Pensioners Being Reminded to Submit Life Certificates

Pensioners, who have not yet submitted their life certificates for the first quarter of the year (January- March) are being reminded to do so by the Accountant General’s Department (AGD).

“Life certificates for the first quarter are due January 31 and we have noted that there are outstanding certificates,” Acting Director of Communication and Customer Service at the AGD, Kelsea Chambers, told JIS News.

“We want pensioners to remember that early submission facilitates the timely receipt of their monthly pension. Life certificates become due every three months and each quarter’s barcoded certificate is unique and must be submitted to the Accountant General’s Department in its original form after it is certified,” she noted.

Ms. Chambers said that pensioners residing overseas and are paid in Jamaica can now send their certified barcoded life certificate to the nearest Jamaican high commission, embassy, or consulate, which will collect them on behalf of the AGD and send them to Jamaica via the diplomatic bag.

“The certificate must be in a sealed envelope addressed to the AGD and labelled ‘life certificate’. A full listing of high commissions, embassies, and consulates can be accessed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade’s website at https://mfaft.gov.jm/jm/,” she informed.

Ms. Chambers is encouraging pensioners to note the remaining quarterly due dates for submission of life certificates.

“Life certificates for the second quarter are due April 30 and for the third and fourth quarters on July 31 and October 31, respectively,” she noted.

Ms. Chambers also took the opportunity to remind pensioners to update their information so that their certificates can be mailed to them on time.

“We want to remind pensioners that life certificates cannot be signed/certified by a family member and the life certificate mailed by the AGD has a unique barcode to specify the period so refrain from copying old life certificates,” she advised.

The life certificate is the official document that the AGD uses to verify if a pensioner is alive, as pension payouts cease upon the death of a pensioner.

Submission of the document on a timely basis better enables the Government to regulate the payment of pensions and verify the number of pensioners at any given period.

Ms. Chambers said that failure to provide a life certificate can result in pension payouts being suspended.

If a life certificate is not received for a period in excess of 12 months, the account becomes inactive and the pensioner will have to undergo several steps to verify their status.