thrust areas

• Digitization of Service Records — Achieve 100% adoption of e-HRMS across all ministries and departments so verified service records are readily accessible. For CAPF personnel under MHA, fully implement the Employee Payroll System (EPS) and digitize service books.
• Universalization of Bhavishya Portal — Mandate use of the Bhavishya portal for end-to-end pension processing. Ensure mapping and training of DDOs, PAOs and pension disbursing authorities on the renewed Form 6A and workflow modules.
• High-Level Oversight Committee (HLOC) — Constituted under the Secretary (Pension) to monitor pendency and adherence to timelines across ministries, with bimonthly reviews and monthly compliance reports.
• Pension Mitras / Welfare Officers — Appoint dedicated officers to assist employees and dependents with documentation and claims; they will handhold retiring employees until PPO/e-PPO issuance.

Key rules and timelines

PPO / e-PPO issuance: Must be generated no later than two months before the date of superannuation, per Rule 63(1)(a) of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021.

Vigilance clearance (VC): Pension processing cannot be delayed for want of VC; VCs should be issued within three months prior to retirement (VC validity = 3 months).

Provisional pension: Where departmental or judicial proceedings are pending, provisional pension should be authorised immediately; gratuity may be withheld until proceedings are concluded.

Roles & responsibilities (annexure highlights)

Process step	Authority	Timeline
Prepare list of employees retiring in next 12–15 months	Head of Department	1 Jan, 1 Apr, 1 Jul, 1 Oct each year
Communicate list to PAO	Head of Office	31 Jan, 30 Apr, 31 Jul, 31 Oct each year
Verify service records & determine emoluments	Head of Office (with DDO)	8 months before retirement
Employee submits Form 6A & documents	Retiring employee	6 months before retirement
Submit pension papers to PAO	Head of Office	Within 2 months of Form 6A submission
Issue PPO/ePPO to PAO	PAO	Within 45 days of receiving pension papers
Dispatch PPO/ePPO to Paying Authority	CPAO	On retirement date
Special seal & half-copy to PDA; handover to retiree	CPAO; Head of Office	4 months and 2 months before retirement, respectively
Credit pension to retiree’s account	CPAO / Paying Branch	By 20th of retirement month; final by end of month

Monitoring & Capacity building

DoPPW and each ministry will set up nodal oversight mechanisms to track pending cases via Bhavishya. Monthly meetings chaired by nodal officers will address issues and clear files repeatedly returned for documentation gaps. Officials (DDOs, HoOs, HoDs, PAOs, CPAO) will be trained on Bhavishya via iGOT-Karmayogi modules.

Reported Bhavishya metrics

Onboarded: 99 ministries/departments, 1,036 offices, 9,536 DDOs. Since mandatory implementation from 1 January 2017, 2,93,644 PPOs have been issued. The revamped Form 6A and automated timeline uploads have improved processing speed.

These guidelines aim to eliminate delays, ensure transparency, and provide retiring central government employees prompt access to their entitled pensionary benefits.

Source: Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) — Press Information Bureau (PIB) release dated 30 September 2025.