The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has announced that from Wednesday, September 1, it will embark on an exercise to delete the names of more than 13,000 pensioners, aged 72 and above, from its payroll.

In a statement, the Trust said, the affected persons had failed to complete or renew their pensioner certificates and explained that the exercise would ensure that pensions were paid to the right persons.

SSNIT added that the accounts of such pensioners would only be reactivated when they renewed their pensioner certificates.

"To avoid any inconvenience, the Trust is entreating pensioners who are yet to complete their Pensioner Certificates to do so by August 30, 2021.”

It said presently, there were about 13,451 pensioners, 72 years and above, who receive monthly pensions, but were yet to complete or renew their pensioner certificates.

“All such pensioners should visit the nearest SSNIT office to renew or complete their Pensioner Certificates,” it said.

The release said those with mobility challenges might contact SSNIT to schedule a home visit for the completion or renewal of their pensioner certificates.

It further added that “pensioners visiting a SSNIT office for the Pensioner Certificate renewal are strongly encouraged to carry along their Ghana Cards to have their SSNIT and NIA numbers merged if they have not done so already.”

Giving a background to the exercise, the release said since 2018, the Trust had on a monthly basis, been deleting the names of pensioners aged 72 and above who failed to complete or renew their pensioner certificates.

The exercise, however, halted in March last year due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Explaining the pensioner certificates, the release said there were issued to pensioners, aged 72 who retired under PNDCL 247 and 75 years for those who retired under Act 766 and renewed annually.

“This is a mechanism put in place by the Trust to ensure that pension is paid to only retirees who are alive.“Pensioners who fail to renew their Pensioner Certificates are deemed to be deceased and their names consequently deleted from the Pensioners’ Payroll,” it said.

As of the beginning of the year, the Trust has saved about ¢144 million from the deactivation of accounts of 11,478 pensioners since 2018.

In June 2021 alone, the SSNIT Pension Scheme paid 231,316 pensioners over ¢250 million.

The highest-paid pensioner receives ¢129,979 each month, while the lowest-earning pensioner is paid ¢300.