Under the Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), a 12-digit code is issued to pensioners, which is called Pension Payment Order (PPO). Often people forget this important number by writing it in an old paper or diary. The reality is that for a pensioner, this number is more important than his Aadhar card. In such a situation, the biggest fear is that if the PPO number is lost, will the pension earned through hard-earned money stop? Let us know the very easy ways to get it back.

Why is this 12 digit identification important?

For beneficiaries of the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) run by EPFO, PPO is not just a number; This is the only identification of your pension. On the basis of these 12 digits, EPFO decides how much amount has to be given to you and to which bank account it will be sent. If you want to check the status of your pension, lodge a complaint or transfer a pension account from one bank to another, then this number is demanded everywhere. Most importantly, PPO number is also mandatory for submitting the 'Life Certificate' which is submitted every year. Without it, EPFO Or the bank cannot proceed with any administrative work related to your pension.

Will pension stop immediately due to loss of PPO?

The biggest worry in the minds of common people is that losing PPO means direct stoppage of pension. However, the truth is that it gives some relief. Your bank account is linked to the EPFO system and the payment process runs automatically. Therefore, due to loss of the number, your monthly pension does not stop with immediate effect. But, the real trouble starts when you have to submit your Annual Life Certificate. Without PPO, you will not be able to submit this certificate, failing which ultimately your pension will be stopped. Apart from this, you may have to struggle a lot for any kind of correction in the account. Although this number is also recorded on your pension slip or bank passbook, but if those documents are also not available, then there is no need to worry.

How to get your number online in seconds

In the digital age, EPFO ​​has made the facilities quite easy. If you have not received the hard copy of PPO from the employer at the time of retirement or it has been lost, then you can get it from home through these three online ways:

1. EPFO Pensioners Portal: Go to the official portal of the organization and click on the option 'Know your PPO number'. Enter your pension bank account number or EPS member ID and your PPO number will appear on the screen.
2. Feature of UMANG App: Open the government app Umang on your phone and go to 'Pensioner Services' under EPFO ​​Services. Here you can instantly find your lost PPO by providing your Aadhaar number or bank account details.
3. DigiLocker: Under Digital India, you can now download your PPO certificate directly from DigiLocker. Search 'Employees' Provident Fund Organisation' in the app. After this enter your bank account number (last four digits). Once the verification is done, the original certificate will be saved in your phone.

Offline method will help you

There are many senior citizens who are not comfortable with the use of internet or smartphones. There is a direct option for them too. You just have to go to the bank branch where your pension comes every month and tell your savings account number to the officer present there. Your complete data is entered in the bank's system, and they will easily give you your PPO number by extracting it from their records.