The Department of Pension and Pensioner’s Welfare of the Government of India pays a Family Pension to the eligible family members of deceased government employees as per the Family Pension Rules After Death of a Pensioner. According to these rules, the family pension is paid in the event of the unfortunate death of an employee who had either already retired or was in service but was on the date of death receiving either a pension or a compassionate allowance from the government.
The Family Pension Rules After Death of a Pensioner are formally known as the Central Civil Services (CCS) Pension Rules, which were formulated in 1972 and have since been amended quite a few times, with the latest being in the year 2021.
What is the Definition of Family As Per Pension Rules?
So, who is eligible for a family pension? Well, according to the Family Pension Rules After Death Of Pensioner, only the family of the employee is eligible, and the term family includes the following:
- The deceased employee’s widower or widow. They are included in the deceased pensioner’s family until their death or remarriage, whichever is earlier.
- Children of the deceased employee, till they attain the age of 25 years or get married or start earning a living, whichever is earlier. The pension is paid in accordance with the date of birth of the children, starting from the earliest born one. The other children, if any, become eligible when the ones born previous to them become ineligible.
- Divorced daughters till the date of their death or remarriage, whichever is earlier.
- The deceased employee’s dependent parents have not been left with either a widow/widower or child of the employee. They are paid the pension till the date of their death.
- The dependent siblings of the deceased employee who were fully dependent on them and have not been left with either the deceased’s parents, widow/widower, or eligible children.
According to the Family Pension Rules After Death Of Pensioner, the family members of the deceased employee mentioned in Points 3, 4 & 5 become eligible for the receipt of family pension ONLY when the ones mentioned in Points 1 & 2 cease to be eligible and there does not exist a disabled child of the deceased pensioner to receive the benefit.
Key Takeaways
- The Department of Pension and Pensioner’s Welfare, Government of India, designs and administers the Family Pension Rules After Death Of Pensioner.
- The family pension is paid for government employees who are either retired or in-service but are eligible to receive a pension or compassionate allowance.
- Only the eligible family members of the deceased employee are eligible for receiving a family pension, which includes their widow/widower, dependent children, dependent parent and dependent and disabled siblings.
- The normal rate of family pension is 30% of the last basic pay drawn by the deceased government employee.
Family Pension Rules After Death of Pensioner in Detail
Let’s read about all the Family Pension Rules After Death of Pensioner in detail below –
- According to Sub Rule 12 (a) of Rule 54, on appointment to government service, the employee must mention and provide details of their family members in Form 3 to the head office of the respective department.
- According to Sub Rule 12 (a) of Rule 54, in case of not having a family at the time of appointment, the employee must mention the details in Form 3 when they acquire a family.
- According to Rule 21, the already married government employees should not enter into a contract or a marriage with any other person unless the same has been permitted.
How is the Family Pension Calculated?
As per the Family Pension Rules After Death of Pensioner, the family members of the deceased government employees who had worked for less than 10 years are not eligible for receiving the family pension. For all the eligible family members, the family pension can be ascertained with the help of a family pension calculator as per the below Family Pension Rules After Death of Pensioner –
- The Normal Rate for calculation of family pension stands at 30% of the last drawn basic pay of the deceased government employee, subject to a minimum of INR 3,500 per month and a maximum of 30% of the highest basic pay in the government, which is currently INR 90,000.
- According to Sub Rule 3 (i) of Rule 54, the family pension shall be paid at an enhanced rate of 50% of the last basic pay if the government employee dies while being in the service. The enhanced rate is applicable for the first 10 years, after which the family pension is paid as per the normal rate of 30%
- According to the 2019 amendment to the Family Pension Rules After Death Of Pensioner, the family pension shall be paid at the rate of 50% of the last drawn basic pay if the government employee died on the harness, even if they passed away before completing 7 years of service. This applies to all government employees who died between October 1, 2009, and October 1, 2019.
How To Make An Application For A Family Pension After The Death Of A Pensioner?
After the death of the pensioner, the family has to fill out Form 14 and submit the same, mentioning the following details on the website of the Department of Pension and Pensioner’s Welfare –
- Name of the Applicant
- The relationship with the deceased employee
- Name and age of the surviving widow/ widower and children of the deceased government employee or pensioner
- Pension Pay Order Number of the deceased government pensioner
- Date of death of the deceased government employee
- Office or department of the deceased government employee
Along with the form, the family also needs to submit the death certificate of the government employee.
Did You Know?
As per the current Family Pension Rules After Death Of Pensioner, the family members of the deceased employee are eligible to receive a family pension even from two different sources for the same pensioner.
Words to Remember
Pension – It refers to the regular monthly payouts made by the government to either a retired employee or their family members.
Conclusion
Life is uncertain and planning for finances is highly important. And due to these reasons, it becomes imperative for us to stay informed about the Family Pension Rules After Death of Pensioner so that we can maintain our and our loved ones’ financial stability in times of grief. For this, we must know how to make an application for a family pension after the death of a pensioner and the amount of pension we can receive.
FAQs
Yes, as per the Family Pension Rule After Death of Pensioner, the divorced daughters of the deceased employees are also eligible for the receipt of a family pension till their date of death or remarriage, whichever is earlier.
Yes, suppose voluntary retirement is due to some medical emergencies. In that case, the employee and their family will get access to all the facilities and pension of the Family Pension.
In case the government employee or pensioner goes missing, the family of such an employee can apply for a family pension only after 6 months of lodging a police report for the missing employee. Filing an FIR in this regard is not mandatory.
The Family Pension forms are available on the official website of the Department of Pension And Pensioners’ Welfare. Yes, it is compulsory for the family to fill out the Family Pension forms right after the death of the government employee so that the dependents can receive the pension in time.
The family pension rate for dependent parents is 30% of the last basic pay drawn by the deceased government employee.
The compulsory documents for receipt of Family Pension include the Death certificate of the government employee, Legal Heirship Certificate, Guardianship Certificate, Age proof certificates, marriage registry certificates, birth certificates of the children, along with life certificates of the widow.
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