What is UAN Number & How to Activate UAN?

The full form of UAN is Universal Account Number. It is a unique identification number of 12 digits allotted to a member of the Employee Provident Fund under the directions of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Every citizen can only have one Universal Account Number during his or her service tenure, where all the EPF accounts get linked with that UAN.

In case the employee changes his or her job, then he or she will be provided with a new member ID, but the UAN number remains the same. In case you have been allotted with more than one UAN number in your name, you are required to inform both your employer and the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) immediately. After receiving the information of multiple UAN, the EPFO authority will deactivate the previous UAN, and your EPF corpus will reflect in your new UAN account.

Significance of UAN

The Universal Account Number provides an umbrella record of all provident accounts of a member. A UAN  simplifies the procedure of tracking the EPF accounts of all employees for an organisation.

UAN makes the online account transfer from the old to the new account easy, with just a few clicks. It makes it easier for a person to avail of the benefit of all the online services offered by the EPFO.

Benefits of UAN

By activating UAN, you can access the following features:

• Easy tracking of all the EPF accounts through one umbrella platform.
• The employee can view the EPF passbook easily online.
• At times of financial emergencies, the employee has the option of making partial withdrawals online.
• Online transfer of EPF accounts on changing of job. No need to stand in long queues.
• Using the EPF member portal, one can track the claim status from the comfort of their home.
• If you have a valid UAN account, your new employer will not do any profile validation because you are already KYC-verified.
• UAN gives surety that no employer can withhold the PF balance or misuse the money.

Know-How to Find UAN Number

How to know the UAN number? When an employee starts a job or joins any organisation, the employer has to generate his or her UAN account. Only those organisations with 20 or more employees are liable to provide UAN numbers. In case an employee already has a UAN account, it is mandated for the employee to furnish details to the employing organisation. Here are the steps involved in accessing your UAN:

• Log on to the website of the EPF by providing the establishment ID and password.
• Click on the ‘Register Individual’ tab in the ‘Member’ section.
• Share the employee details like Aadhaar, PAN, bank details, etc.
• Verify all the details mentioned in the account by clicking on the ‘Approval’ section.
• The employee’s new UAN number will be generated.
• Post that, the employer can link the PF account to the employee’s UAN.

How to Get a UAN Number after Activating a UAN Account?

Once UAN is created and is linked with the EPF account, it is the accountability of the employer to provide the UAN and provident fund details to their employees. However, in case the employer has not shared the same, you can follow these steps to get your UAN details:

• Log on to the EPF member portal.
• Choose from the various options like member ID, PAN, and Aadhaar number
• Give details like date of birth, email-id, and mobile number.
• Click on the option ‘Get authorisation pin’.
• You will receive a pin on the mobile number registered with the EPFO.
• Enter that pin in the space provided, and you will get all the UAN details.

How to Link Aadhaar with UAN?

After signing in to the EPF account, you have to mention all the necessary details in the UAN account. It is mandatory to link your Aadhaar card with the UAN account. Here are the steps:

• Log on to the EPF member portal.
• Click on the ‘KYC’ tab, and then navigate to the ‘Manage’ section.
• Tick the option ‘Aadhaar’ and enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number and your name
• Now click on the ‘Save’ option
• You will see your request registered as ‘KYC Pending for Approval’.

Once the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) confirms your details, you will see the name of your current employer mentioned in the section ‘Approved by Establishment’ and ‘Verified by UIDAI’.

How to Link Aadhaar and EPF using Umang App?

For linking Aadhaar UAN using the Umang app, you are required to follow the steps mentioned below.

• Download the Umang app from the Google Play Store and click on the option ‘EPFO’ under all the services tab.
• Choose ‘eKYC Services’ and then click on the ‘Aadhaar Seeding Option'.
• Next, enter the UAN details and click on get OTP.
• After making a successful verification of OTP, enter your Aadhaar number.
• After providing an Aadhaar number, you will receive an OTP on the mobile number registered with the EPFO.
• The Aadhaar will then get linked to UAN.

How to Activate a UAN Number?

After following all the above steps comes the main step of UAN activation. You can only make use of the EPF member portal once you have successfully registered and activated the UAN. If you are wondering ‘how to get my UAN number’, you must follow these steps:

• Visit the EPFO home page and click on the option ‘For Employees’ under ‘Our Services’ visible on the dashboard.
• Choose the option ‘Member UAN/Online services’ visible in the ‘Service’ section. It will redirect you to the UAN portal.
• After that, you are required to enter the Universal Account number and member ID.
• After that, you will be asked to enter the CAPTCHA code.
• Click on the ‘Get authorisation PIN’ button. You will get the PIN on the mobile number registered with EPFO.
• After that, you will be asked to click on ‘I Agree’ in the disclaimer checkbox.
• Then, you will receive an OTP that you are required to enter in the given field. It is the last step of validating the OTP and for the UAN activation.
• Post the UAN activation, you will get a password on your registered mobile number.

Main Documents Required for UAN Activation

Below is the list of documents required at the time of UAN registration. It is the responsibility of the employer to collect those documents from the employee:

• PAN card
• Aadhaar card
• Bank account details like account details, IFSC code, and branch name.
• Any other proof of address and identity in case it is needed.
• ESIC card

The above steps should help you understand how to activate the UAN number.

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FAQs

Q. Who is accountable for generating the Universal Account Number (UAN)?

Ans. It is the responsibility of the Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)to allocate a UAN when an employee takes an EPF subscription.

Q. Is one allowed to complete UAN activation through an offline mode?

Ans. No, it is not possible to do an offline UAN activation. The UAN registration is possible only using the online services provided by the EPFO.

Q. Is UAN registration mandatory for contractual employees too?

Ans. Any organisation that employs 20 or more employees is required to provide UAN facility to employees, whether it is a contractual or full-time employee. It is mandated for all employees who are earning a salary of Rs 15000 or above per month.

Q. Can I transfer PF funds online without linking my Aadhaar card with UAN?

Ans. No, it is not possible to make any fund transfer from the PF account without linking the PF account with Aadhaar.

Q. Do I need to create a new UAN at the time of job switching?

Ans. No, only a new member ID will be generated by the new employer on changing the job; the UAN will remain the same.

Q. Is UAN activation possible through a mobile app or SMS?

Ans. As of now, there is no provision for doing UAN activation using SMS or mobile. You are only given the option of online UAN activation through the portal.

Q. Can an employer withhold the EPF balance of an employee?

Ans. No, the employer has no right to hold the EPF balance on changing the job. This is the reason for linking  EPF accounts with UAN.