Revised Standard Operating Procedure for Digital Proof of Life and Pension Disbursement

Islamabad, the 18 September, 2026
GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN
MINISTRY OF FINANCE

No.2(115)PFMR-II-2022 -2032
From
Wajeeha Bashir
DS-(PFMR)
To
1- Governor State Bank of Pakistan Karachi, Governor, State Bank of Pakistan Karachi, 2- Umar Ali Khan, Controller General of Accounts, CGA, Islamabad 3- Kashif Ahmad Noor, Military Accountant General, MAG, Rawalpindi 4- Colonel (Retd) Noman Aziz, Chief of Staff, NADRA, Islamabad SUBJECT: REVISED STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (SOP) DIGITAL PROOF REVISED STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (SOP) FOR DIGITAL PROOF OF LIFE AND PENSION DISBURSEMENT
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND
1.1. In pursuance of Prime Minister's directives, the Federal Government has formally eliminated the role
of commercial banks in carrying out biometric verification or Proof of Life Certificate (PoLC) verification of pensioners for the purpose of pension payment under the Federal Government Receipt and Payment Rules,
2025. The initiative is aimed at facilitating pensioners, simplifying verification procedures, reducing
dependence on commercial banks and enhancing the efficiency, accessibility and transparency of pension administration. This SOP shall apply, in accordance with the Civil Services Regulations, to Federal Government pensioners who are retired civil servants, including pensioners residing in Pakistan and those residing abroad but receiveing their pension in Pakistan. It shall cover pensioners receiving pension emoluments under the Defined Benefits Pension Scheme in accordance with the Federal Government Receipt and Payment Rules, 2025. The institutions covered under this SOP are listed at Annex-I.
1.2. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has integrated pensioners’ data with
the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) and Military Accountant General (MAG) through secure APIbased connectivity. Under this arrangement, the Digital Life Signal (DLS) is transmitted directly from NADRA to CGA/MAG, bypassing commercial banking channels and enabling a secure, efficient and technology-driven mechanism for verification of pensioners.
1.3. Role of commercial banks shall be limited to Pension Disbursement Agencies and the commercial
banks shall have no statutory or administrative role in the verification, collection, retention, or validation of PoLC or biometric data, in ordinary circumstances. However, where specifically authorized, commercial banks may act strictly as an operational conduit through NADRA’s designated system for generation or transmission of PoLCs. Furthermore, no pension disbursing account of a pensioner shall be rendered dormant by the commercial banks solely for the purpose of processing or disbursing pension payments.
1.4. These SOPs shall supersede all previous SOPs on the subject matter, including those issued on 07
September 2026, 06 January 2021, 05 January 2016, 29 September 2014 and 06 May 2011, and shall th Wajeeha Bashir DS PFM Reforms 18 September, 2026, 12:59:49 PM

formally abolish the physical “Disburser’s Half” process, as Federal Government pensions are disbursed exclusively through the Direct Credit System (DCS).
1.5. The revised SOP haS been developed in consultation with the relevant stakeholders, including
the State Bank of Pakistan, CGA/AG Offices, MAG, NADRA, and Finance Division, with the objective of facilitating pensioners through a convenient, accessible and technology-enabled mechanism, while strengthening the verification process and ensuring greater efficiency, transparency and security in pension disbursements.
1.6. In terms of Finance Division's clarification dated August 22, 2026, pensioners' accounts shall not be
marked as dormant by the commercial banks, for the purposes of the Federal Government Receipt and Payment Rules, 2025. Going forward, pension disbursing accounts shall not be rendered dormant solely on the basis of non-completion of biometric verification or Proof of Life formalities, for the purposes of this SOP and the said Rules.
SECTION 2: DEFINITIONS
i. API (Application Programming Interface): A secure, real-time digital interface that facilitates
the exchange of authorized data between NADRA and CGA/MAG databases.
ii. DCS (Direct Credit System): The electronic payment mechanism crediting pensions directly to
designated bank accounts.
iii. Digital Ledger: The centralized electronic record maintained by CGA/MAG/Pension Controller
tracking verification timestamps and status.
iv. Digital Life Signal: The electronic confirmation of a pensioner's continued existence, transmitted
securely from NADRA to CGA/MAG through API.
v. Disburser's Half: The physical pension payment document/booklet/paper-based documentation
previously used for pension payments, which now stands abolished.
vi. Dormant Account: A pension account previously marked inactive in accordance with the earlier
SOPs and the Federal Government Receipt and Payment Rules, 2025.
vii. Fall-back Mechanism: An alternative physical verification route at district accounts offices /
pension facilitation centers utilizing Form-10 (manual Life Certificate), Form-11 (certificate for pensioners residing abroad but receiving pensions in Pakistan) or Form-12 (non-marriage / remarriage declaration) where digital PoLC submission and verification is unviable.
viii. MBVS (Multi-Biometric Verification System): NADRA’s centralized biometric authentication
platform that enables real-time verification of an individual’s identity through biometric credentials.
ix. Pension Controller: Designated officers within CGA/MAG responsible for administering pension
disbursements and maintaining the digital ledger.
x. PoLC (Proof of Life Certificate): Formal verification confirming that a pensioner or eligible
family pensioner is alive and eligible to continue receiving pension benefits.
xi. Suspense Status: A temporary hold is placed on a pension account in the centralized ledger when
no valid digital life signal is received for six (06) consecutive months. During the holding period, pension disbursements shall be suspended; however, the account shall not be classified as dormant.
SECTION 3: RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PENSIONER / FAMILY PENSIONER
3.1. Digital Verification Mandate:
3.1.1. Pensioners shall complete digital PoLC verification through NADRA’s Pak-ID mobile app or
authorized NADRA channels (NADRA Registration Centres, mobile units, e-Sahulat franchises, or bank branches/mobile apps operating strictly as NADRA PoLC centers). Wajeeha Bashir DS PFM Reforms 18 September, 2026, 12:59:49 PM

