Photo: Umais Bin Sajjad / Wikimedia Commons ↗, CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗

ISLAMABAD, September 23, 2026 — Federal government pensioners no longer prove they are alive at their bank. Under a revised standard operating procedure (SOP) from the Finance Division, they verify through NADRA instead: the Pak-ID mobile app or NADRA channels. Banks may no longer mark a pension account dormant over missing proof of life. On September 21, 2026, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) issued BPRD Circular Letter No. 19 of 2026 on the same SOP.

What the SOP says

The Finance Division’s SOP No. 2(115)PFMR-II-2022-2030 is dated September 7, 2026 and addressed to the SBP Governor and the Controller General of Accounts (CGA). It states that “the Federal Government has formally eliminated the role of commercial banks in carrying out standard banking biometric verification or Proof of Life Certificate (POLC) validation for pensioners.” NADRA now sends a “Digital Life Signal” directly to the CGA and the Military Accountant General (MAG), “by passing commercial banking channels.”

Key points for pensioners, from the SOP text:

  • How to verify: through “the NADRA Pak-ID Mobile App or authorized NADRA channels”. These are NADRA Registration Centers, Mobile Units, e-Sahulat franchises, and bank branches “operating strictly as NADRA POLC centers”.
  • How often: “at least once every six (6) months (180 days)”. The fixed March/September schedule is abolished. Pensioners may verify at any time within the 180 days.
  • No dormancy: “Banks shall NOT place a pension account on dormant status going forward.” Banks also may not impose debit restrictions because proof of life was not submitted to the bank.
  • If you miss verification: after six months without a signal, the account goes into “Suspense Status” in the government ledger. A valid signal “automatically restores active status and releases accrued arrears without requiring bank approval.”
  • Accounts already dormant before August 22, 2026: they are reactivated after NADRA verification at a bank branch acting as a verification centre, or once a pension credit arrives from CGA/MAG from September 2026 onwards.
  • If you cannot use the app: pensioners who cannot use the app because of digital access, advanced age or illness can submit a manual Life Certificate (Form-10) or declaration (Form-12). They submit it at a District Accounts Office or Pension Facilitation Center, not at a bank.

The SOP also says pension accounts “shall be maintained free of all service charges”. Monthly pension rolls are executed “via RAAST/micropayment channels”.

Business Recorder reported that the Finance Division issued a further revision on Friday, September 18. That revision supersedes the September 7 version and adds Form-11 to the manual options. We could not find the September 18 text on the Finance Division website. According to The News, the SOP also covers federal pensioners living abroad who receive their pension in Pakistan.

What changed

  • Before: Pensioners gave proof of life through their bank on a fixed March/September schedule, and banks could mark accounts dormant.
  • Now: Verification goes through NADRA (Pak-ID app or NADRA channels) at least every 180 days. Banks only pay out pensions and may not make pension accounts dormant for missing proof of life.
  • Effective: The Finance Division SOP is dated September 7, 2026 and was revised on September 18, as Business Recorder reported. SBP’s BPRD Circular Letter No. 19 of 2026 is dated September 21, 2026. Mettis Global reported that SBP told banks to implement it with immediate effect.

What this means for you If you or a parent draw a federal pension, verify through Pak-ID or a NADRA centre within each 180-day window. A bank should not freeze the account for missing proof of life. The pension itself still reaches the account electronically; see how Raast works.

Warning Under the SOP, verification runs through NADRA’s own app and channels. Do not share a PIN, OTP or CNIC photos with anyone who calls or messages you about “pension verification”.