Family Pension After a Pensioner's Death: Forms, Documents

Published by Karan Bindal, Founder

If a central government pensioner dies and the spouse is named in the Pension Payment Order (PPO), the spouse claims family pension from the pension-paying bank in Form 12, with a copy of the death certificate and an undertaking in Format 9. Under the CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021, the bank has to start payment within one month of the claim, and family pension counts from the day after the death.

Who this guide covers

This guide follows the rules for central government civil pensioners. State governments, the armed forces, public sector companies and banks have their own pension rules, and we have not covered them here. Ask the office that paid the pension which rules apply.

Two other things are often confused with family pension:

EPS pension for private sector employees is claimed from EPFO using Form 10D. See our PF claim guide.
Widow pension (vidhwa pension) is a separate welfare scheme, run through state governments. See our checklist for widows.

First: tell the bank

Inform the pension-paying branch in writing as soon as you can, and keep a stamped copy. Pension credited after the death may have to be returned, and the Format 9 undertaking is a promise to refund any excess payment.

"Form 14" is the old form

Many people still search for family pension Form 14. That number comes from the 1972 Rules. Under the 2021 Rules, the forms are:

Form 12: claim to the bank, by a spouse or co-authorised family member named in the PPO
Form 10: claim to the Head of Office, the office the person retired from
Form 13: residuary gratuity

We could not confirm whether every bank has updated its counters, so a branch may still hand you an older form. Ask which one it needs, and mention Form 12.

If your name is in the PPO: Form 12

Submit these to the bank:

Form 12, with your photograph, PPO number, date of death and bank details
A copy of the death certificate
The undertaking to the bank in Format 9
Two specimen signatures, or thumb and finger impressions if you cannot sign
Two passport size photographs
A copy of the PPO, if you have it

If a guardian is claiming for a minor or for a person with a mental disability, the form also lists the guardian's signature, photographs, descriptive roll and address proof.

The time limit: the Rules say the bank should begin payment within one month of receiving the claim.

If your name is not in the PPO: Form 10

This applies when the PPO names no family member, or the person now entitled is someone else. Send Form 10 to the Head of Office. The Rules give that office one month from receiving the claim to sanction the pension.

The list is longer, and includes:

Identity proof, and proof of relationship with the person who died
Details of family in Form 4
The Format 9 undertaking
Age certificates for the children
A copy of the PPO and the death certificate
The first page of the passbook, in the same name as on the form

A person who is not the spouse also gives the last income tax return, or another income document. A widowed or divorced daughter, or a disabled child or sibling, adds proof of that status.

The Rules also say a claim must not be rejected only because a family member's details are missing from Form 4 or office records, if the Head of Office is otherwise satisfied about eligibility.

How much is paid

Your PPO is the first place to look, because it states the amount. The Rules set these rates:

Ordinary rate: 30% of pay, with a minimum of ₹9,000 and a maximum of ₹75,000 a month
Enhanced rate if the person died after retiring: 50% of pay for seven years, or until the date they would have turned 67, whichever is earlier. It cannot exceed the pension authorised at retirement.
Enhanced rate if the person died in service: 50% of pay for ten years
Limits on the enhanced rate: a minimum of ₹9,000 and a maximum of ₹1,25,000 a month

After the enhanced period ends, the ordinary rate applies. From age 80, an additional amount starts at 20% of the basic family pension and rises with age. These figures come from the Rules as we read them, and later government orders can change amounts, so confirm yours with the bank or the Head of Office.

The spouse's entitlement, and who comes next

The order is: widow or widower, then eligible children, then dependent parents, then dependent siblings with a disability.

A widow or widower receives it until death or remarriage, and her or his own income from other sources does not affect it.
A childless widow who remarries continues to receive it while her income from other sources is below the minimum family pension and dearness relief. She gives the bank a certificate once a year.
More than one widow: the pension is paid in equal shares.
A son qualifies if unmarried, under 25 and not earning. A daughter qualifies if unmarried, widowed or divorced, and not earning. A child with a disability qualifies if not earning.

Other money to ask about

If a pensioner dies within five years of retiring, the family may be due a residuary gratuity, depending on what was already received. Ask the Head of Office about Form 13.

What we could not confirm

A 2013 government memo said Form 14 was not needed where the pensioner and spouse held a joint account, and a simple letter was enough. It predates the 2021 Rules, so ask your bank.
We found no official instruction on what a family must do about the life certificate or Jeevan Pramaan after a death, apart from telling the bank. Ask the bank what it needs from the family pensioner from now on.
Unified Pension Scheme and NPS family benefits for government staff are not covered here. See our NPS guide.

If there is a dispute, for example between two people claiming to be the spouse, please see a lawyer.

Help your family find these papers

The PPO is easy to lose in a file nobody has opened for years. Our free family checklist shows what to note down, and Aakhri Pal keeps these details and documents in one private place for your family.

See also: documents needed after a death.

Last checked: 31 October 2026. We read the 2021 Rules in a reproduction of the Gazette text, not on a government site, and later orders can change amounts. This is general guidance, not legal advice.

Sources: CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021, list of forms, Pay and Accounts Office, Delhi · Form 12 · Form 10 · Format 9 · CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021, reproduced text · 2013 memo on Form 14, reproduced