UAN Universal Account Number: Benefits, Services & Online Process

UAN or Universal Account Number is a number allotted to all the salaried employees, who contribute a part of their income towards the Employee Provident Fund (EPF). The reason being, UAN is a unique identification number that is linked to your EPF and is allotted by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). In this article, we will cover in detail all that there is to learn about the Universal Account Number including the registration, benefits, activation and much more. 

What is UAN Number?

The Universal Account Number is a 12 digit number that each member of the Employee Provident Fund is allotted against his/her name. The EPFO UAN is issued by the Government of India under the Ministry of Employment and Labor. 

This number is the same throughout an employee’s professional life. In case the employee changes jobs, he is allotted a new member ID by EPFO, however, his UAN remains the same as it is linked to all the member IDs. So this number helps you in tracking your total EPF contributions, under your previous employer(s) as well as current employer, all in one place.

Employee Provident Fund has now become easily accessible for many employees like us. With just a few clicks you can check the balance, transfer or even withdraw from your provident fund. All this could happen, just by a  single linkage of all your Provident Funds through to a single account.

Earlier, in case of any PF related issues like payout issue, withdrawal, etc., it was tedious to keep a track of activities from various PFs. Now, the universal account number assembles all these PF accounts associated with multiple ids of different organizations in one place. With the help of UAN, an employee can easily access, withdraw, transfer funds and many other activities at a single platform.

Since a part of your salary gets accumulated in the EPF account, it is important for you to know exactly what UAN is and how it is relevant to you.

How to Get a UAN Number?

There are two ways to know your UAN, viz. Through employers or through the UAN portal.

1. Through Employer

Usually, employees are allotted a Universal Account Number by their employer under the EPFO. Some employers also mention the UAN number in the salary slips.

1. Through UAN Portal using PF number/member ID

If one cannot get the Universal Account Number from their employer, it can be also obtained through the UAN portal. Just follow the steps below:

Step 1: Visit the UAN Portal https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/

Step 2: Click on the tab which says ‘Know your UAN Status’. Upon clicking, the following page will appear.

Step 3: Select the state and the respective EPFO office from the dropdown menu and enter the PF number/member ID along with the other required details such as name, date of birth, mobile no, and captcha code. PF number/member ID can be obtained from your salary slip. Next, Enter the tab ‘Get Authorization Pin’.

Step 4: A PIN will be received on your mobile number. Provide the PIN and click on the ‘Validate OTP and get UAN’ button.

Step 5: Finally, your Universal Account Number will be sent to your registered mobile number.

How to Activate UAN?

In order to activate UAN, one must have his/her Universal Account Number and PF member ID. Below given are the steps for UAN activation and login to the EPFO portal using UAN

1. Visit the EPFO homepage and under ‘Our Services’ on the dashboard, click on ‘For Employees’ 

1. Click on the ‘Member UAN/Online services’. You will be directed to the UAN portal.

1. Enter the required details. 
2. Click on the ‘Get authorization PIN’ option. Upon clicking, the PIN will be received on your registered mobile number.
3. Click on the ‘I Agree’ checkbox and enter the OTP received and click on ‘Validate OTP and Activate UAN’.
4. A password will be received on the registered mobile number to access UAN account.

Step-by-Step Process to Transfer Accounts Using the UAN

The following is a description of how to transfer a PF UAN number and account using the portal:

Step 1: Check your PF eligibility and make sure all of your current and former employers’ records are online at EPFO.

Step 2: Upload the digital signature to the internet.

Step 3: To file a transfer online, you must first register on the EPFO portal.

Step 4: Select the option to transfer your account after logging into the EPF member portal.

Step 5: Fill out all three sections of the form.

Step 6: Click “Get OTP” after selecting the attesting authority and member ID/UAN.

Step 7: Your registered mobile number will receive an OTP. To proceed, enter this OTP.

Step 8: Your form will be submitted, and you will be provided with a tracking ID.

Step 9: Take a print of the transfer form and give it to your current employer.

Documents Required to Open UAN

If you have just started working for your first registered firm, you will need the following documents to obtain your Unique Account Number.

