PPO number: Why is it important and how can pensioners get it

Pensioners are issued a unique number by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) when they are on the verge of retirement through a letter that includes details of PPO, provident fund, and disbursement of pension. The unique number is called as Pension Payment Order (PPO) which is a 12-digit number that helps pensioners to receive their pension.

It is important to mention this 12-digit PPO number while submitting a life certificate every year. A PPO number is a reference number that is used for any communication made to Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO).

In any situation, if a pensioner forgets his or her PPO number, s/he can easily get it with the help of his bank account through which PPF is linked or through using Member ID, which is pensioner’s PF number given by the EPFO.

According to EPFO, if a person loses his PPO number, he can easily recover it with the help of his bank account number or PF number.

Here are the steps to get your PPO number

– Go to https://www.epfindia.gov.in/site_en/index.php

– Under the online services towards the left side, click on Pensioners Portal

– After clicking, a new page will open. Now click on Know Your PPO No on the left side

– Here two options will pop up, Bank Account No. Search and Member ID Search, click on either of the options you want to use

– Then fill up the bank account number or member ID number, with respect to your selection.

– After successful submission of details, the PPF number will appear on the screen.

In addition, you can also get your PPO number by opening https://mis.epfindia.gov.in/PensionPaymentEnquiry/ in a new tab. EPFO has a separate website to get PPO number-related information. Here you can get information about life certificates, Know your PPO number, PPO inquiry, payment information and your pension status. Follow the last three steps mentioned above after clicking on Know your PPO number.

EPFO has recently tweeted a detailed infographic to explain the steps to get your PPO number using a bank account number or PF Number.

Importance of PPO number
As a pensioner, you should keep in mind that the PPO number is entered in your passbook. Many times bank employees forget to enter the PPO number in the pensioner’s passbook. The pensioner faces trouble while transferring pension account from one branch to another if the PPO number is missing from the passbook. Due to this, the pension can also be delayed.

PPO number is also required to know the online pension status. Apart from this, PPO helps in case of lodging a complaint related to your pension in EPFO, then it is also mandatory to give you a PPO number.