- Stamp Paper Waived for Joint Accounts; Affidavits Now Accepted on Plain Paper
- New Regulation to Take Effect from August 1, 2026
Mumbai, July 14
The State Government has introduced a highly beneficial and significant measure providing major relief to hundreds of thousands of pensioners across the state. Moving forward, the mandatory affidavit required after opening a joint savings account for pension disbursement will no longer need to be executed on stamp paper, as authorization has been granted to submit it on plain paper instead.
Under previous regulations, pensioners were required to submit their affidavits on a 100 general stamp paper upon opening a joint account. In the intervening period, this fee had escalated to 500 following amendments to the Maharashtra Stamp Act. However, a separate government circular subsequently exempted all types of affidavits submitted to government offices from stamp duty altogether. Grounded in this principle, the government has now abolished the archaic stamp paper mandate, eliminating unnecessary financial liabilities and administrative hurdles for senior citizens.
According to the newly revised directives, pensioners can now fill out this affidavit on standard plain paper and submit it to the Pay and Accounts Office in Mumbai or any District Treasury Office across the state. This regulation will be implemented uniformly throughout the state starting August 1, 2026. The decision marks a significant step in easing the bureaucratic burden on senior citizens, sparing them from frequent visits to administrative centers and the complexities of purchasing stamp papers.
