Class 3 signing
Individuals, directors, CAs
Tax and company filings, EPFO, tenders and GeM, trademark and reissue.
₹1,200/ 2 years
DSC for PFMS and IFMS bill signing
The Class 3 signing certificate a DDO, PAO or paying officer signs bills and sanctions with on PFMS, and on Rajasthan IFMS 3.0.
Class 3 signing costs ₹1,040 for 1 year, ₹1,200 for 2 years or ₹1,820 for 3 years. The USB e-token is ₹550 more if you do not have one.
Answer
PFMS carries a provision for a digital signature at DDO level, and it exists because of GeM, where the Drawing and Disbursing Officer has to sign the bill digitally in PFMS. Once a DDO is configured for it, the bills processed in PFMS are signed digitally. The people who hold a certificate there are DDOs, Pay and Accounts Officers, PDs, agency administrators and scheme administrators. In Rajasthan the same officer signs the bill on IFMS 3.0 before it goes to the treasury. No PFMS document we read names a class of certificate, so we will not attribute one to PFMS: what we supply is a Class 3 signing certificate in your own name. Enrolment is a step the officer does on the portal, MASTERS, then DSC Management, then Enroll DSC, and the Pay and Accounts Officer approves it. A Rajasthan officer who works on both enrols the same certificate twice, once on each portal, separately.
The certificate behind tax and company filings
What a Class 3 signing certificate is, which portals ask for one, and how long it stays valid.
Who needs this
- Drawing and Disbursing Officers signing bills in PFMS
- Pay and Accounts Officers approving a certificate
- Public Accountants and agency administrators
- Scheme and programme administrators
- Rajasthan DDOs forwarding a bill to the treasury on IFMS 3.0
Documents required
- Department or office identity card
- PAN card, with the name as per your income tax record
- Aadhaar card, linked to that PAN and to your mobile number
- Address proof
- Email ID and mobile number for the certificate record
Process
- Send us your documents
Send the department papers and your own documents on WhatsApp, by email or at our Udaipur office, and we fill the application.
- Complete payment
Pay for the certificate and the USB token
- We submit, you do the KYC
We file the application with the Certifying Authority. You then confirm your mobile and email with OTPs, do the Aadhaar OTP and video KYC with them, and a final eKYC OTP on your phone approves the application. We assist you at every step.
- Receive the token and enrol on the portal
Get the USB token by courier (or use your own FIPS 140-3 token), then enrol the certificate on the portal and send it for approval. On a state IFMS the same step is a DSC registration request approved by the treasury. We assist you at every step.
Price
Common questions
Look through the answers below. If yours is not there, message us and we will help you choose.
Still have a question? Chat on WhatsApp
Which DSC is required for PFMS?
PFMS does not publish a class in the material we read, and the Controller General of Accounts manuals describe the enrolment without naming one. So we will not tell you PFMS requires a particular class. What we issue is a Class 3 signing certificate in your own name, which is what the officers on PFMS hold. Confirm with your PAO if you need it in writing.
Who approves the certificate after I enrol it?
The Pay and Accounts Officer. You enrol the certificate under DSC Management and send it for approval, and the PAO approves it before the certificate can be used. On a state IFMS the treasury approves the registration request.
Why is my DSC required on PFMS at all?
Because of GeM. The provision for a digital signature at DDO level was added so that the DDO can sign a GeM bill digitally in PFMS. Officers who handle no GeM bill work may never be asked for one.
Can I use the same DSC on PFMS and Rajasthan IFMS?
Yes, the same certificate, enrolled separately on each portal. That is the useful part for a Rajasthan officer: one certificate, two enrolments, and both are done by you on the portal.
Do I need a DSC for every bill, or only some?
Only where your office is configured for digital signing. On PFMS it follows the GeM bill requirement, and on a state IFMS it follows the treasury's own configuration for that office. Ask your PAO whether your login is configured before you order.
The PFMS screen says digitally sign bill by DDO. What does that mean?
It is the purpose you select when you enrol. Choosing it tells the portal that this certificate is the one the DDO signs bills with, so the system accepts it for bill signing rather than only for login.
Blog posts on this
How to enrol a DSC on PFMS and get it approved
The Class 3 DSC a DDO or paying officer signs bills with on PFMS and Rajasthan IFMS, how enrolment works, and how to apply.
Ready to get your DSC?
Pick a certificate, choose validity, add a token if needed. Application support included.