• Account information includes the account number, IFSC code, and branch name.
• ID evidence includes any photo-affixed and national identity card, such as a driver’s licence, passport, voter ID, Aadhaar, and SSLC Book.
• A recent utility bill in your name, a rental/lease agreement, a ration card, or any of the ID proofs listed above that shows your present address.
• PAN card: Your PAN should be associated with your UAN.
• Aadhaar card: Because Aadhaar is linked to a bank account and a mobile phone, it is required.
• The ESIC card.

Services Offered by the Portal

UAN login for Employee & Employer is required to access the UAN portal and use the website’s features. Employees can quickly download/view the passbook or change information via this site. Employers, on the other hand, get to analyse the activities and retain a record in the accounts as a result. The portal gives a more unified record of EPF account actions.

After entering the UAN and password, one can do the following:

• Download the passbook and the UAN card.
• View the member’s ids as well as the PF connecting status.
• Check the status of a transferred claim, file a claim, and review system-generated transfer claims.
• Change your email address and phone number.
• Update the KYC documents and upload them as well.
• View the contact information for the helpdesk.

EPF Management Through UAN

•   The UAN comes very handily throughout an employee’s career. By just sharing the UAN and PF account details with various employers. All our old accounts are linked to a single UAN.
•   You can also download our UAN card by registering at the EPFO e- Sewa member portal. 
•   KYC verification can also be done online by just uploading the scanned KYC documents by Employee on the portal. 
•   The UAN also helps in monitoring and checking the process status for the claim transfer on the EPFO portal.
•   Using UAN, you can check your PF balance by just downloading or accessing the passbook from EPFO’s website.

Importance of Universal Account Number

The UAN of EPF is very useful for employees to check PF related activities. UAN benefits employers as well since it helps them perform PF updates and other necessary tasks. Below mentioned is the essentiality of the UAN:

•   The UAN helps the EPFO in tracking the changes in the organizations for the employees.
•   When an employee changes his/her job, they would just need to link the new PF account to the UAN and then the EPFO will update the same in its records.
•   UAN facilities can also be accessed online. The UAN e-Sewa portal has many facilities that make PF withdrawal and transfers. This makes withdrawals and transfers a few clicks away when we change our jobs.
•   UAN also ensures that all PF accounts of the employee are valid and genuine.
•   The employer or the organization can authenticate employees through their UAN if KYC documents are verified.
•   The employer or the organization shall not be able to deduct or hold back employees PF as the UAN is online and hence is visible for any activity done.
•   Employees can check the deposit of their PF by the employer every month by just registering on the EPF Member Portal using our 12 digit UAN. Also, the EPF passbook facility can be accessed by sending an SMS EPFOHO UAN ENG to 7738299899 from the registered mobile number with the EPFO.

UAN Benefits to the Employee:

•   With UAN, employer involvement has reduced drastically. The PF of the old organization will be transferred to the new PF account once KYC verification is complete.
•   The employee needs to give his UAN details and KYC to the new organization and the old PF is just transferred to the new PF account once the verification is done. Hence, there is no manual process of transferring funds explicitly.
• One can also subscribe to SMS service and get notification whenever a contribution is made by the employer after registering at the UAN portal.

UAN Customer Support

On EPFO’s website, there is a distinct UAN helpdesk with different sections dedicated to different visitor queries. The two major categories are Help and Claim. ‘Help’ responds to employee and employer inquiries on EPFO office locations, UAN, Services, Grievances, and so on. ‘Claim,’ on the other hand, caters to the numerous claim forms available to users, such as the Composite Claim form (Aadhar), and so on. Members can use this help desk, which is open 24 hours a day, to get answers to questions and concerns.

Universal Account Number – FAQs

Q1. Can an employee have two UANs?

No, having two UANs is not allowed; an employee can only have one UAN which is transferable across all eligible employers.

Q2. Is UAN a must for online claims?

Yes, it is mandatory. Without UAN, one cannot submit online claims.

Q3. Can I register my UAN number from where I am?

Yes, you can register for UAN online.

Q4. What is the objective of UAN?

The UAN acts as an umbrella for the multiple member IDs allocated to a single individual by different establishments by linking them all.

Q5. What services are offered by the UAN portal?

You can download your passbook, view the member’s ids and much more.