3.1.2. Biannual Schedule: Pensioners shall complete biometric verification at least once every six (06)
months. The fixed March and September verification requirements are hereby abolished, and pensioners may complete verification at any time during the applicable six (06) month interval.
3.2. Family Pension Declarations: Family pensioners drawing pensions subject to marital status
conditions must submit Form-12 declarations to the Accountant General/District Accounts Officer as required. The existing Form-12 declaration shall, in due course, be supplemented or replaced by an online system for automated verification and updating of family pension eligibility.
3.3. Account Transfers and Discrepancies: The pensioner may opt to change his bank account in
accordance with Rule 34 of the Federal Government Receipt and Payment Rules, 2025. Any overpayment or discrepancy shall be dealt with in accordance with Rule 35(3) of the Federal Government Receipt and Payment Rules, 2025.
3.4. Activation of Pre-August 22, 2026 Dormant Accounts: Commercial banks shall activate
accounts marked as dormant prior to 22 August 2026 upon completion of either of the following options:

Option (i):Undergoing Biometric Verification or PoLC Generation through NADRA's system
hosted at bank branches acting as PoLC verification centers.
Option (ii): Receiving pension credit from CGA/MAG from September 2026 onwards.
SECTION 4: RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ACCOUNTS OFFICE (CGA/MAG) - PENSION
CONTROLLER
4.1. Abolition of Disburser's Half: The physical pension payment document/booklet/paper-based
documentation are abolished. The dynamic digital registers maintained through the Application Programming Interface (API) shall constitute the sole official record for pension disbursement purposes.
4.2. Mandatory NADRA Integration:
4.2.1. Centralized real-time API push integration serves as the primary source of truth.
4.2.2. Systems must automatically process data regarding:
Biometric/Liveness Verification (Digital Life Signal).
Death Registration.
Status updates for family pensions (confirmation of death/re-marriage of widow/widower, marital
status of unmarried/divorced daughters, and age eligibility of child pensioners).
4.3. Ledger Administration & Suspense Threshold:
4.3.1. The system shall automatically calculate the next verification due date based on the timestamp of the
latest successful verification.
4.3.2. Where no valid life signal is received within six (06) consecutive months, the account shall
automatically transition to suspense status.
4.3.3. Upon receipt of a valid biometric verification signal, the system shall automatically restore the account
to active status and release any accrued pension arrears, without requiring bank approval.
4.4. Disbursement & Audit: Pension Rolls shall be generated by the 24 and verified by the 26 of
each month for execution through RAAST/micropayment channels. Quarterly audits and NADRA log reconciliations shall be conducted. th th Wajeeha Bashir DS PFM Reforms 18 September, 2026, 12:59:49 PM

