Universal Account Number

UAN, or Universal Account Number, is vital for EPF account holders as it facilitates online access to EPF services. With the EPFO portal, managing PF accounts, such as withdrawal, balance checking, and loan applications, is convenient without employer intervention. Each salaried employee receives a 12-digit UAN from the EPFO, which remains constant throughout their career. Despite changing jobs, the PF account number may vary, but all are linked to a single UAN. This enables easy tracking of EPF contributions, balance checks, and online fund transfers or withdrawals from the PF account.

What is a UAN number?

A 12-digit unique number that the employer provides to every contributing employee to the Employee Provident Fund (EPF), known as the Universal Account Number or the UAN number. Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO, the retirement fund body) generates and allocates the UAN while the Ministry of Labor and Employment of India verifies it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi bought the UAN mandate on 1st October 2014, intending to create one unique identification of all your PF accounts. The vision was to create ease and convenience to account holders in accessing the PF accounts. EPFO made it mandatory for all employers covered under the Employees Provident Funds, and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952 in June 2015.

Employee and employer contribute almost equally towards the provident fund in the same PF account. Hence, two separate UANs are assigned to the employee and employer. But an employee's Unique Account Number is portable and remains the same throughout their life, regardless of how many times they change jobs. 

Whenever an employee changes jobs, EPFO assigns a new Member Identification Number or EPF Account (ID) linked to their UAN. Employees can apply for a unique Member ID by submitting a UAN to their new employer. When a Member ID is created, it is associated with the employee's UAN. Thus, UAN acts as an umbrella for multiple member identities assigned to employees by all eligible employers in their careers.

According to the government rules, it is mandatory to link Aadhaar with UAN. You can do so online or offline. It is also crucial to link your UAN number to your multiple EPF accounts, as its sole purpose is to bring all EPFs under one unique number.

How to generate and check UAN?

Typically, your first PF-contributing employer generates the UAN for you, for which they will ask a few documents. It is a one-time process, and once the number is created, it remains unchanged throughout the lifetime. It is noteworthy that not all employers need to contribute to the provident fund, and hence even if they are the first employer, they might not generate a UAN for you. Organisations with 20 or more permanent employees need to generate UAN for their employees. To generate a new UAN for the employee, the employer must follow these steps:

●  Collect the PAN, Aadhaar, bank account, and other required details from the new employee who does not have a UAN yet
●  Login to the EPF Employer Portal using the establishment ID and password
●  In the “Members” section, tap on the “Register Individual” tab
●  Enter the details obtained from the employee
●  Approve all the details in the “Approval” section
●  The EPFO creates a new UAN, and the employer can link the PF account with the employee’s UAN.

Once the employer generates the UAN number, an employee can check the UAN in the following ways.

1.    Ask your employer: Since your employer generates the UAN, it is evident that they will have your information, and you can get it from them. Typically, you are required to ask the human resource personnel in your company to provide you with the UAN. You will most likely find your UAN number on the payslip or salary slip.

2.    Checking the UAN website: If your employer fails to provide you with the UAN information, you can check it using your PF number or member ID. You can find your PF number or member ID from your salary slip. Follow the below steps to get to your UAN number.

●    Visit the UAN portal
●    Tap on the “Know your UAN” tab
●    Follow the instructions and provide the required information, such as PF number/member ID, name, date of birth, etc. Enter the tab “Get Authorization Pin.”
●    You will receive an OTP on your registered mobile number. Enter the PIN and click on the “Validate OTP and get UAN “ button
●    You will receive your UAN number on your registered mobile number.
 

Documents Required for UAN Registration

To obtain your Universal Account Number (UAN) upon joining your first registered company, you'll need to provide the following documents:

• Bank Account Information: Provide your account number, IFSC code, and branch name.
• ID Proof: Present any national identity card with a photo, such as a driving license, passport, voter ID, Aadhaar, or SSLC Book.
• Address Proof: Furnish a recent utility bill in your name, rental/lease agreement, ration card, or any of the aforementioned ID proofs displaying your current address.
• PAN Card: Ensure your PAN is linked to the UAN.
• Aadhaar Card: Since Aadhaar is linked to your bank account and mobile number, it's a mandatory requirement.

How to Activate UAN?

