OBTAINING PENSION CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE IN NIGERIA
By Razaq Ayeni
National Pension Commission referred to as the commission by the Pension Reform Act 2004 repealed in 2014 is the body in charge of the welfare and smooth running of the employee retirement savings account.
The National Pension Commission has the power as one of their responsibility to issue Pension Compliance Certificate to every employer who has fully comply with the provisions of the Pension Reform, 2014 (PRA 2014). The pension commission made it clear that the certificate is very important for every employer or contractors bidding or expecting contract or may have any other business with the Federal Government Ministries or department and Agencies as they will be asked to tender their Pension compliance certificate to indicate they have been complying with the Act.
Pension Clearance Certificate relates to Pension Reform Act provisions compliant in Nigeria. It is a document issued to employers who has fulfilled all necessary obligations provided in the Act. They will have to pay in a minimum of 18% from both the employer and from the employee monthly emolument into the retirement savings account of their employee.
In obtaining the Pension Certificate of Compliance as it may be called, the Commission require Employers to ensure that they deal directly with the National Pension Commission.
However , as Pension Compliance Consultants in Nigeria, Qeeva Advisory support Employers to obtain the Certificate of Compliance from the National Pension Commission, ensuring that they do not suffer delays due to poor presentation of their document which may be at variance with what the Commission specifically require Employers to comply with.
As indicated in the website of National Pension Commission and supported with various publication in National Newspapers, the following advisory were issued.
“For any employer to be issued with the certificate, such employer is required to forward their application to the Commission along with the following documents as basic requirement. The Commission said such employer should come with:
“1. Certified list of employees of the organization as at the end of the last fiscal year. The certification should be done by an authorized official of the applicant organization.
2, Certified rate of monthly pension contributions (specifying employer and employee rates). The rates relating to the monthly emoluments are:-
- Minimum of ten per cent (10%) by the employer; and
- Minimum of eight per cent (8%) by the employee.
- Evidence of remittance of monthly pension contributions for all employees as follows:-
(a) For the last three fiscal years for organizations that were in existence for that period and have three (3) or more staff
(b) For organizations that have not been in existence for the last three fiscal years, from the date of incorporation/registration/licencing to the last fiscal year.
- Evidence of remittance of all outstanding pension contributions and penalties (for late remittances). This is only applicable to organizations whose pension contributions have been reviewed by the commission or its agent.
- Evidence of transfer of pension fund and assets prior to the commencement of the contributory Pension scheme (CPS) to a licensed pension fund operator. This is only applicable to organizations that had pension arrangements or were in custody of pension assets before June 2004 when the CPS commenced.
- Evidence of current Group Life Insurance Policy for staff specifying the number of lives and sum assured.”
Applications can be submitted at either the commission’s head office at Plot 174, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent Wuse II, Abuja or the following Zonal Offices:
North-West Zonal Office
No. 22, Kazaure Road,
Bompai, Kano,
Kano State
Tel: (+234) 805 599 9335
South-South Zonal Office
Plot 9, PCN Layout,
Diamond Hill Calabar,
Cross River State
Tel: (+234) 805 599 9332
South West Zonal Office
88A Oduduwa Crescent,
Ikeja, GRA
Lagos State
Tel: (+234) 805 599 8808
North-East Zonal Office
Plot No. 10,
Gombe-Biu Road,
Gombe, Gombe state
Tel: (+234) 805 599 9339
North-Central Zonal Office
Plot 1, Aderemi Adeleye Street,
Off Fate Road, GRA
Ilorin, Kwara State
Tel: (+234) 805 599 9341
South-East Zonal Office
Opposite Government House
Onitsha-Enugu Expressway
Awka, Anambra State
Tel: (+234) 805 599 9337
Applicants should note that “it will take 15 working days from the date of receipt for an application to be processed. Certificates or rejections can be picked up at the offices where the applications were submitted. Also, applicants can track their applications by visiting the commission’s website www.pencom.gov.ng where the list of organizations issued Certificates is updated daily.”
The following should be noted: “Nigerian Employers are to provide soft copies of all documents relating to items 1 and 2 above while those relating to item 3 can be submitted in hard copy.
After that, you can visit the pension office with hard copies of your credentials for verification and issuance of the certificate of compliance.”
Qeeva Advisory is a top Pension Compliance Consultants in Nigeria and has assisted many Nigerian Employers to obtain Pension Certificate of Compliance from the National Pension Commission.
Kindly get in touch, Call 08023200801, email info@qeeva.com if you require further guidance or clarification.