Universal Account Number (UAN): Services, Allotment process and Benefits

Universal Account Number (UAN) is a 12 digit number which is provided to each member of the Employees’ Provided Fund Organisation (EPFO) through which he can manage his PF accounts. This number is issued by the Ministry of Employment and Labour under the Government of India. It helps the person to get all Provided Fund (PF) information in one place irrespective of the organization he works for.

Earlier, when an individual joined a new organization, he was assigned a new PF account number which made it very difficult to get a proper estimate of the PF. Not just this, but the track of activities was also hindered in case of issues in the evaluation of overall pay. As a loophole to the same issue, UAN was introduced. 

UAN, as a universal number, helps the member to assemble all his PF accounts associated with multiple IDs of different organizations at one place. With the help of UAN, the employee can easily withdraw and transfer funds.

Also Read : UAN Registration for Employee: How to Register/Activate UAN

Important Points Related to UAN

• The UAN is a unique number given to all employees that is independent of employers.
• The employer can authenticate an employee through his UAN if KYC documents are verified.
• As the UAN provides online facility to the employee, the employer will not be able to deduct or hold back his PF.
• The employee can check the deposit of the PF by the employer every month by registering on the EPF Member Portal using his UAN.
• EPF passbook can also be accessed by sending an SMS EPFOHO UAN ENG to 7738299899 from the mobile number registered with the EPFO.

Online UAN Allotment Process

The UAN online allotment is carried out under the following stages:

• The UAN is given to all the PF account holders by the EPFO
• The details of UAN have to be downloaded and given to the employer
• This UAN is further passed on to the concerned employee of the organization
• The EPFO web portals help in checking the UAN allotment.

Documents Required for UAN Registration

To conduct a secure UAN registration, you must provide the following documents-

• Updated Aadhar Card of the applicant
• PAN Card
• Bank account details and IFSC
• Identity Proof- Driving License, Passport, Voter Id etc
• Proof of Address
• ESIC Card

Services Offered by EPF Member Portal

UAN Login for Employee & Employer is necessary to access UAN portal and avail the services provided by the website. With this portal, the employees can easily download/view the passbook or update information. On the other hand, employers get to evaluate the activities and keep a record in the accounts accordingly. The portal provides a more consolidated record of the activities into the EPF account.

After logging in using the UAN and password, one can do the following things :

• Download passbook and UAN card
• View the member’s ids and PF linking status
• View status of transferred claim; file claim and check system generated transfer claims
• Edit your email ids and mobile number
• Update the KYC documents and also upload them
• View the helpdesk contact numbers

Registering the UAN

Few simple steps have to be followed while registering for UAN:

1. Visit the EPF Member Portal.
2. Activate the UAN by clicking “Activate UAN”
3. Provide information about your UAN, member id, mobile number, Aadhaar, PAN, name, date of birth and e-mail id
4. Click on “Get Authorization PIN” to get the PIN is sent on the mobile number
5. Enter this PIN to verify your request.
6. Create a username and password for the UAN portal.

How to activate UAN?

After generating the UAN and PF member id, one can follow the given steps to activate UAN:

• Visit EPFO Website
• Go to ‘Our services’ and select ‘For Employees’
• Now, navigate to ‘Member UAN/Online Services’
• On the redirected page, enter all the required details- UAN, Mobile Number and PF member ID
• Enter the Captcha
• Click on ‘Get authorisation PIN’
• Select ‘I Agree’ and enter the OTP sent to the registered mobile number
• You will receive the password to access the portal

UAN Advantages for Employees

• Less Employer Involvement in withdrawals of PF:  With UAN, the employer involvement has been reduced as the PF of the old organization will be transferred to the new PF account once KYC verification is complete.
• Fund Transfer Not Required: The employee needs to give his UAN details and KYC to the new employer and the old PF is transferred to the new PF account once the verification is done.
• Easily Managed by SMS alerts: Employees receive SMS whenever a contribution is made by the employer after registering at the UAN portal.

How UAN has made it Easy to Withdraw/Transfer Funds

When the employee switches his company, he can either withdraw or transfer his funds. But since the whole process was so tedious, usually people didn’t utilize their PF. After the launch of UAN, the task has been made easier in the following ways:-

• You can link your all PF accounts together with your UAN.
• You need to give your UAN to the employer and you can manage your account online after the KYC verification.
• You get a monthly update on your mobile on deposits made by the employer in the PF account.
• Employer’s intervention is less if PF account is linked to UAN.
• As UAN eases the linking of all PF accounts so the withdrawal is less.