Before using the EPFO portal to access EPF-related online services, you must register or activate your Universal Account Number. Without activation, you cannot use the online features provided by EPFO. To enable UAN, follow these steps.

●  Visit the EPFO portal.
●  Under the “Services” section, click on the “For Employees” tab
●  You will be directed to the UAN portal after clicking on the “Member UAN/Online services.”
●  Enter the required details

●  Click on the “Get Authorization PIN” option and get the OTP on your registered mobile number.
●  Click on the “I Agree” checkbox and enter the OTP. After that, click on “Validate OTP and Activate UAN.”
●  Access the UAN account with the password received on the registered mobile number

You must also gather the following documents to provide at the time of UAN activation. Usually, the employer takes them from the employee while first creating the UAN.

●  Aadhar Card
●  PAN Card
●  Bank Account details and KYC
●  Other identity or address proof, if required

UAN Status Check

Once the UAN is generated and linked with the EPF account, the employer typically shares the UAN and PF details with the employee. However, you can also check the status or retrieve your UAN using the following steps:

• Visit the EPFO Member Portal and click on “Know your UAN.”
• Enter your registered mobile number and captcha code, then click on “Request OTP.”
• Enter the OTP received, along with the captcha code, and click on “Validate OTP.”
• Fill in your name, date of birth, Aadhaar/PAN/member ID, along with the captcha for verification.
• Click on “Show my UAN” to retrieve your UAN.

How to Download UAN Card

To download your UAN card, follow these steps:

    • Ensure you have an active UAN and a valid password for EPFO portal access.
    • Visit the UAN portal.
    • Enter your UAN number, password, and Captcha Code.
    • Click on 'Sign in'.
    • Navigate to the 'View' tab and select 'UAN Card'.
    • Your card linked to your account will be displayed.
    • Click on 'Download UAN card' from the options on the top right-hand side.
    • Save a soft copy or print a hard copy for future reference.

How To Transfer EPF Account Using UAN

• Log in to their EPF account using their UAN and password.
• Select the ‘One Member – One EPF Account (Transfer Request)’ option under ‘Online Services’.
• Verify personal information and present PF account details.
• Click on ‘Get Details’ to view PF account details from previous employment.
• Choose the previous or present employer for attesting the claim form, based on the availability of an authorized signatory holding DSC.
• Enter Member ID or UAN and click ‘Get OTP’ to receive and enter the OTP for authentication.
• A filled-in PF transfer request form is generated, which needs to be self-attested and submitted in PDF format to the selected employer.
• The employer approves the transfer request digitally, transferring the PF to the new account with the current employer.
• A tracking ID is generated for online application tracking.
• Note: Employees may need to download and submit Transfer Claim Form (Form 13) to the employer in some cases to complete the EPF transfer process.

Importance of Universal Account Number

A Universal Account Number includes all your member IDs under one roof. As a salaried professional, if your company deducts and contributes towards an employee provident fund, you will be given a UAN that will continue to add member IDs from different employers. With UAN, employees can check their PF-related activities. UAN becomes essential due to the following reasons.

● UAN acts as an umbrella in which all PF accounts of its members reside. It used to be difficult for an employee to track her EPF account; but with UAN, it's easier.
● Employees will have only one unique UAN in their whole professional career
● UAN number is essential to check the credits and debits in the PF account
● The online UAN number processing helps to access the account anytime, anywhere
 

UAN Benefits for the Employee

The introduction of UAN has made the life of both employees and employers easier. Before the UAN implementation, employees had to withdraw from the employee pension scheme while switching jobs which would affect the amount at retirement. However, with UAN, employee pension plans and employer provident fund balances are automatically transferred to the new account, increasing the amount when you retire. 

In addition to easier access and more efficient processes through the UAN Portal, UAN offers the following benefits:

● You can check your PF balance at any time.
● UAN authenticated by KYC and linked to Aadhaar is secure and can be used to check PF balance by sending a simple SMS via smartphone.
● A UAN number is your identification number, regardless of your employer.
● Only you can access your account based on your KYC details.
● Track your PF account to see if your employer is crediting your account each month based on your deductions.
● Employer involvement reduces drastically while transferring a PF account from one employer to another.
● Manual fund sharing is not required with UAN while shifting jobs. You simply need to provide your UAN details and KYC to the new employer, and the old PF gets transferred to the new PF account almost instantly after the verification.