Pension Office to stop backdating basic pension next year

The Maldives Pension Administration Office has announced that starting 1 January 2015, old-age basic pension will not be backdated for the past twelve months.

Director of the Maldives Pension Administration Office Ismail Sujau told Sun Online today that this follows an amendment to the Basic Pension Regulation by the Board of the Pension Office.

“Those eligible for old-age basic pension still have the opportunity to apply and recover the benefit for the past year. For example, a 66-year-old who submits the form this year would receive the money for the past year. This will however, not be possible from next year onwards,” said Sujau.

Presently, for people who apply for the basic pension months or years after they turn 65, the Pension Office backdates the payment for the past twelve months from the day of the submission of the application form.

In a circular issued today, the office said the decision to stop this practice follows the assumption that the public is now well-informed of the basic pension scheme, which was not the case four years ago when it was first introduced.