How UAN has Made it Easy to Manage EPF

The UAN can be very helpful in managing your PF account :

• The UAN is handy or portable throughout an employee’s career. By just giving your UAN and PF account details to various employers, you are good to go, as all old accounts are linked to single UAN.
• You can download UAN card by registering at the EPFO member portal.
• The scanned KYC documents can be uploaded by Employee on the portal and the employer can verify it.
• The UAN also helps in monitoring the claim transfer on EPFO portal.
• Using UAN, one can check the PF balance by downloading the passbook from EPFO’s website.
• The UAN provides hassle-free maintenance of PF accounts as withdrawal is not required due to universal linking of PF accounts.

Read More 3 Ways To Check Your PF Account Through Mobile

How to Transfer EPF Accounts using UAN

The transfer of PF account using the UAN is mentioned below:

• Check the PF eligibility and ensure all the present and previous employers’ records are present online at EPFO
• Upload the digital signature online
• In order to file a transfer online, you have to register yourself on the EPFO portal
• After logging into the EPF member portal, select the option to transfer your account
• Fill all three parts of the form
• Select the attesting authority and member ID/UAN and click on “Get OTP”
• An OTP will be sent to your registered mobile number. Enter this OTP to continue
• Your form will be submitted and you will get a tracking ID
• Take the print out of the transfer form and submit it to the current employer

Benefits of Universal Account Number (UAN)

Here are some of the benefits of UAN for both employees and employers : 

• The UAN helps the EPFO in tracking the change in the job of the employee
• When the employee changes his job, he has to link the new PF account to the UAN and hence the EPFO will update the same in its records
• UAN facilities can be accessed online making withdrawals and transfers easy when one changes his job
• UAN also ensures that all PF accounts of the employee are genuine

UAN Helpdesk

A separate UAN helpdesk is available on EPFO’s website under which there are different sections related to different queries of the visitors. The two broad segments are- Help and Claim. ‘Help’ caters to the queries of employees and employers regarding EPFO office locations, UAN, Services, Grievances etc. On the other hand, ‘Claim’ caters to various claim forms available for the users such as Composite Claim form (Aadhar) etc.

The members can access this help desk, available 24×7, to get clarity against the related queries and doubts.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

Q1. What will happen to UAN in case of a change in job?

When you change the job, you need to give the UAN to the new employer. The employer links the new PF account to it. The UAN remains the same throughout the employee’s career.

Q2. What information does the UAN card hold?

The UAN card contains the information about the universal account number and the KYC details (if verified by the employer) on the front. The rear side of the card has the recent five-digit member id and EPFO helpdesk contact numbers.

Q3. How to transfer old EPF accounts and connect them to UAN?

Once the current EPF account is linked with UAN, you can link all the old EPF accounts online and check the status of transfer requests as well.

Q4. What to do if two UANs get allotted?

In this case, the employee has to inform the EPFO helpdesk immediately. After all the necessary verification, the old UAN gets blocked.

Q5. What can be done if wrong information is mentioned on your EPF card?

If you want to change your father’s name, your name or DOB, it can be done by presenting valid documents to the current employer. Also, the same can be communicated to the EPFO helpdesk to get the necessary changes done on the UAN card.

Q6. How to link Aadhar with UAN?

There are different ways to link Aadhar with UAN. You can use Umang App, biometric credentials on e-KYC Portal or OTP verification on e-KYC Portal of EPFO to link Aadhar.

Q7. What to do if UAN update is pending at field office?

At times the UAN update process is delayed at the hands of the authorities. However, you can request the concerned commissioner or register a complaint under EPFIGMS portal. 

Q8. Can I transfer EPF from one UAN to another UAN?

On the UAN portal, you can transfer EPF from one UAN to another by-

• Login to your current UAN account
• Select ‘One member One EPF account’
• Enter the previous UAN details
• Click for verification from employer

Q9. How to check UAN status online?

The members of EPFO can check the status of their UAN application by providing the state and EPFO account number on the portal. You can go to Our Services>For Employees>Member UAN/Online Service>Know UAN Status.

Q10. Why is my UAN KYC pending ?

It generally takes 3 to 5 days for the related documents to be viewed and approved. If your UAN KYC is pending for more than 7-8 days, you can file a complaint or reach the regional EPFO officer through the help desk online or call 1800 118 005

Q11. I forgot my UAN, how to retrieve ?

You can recover your UAN if you have linked the same with your Aadhar card or PAN Card. Go to EPFO homepage>For Employees>Member UAN/Online Service>Know UAN status>Enter Details>Click ‘Get Authorization Pin’> Get OTP and click to agree to the terms and conditions