As retirement nears, pension and terminal benefits become more important than salary. These may include gratuity, provident fund, pension, leave encashment, and other scheme-based payouts. Legally, many of these are earned rights, not gifts.
Employees should, well before retirement, check:
- Whether service records (joining date, promotions, designations) are correctly reflected,
- That all nominations for PF, pension, insurance and gratuity are properly filed and updated,
- Whether any disciplinary proceedings are pending that could affect benefits,
- The rules of their specific pension or superannuation scheme.
Delays in payment can be challenged; in many systems, interest for late release of dues is also payable. Wrongful denial of pension, arbitrary reduction, or stopping it without due process may be struck down by courts or tribunals.
For families, knowing the documentation needed after the employee’s death – death certificate, succession proof, claim forms – helps ensure continued pension or one-time benefits.
Retirement should be a time of relative peace, not running from one office counter to another. A bit of proactive checking in the last few working years goes a long way in securing what you’ve already earned.
