The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has announced that from September 1, 2021, the names of pensioners aged 72 and above who fail to complete or renew their pensioner certificates will be deleted.
According to SSNIT, at the moment there are some 13,451 pensioners aged 72 years and above who receive monthly pension but are yet to complete or renew their pensioner certificates, which is a mechanism put in place by the Trust to ensure that pension is paid only to retirees who are alive.
As at the beginning of 2021, the Trust said it had saved about GH¢144million from deactivating the accounts of 11,478 pensioners since 2018. Since 2018, the Trust has, on a monthly basis, been deleting the names of pensioners aged 72 and above who fail to complete or renew their Pensioner Certificates. This was however halted in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“To avoid any inconvenience, the Trust is entreating pensioners who are yet to complete their pensioner certificates to do so by August 30, 2021. However, those with mobility challenges may contact SSNIT to schedule a home visit for the completion or renewal of their pensioner certificates,” SSNIT said in a release.
Pensioner certificates are issued to pensioners aged 72 who retired under PNDCL 247, and 75 years for those who retired under Act 766 and have renewed annually.
“All such pensioners should visit the nearest SSNIT office to renew or complete their pensioner certificates. Pensioners who fail to renew their pensioner certificates are deemed to be deceased, and their names are consequently deleted from the pensioners’ payroll,” the Trust said.
The Trust said this exercise will ensure that pensions are paid to the right persons. However, in cases where an account is deactivated, the Trust will reactivate such account when the pensioner renews their certificate. Pensioners are advised to carry their Ghana Cards to have their SSNIT and NIA numbers merged if they have not done so already.
In June 2021 alone, the SSNIT Pension Scheme paid 231,316 pensioners over GH¢250million. The highest-paid pensioner receives GH¢129,979 each month while the lowest-earning pensioner is paid GH¢300.
