Payment of pension in cash is not permitted in the scheme. However, the pension payment is now permitted to be credited to a joint account operated by the pensioner with his/her spouse (either by ‘Former or Survivor’ or ‘Either or Survivor’ basis) in whose favour an authorization exists in the Pension Payment Order, subject to certain terms and conditions.

Paying branch may also credit the amount of pension in his or her joint account operated by pensioner with his/her spouse in whose favour an authorization for family pension exists in the Pension Payment Order (PPO). The joint account of the pensioners with the spouse could be operated either by 'Former or Survivor' or 'Either or Survivor' basis subject to the following conditions :- 

(a) Once pension has been credited to a pensioner's bank account, the liability of the Government/Bank ceases. No further liability arises, even if the spouse wrongly draws from the account. 

 (b) As pension is payable only during the life of a pensioner, his/her death shall be intimated to the bank at the earliest and in any case within one month of the demise, so that the bank does not continue crediting monthly pension to the joint account with the spouse, after the death of the pensioner. If however, any amount has been wrongly credited to the joint account, it shall be recoverable from the joint account and/or any other account held by the pensioners/spouse either individually or jointly. The legal heirs, successors, executors etc. shall also be liable to refund any amount, which has been wrongly credited to the joint account. 

(c) Payment of Arrears of Pension (Nomination) Rules 1983 would continue to be applicable to a joint account with Pensioner's spouse. This implies that if there is an 'accepted nomination' in accordance with Rules 5 and 6 of these Rules, arrears mentioned in the Rules shall be payable to the nominee.

Existing pensioners desiring to get their pension credited to a joint account as indicated above are required to submit an application to the branch bank, from where they are presently drawing pension in the prescribed form that is i.e. Annexure XXIX of Scheme Booklet of Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO). This would also be signed by the pensioner's spouse