The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) in Ghana has announced a new mandatory annual renewal process for Pensioner Certificates, effective from April 2026.
Who it affects:
All SSNIT pensioners, including those who retired at the compulsory age of 60 or voluntarily from age 55. This expands on the previous system, where annual renewal was mainly required only for pensioners aged 75 and above.
You renew every year, during your birth month.
The purpose of this new process is to verify that pensioners are alive and eligible, preventing payments to deceased individuals (or fraud) and ensuring the scheme’s sustainability. SSNIT has noted past cases where payments continued after deaths went unreported.
Failure to renew could lead to suspension of pension payments or removal from the payroll.
Renewal Options (Designed for Convenience):
▪︎ SSNIT Mobile App (with facial verification, available for both resident and non-resident pensioners).
▪︎ SSNIT Virtual Branch.
Partner banks (e.g., selected branches of GCB Bank and Ecobank).
▪︎ Any SSNIT branch nationwide.
Home verification: Available for pensioners with mobility challenges—contact the SSNIT Call Centre at 0302 611 622 to arrange.
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Pensioners will receive reminders via SMS, email, or other channels at least one month before their birth month.
This change aims to modernize verification using digital tools while maintaining accessibility. As of December 2025, SSNIT is actively communicating this through press releases and media to prepare the approximately 257,000 current pensioners.