SECTION 5: RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMERCIAL BANK (DISBURSEMENT AGENCY
ROLE)
5.1. Account Opening and Maintenance: Banks shall open Profit and Loss Sharing (PLS) or Current
Accounts exclusively in the sole name of the pensioner or eligible family pensioner. Joint accounts are strictly prohibited, except where explicitly provided under Rule 35(8) of the Federal Government Receipt and Payment Rules, 2025. Accounts shall be maintained free of all service charges.
5.2. Prohibition on PoLC Verification: Commercial banks shall not collect, retain, accept or verify
physical life certificates or biometric data from pensioners in ordinary banking capacity for their pension accounts. Further, commercial banks shall not require or compel pensioners to visit bank branches for biometric verification for pension accounts for PoLC purposes. Where a pensioner approaches a branch with paper documentation, the bank shall direct them to NADRA Pak-ID App or designated NADRA registration centers and shall not collect, retain or process such documentation.
5.3. Dormancy and Debit Restrictions: Commercial banks shall not place a pension account on
dormant status, for the purposes of the Federal Government Receipt and Payment Rules, 2025 and shall not impose debit restrictions due to non-submission of Proof of Life (PoL) to the bank.
5.4. Activation of Pre-August 22, 2026 Dormant Accounts: Commercial banks shall activate accounts
marked as dormant prior to 22 August 2026 upon completion of either of the following options:
Option (i): Undergoing Biometric Verification or PoLC generation through NADRA's system hosted at bank branches acting as POLC verification centers. Option (ii): Receiving pension credit from CGA/MAG from September 2026 onwards.
5.5. Undrawn Pensions: Where an account is placed in suspense status by CGA/MAG and funds remain
uncollected, banks shall remit such funds to Government Receipt Head C02246 upon receipt of formal notice from CGA. The formal notice issued by CGA/MAG shall specify the exact amount, required to be remitted back by the bank. Banks shall not independently suspend/block such accounts, under these SOPs and Rules, without any lawful basis or authority.
SECTION 6: FALLBACK MECHANISM (EXCEPTIONS)
6.1. For pensioners completely unable to generate digital PoLC due to lack of digital access, extreme
advanced age or debilitating medical conditions, or in family pension cases where real-time data regarding re-marriage or marital status is not updated in NADRA records:
6.1.1. Individuals may visit a designated District Accounts Office / pension facilitation centers under
CGA/MAG to submit Form-10 (manual Life Certificate), Form-11 (certificate for pensioners residing abroad but receiving pensions in Pakistan) or Form-12 (non-marriage / re-marriage declaration).
6.1.2. Authorized personnel shall upload the documents directly into the centralized system.
6.1.3. Commercial banks are prohibited from accepting or processing Form-10, Form-11 or Form-12
directly.
SECTION 7: RECONCILIATION AND REMOVAL OF DIFFICULTIES
7.1. Reconciliation: Quarterly reconciliation shall be conducted between the Accounts Offices and
commercial banks on the basis of API logs and digital ledgers. Any discrepancies identified during the reconciliation shall be resolved within six (06) weeks. Wajeeha Bashir DS PFM Reforms 18 September, 2026, 12:59:49 PM

7.2. Resolution Matrix for Account Statuses:
Account Category Status & Treatment Mechanism
Pension accounts marked dormant prior to August 22, 2026 Reactivated through biometric verification or NADRA PoLC centers verification or direct CGA/MAG disbursement from September 2026 onwards. Pension accounts after August 22, 2026 Pension accounts shall not be marked dormant under the Federal Government Receipt and Payment Rules, 2025. Pension accounts in suspense status A temporary hold placed on a pension account in the centralized ledger when no valid digital life signal is received for six (06) consecutive months. Restored automatically upon receipt of PoLC.
7.3. Removal of Difficulties: Operational issues shall be referred to Finance Division through SBP or
CGA/MAG. The commercial banks shall escalate such issues to their respective head offices, direct pensioners to the designated CGA/MAG facilitation cells and honor system-generated payment advices.
Annex-I
This SOP shall apply to pensioners drawing pensionary emoluments from following pension controllers under the administrative control of the Controller General of Accounts and the Military Accountant General:
(a) the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenues and its sub-offices; (b) the Military Accountant General and all its sub-offices; (c) the Offices of the Provincial Accountants General of each province, AJK and GB and the offices subordinate thereto; (d) departmentalized accounting organizations and other departmentalized accounting offices, including those of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan Post, Forest Departments, Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS), Pakistan Mint, Pakistan Railways and Public Works Department (PWD); and (e) all sub-offices of the offices and organizations mentioned above. Note:
The offices referred to in clauses (c), (d) and (e) shall adopt and implement this SOP, upon successful integration with NADRA and CGA/MAG. The department concerned and/or CGA/NADRA shall, upon such integration, notify the SBP accordingly. Wajeeha Bashir DS-(PFMR) Copy for information to:- 1- Imdad Ullah Bosal, Secretary Finance, MOF, Islamabad 2- Iftikhar Amjad, Additional Finance Secretary Budget, MOF, Islamabad 3- Saad Fazil Abbasi, Additional Finance Secretary (Regulation), MOF, Islamabad 4- Saima Saeed, Additional Finance Secretary (Exp & Dev), MOF, Islamabad 5- Abdul Jawwad, JS(Budget-II), MOF, Islamabad Wajeeha Bashir DS PFM Reforms 18 September, 2026, 12:59:49 PM

Wajeeha Bashir
DS-(PFMR)
Wajeeha Bashir DS PFM Reforms 18 September, 2026, 12:59:49 PM