How to Merge Two UANs of Different EPF Accounts

A lot of cases have emerged in recent times where employees have been assigned multiple UANs (Universal Account Number). As per the rules, a person should only have one UAN throughout his lifetime. An employee’s EPF account is linked to his UAN. In case you have been assigned two UANs, you have to get the previous one deactivated.

Reasons for Allotment of Two UANs

When an employee switches his job, a new EPF account is opened by the company. All EPF accounts are linked with a UAN. Hence, there is a huge probability that a new UAN is allotted to the member employee when he changes his organisation. There may be various reasons for allotment of new UAN to the member. The most common reasons are:

• The employee does not disclose his previous UAN – When an employee switches his job, he has to disclose his previous UAN and EPF account number (Member ID). If he does not give these details, the new employer opens his new UAN and EPF account.
• Non-furnishing of “Date of Exit” by the previous employer – Your previous employer has to mention the date of exit in the ECR (Electronic Challan and Return). If this information is not provided on time, the new establishment allots a new UAN to the employee.

What Happens when You Have 2 UANs?

Having two active UANs at the same time is against the rules. A member should have only one UAN having all his EPF accounts linked to it. EPF accounts are non-transferrable in case of different employees. However, an employee having two UANs can get his EPF account transferred from one to another and get his previous UAN deactivated. Hence, an EPF account linked with one UAN will mandatorily have to be transferred to another EPF account linked with a different UAN.

What Should an Employee Do?

In case you have been allotted two UANs, you can get one of them deactivated (generally, the previous one). There are two methods to get the UAN deactivated and your EPF account transferred as per the EPFO website. Enlisted below are the two methods:

Method 1

• Report the issue to your employer or EPFO as soon as you come to know about it.
• You can send an email to uanepf@epfindia.gov.in mentioning your current and previous UAN.
• EPFO will conduct verification for the issue.
• Your previous UAN will be blocked and your current UAN will be kept active.
• Now submit a claim to transfer the EPF account (linked with the blocked UAN) to the new active account.

• Members have to apply for the transfer of old EPF to the new one.
• In cases, where one of the two EPF accounts of the same employee having different UANs has to be transferred, EPFO’s system identifies both the accounts automatically.
• This identification takes place on a periodic basis.
• After proper identification, old UANs from which EPF transfer has been processed to a new EPF account having different UAN, are deactivated by EPFO.
• Thus, these old UANs are blocked automatically. The employee’s previous member ID is linked to the current UAN.
• The deactivation status is intimated to the employee through an SMS.
• In case the employee has not activated his new UAN, he will be requested to activate it to get the updated status of the account.
• There might be instances where the employee has to receive PF arrears from the previous employer.
• Here, the system auto-populates the new UAN number in the ECR.
• In such cases, the arrear is received in the new PF account linked with the new UAN.

Steps to Transfer EPF Online

• <li”>Visit the EPF transfer website

http://memberclaims.epfoservices.in/index.php

• .

• Login to your EPF account with any of the government ID proofs such as PAN, Aadhaar, NPR, bank account number, voter ID card, driving license, passport number or ration card number linked with your EPF account.
• In the “Claims” section, click on the “Request for Transfer of Account” option.

• Fill Form 13 mentioning all your personal details to the best of your knowledge in PART A of the form.
• Fill your previous account details (EPF account to be transferred) in PART B of the form.
• Fill your current EPF account details in PART C of the form. In the end, select the attestation authority (previous or current employer).
• Now submit the form and take a print of the same and submit it to the employer.
• Once your EPF account is transferred, your old UAN will be deactivated when EPFO deactivates inactive UANs on a periodic basis.