What Is UAN Activation: Know UAN Activation Process

UAN (Universal Account Number) is a 12-digit identification number issued by the Ministry of Law and Employment. The EPFO (Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation) generates this number. In this account, both the employee and the employer contribute an equal amount of money to the employee’s EPF(Employee Provident Fund).

Contents

How to generate and check your UAN number UAN activation process Documents required for the activation of UAN Why does a person need UAN?How do employees benefit from UAN? FAQs

A member can have only one UAN while they are working. All the other EPS accounts are linked to it. If a person changes their job, the UAN number remains unchanged; however, the member ID and the EPF account number change.

EPFO issues two separate UANs, one for the employee and the other for the employer. To check the PF balance, you need to activate the UAN (Universal Account Number) first. The activation of UAN is very simple. Let’s take a look!

Key Takeaways

There is one UAN per employee, even if the job changes multiple times.
You cannot transfer EPF funds unless your Aadhaar is linked to your UAN.
UAN Activation is entirely free of cost.

How to generate and check your UAN number

Generating UAN

The employer has to follow certain steps to generate a new UAN for their employees.

Step 1: Log in to EPF Employer Portal using the Company ID and password.

Step 2: Select the ‘Register Individual’ button in the ‘Member’ Section.

Step 3: Details of the employee like Bank details, Aadhaar, and PAN Card needs to be uploaded.

Step 4: Validate the details in the ‘Approval’ section.

The new UAN is issued by EPFO. Now, the employer needs to link this UAN of the employee with the EPF account.

Checking UAN

There are two ways of checking your UAN. The first is through your employer. Usually, the UAN number is displayed on your payslip. In case it is not displayed, you can contact the finance department of your office.

The second way to find your UAN number is by using the UAN portal.

Checking your UAN on the website

Once the UAN is generated and linked with EPF, the employer shares it with their employees. However, you can also check your UAN on the website by following certain steps:

Visit Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) Member Portal.
Select ‘Know your UAN’.
Insert your registered mobile number and enter the correct captcha code and click on the “Request OTP” button.
Insert your date of birth, name, PAN, Aadhaar, date of birth, and member ID. Add the correct captcha for verification and select “Show my UAN”.

Did you know?

UAN can be activated through an SMS from the registered mobile number. Type “EPFOHO<space>UAN<space>ENG to 7738299899 to receive the messages in English.

UAN activation process

To use the EPFO portal and check your PF account, you need to register and activate your UAN. For UAN activation, you need to follow certain steps, which are as follows:

Step 1: Go to the EPFO website and select “Activate UAN”, which is on the bottom right corner of the page.

Step 2: Enter your member ID/UAN along with your name, mobile number, date of birth, and Aadhar number. Insert the correct captcha text.

Step 3: Now, you need to click on “Get Authorisation Pin”.

Step 4: An Authorisation Pin will be received on your registered mobile number.

Step 5: Enter this pin and select “Validate OTP and Activate UAN”.

Step 6: Once UAN is activated, a password will be received on your registered mobile number.

Step 7: On receiving the password, you can log in to your EPF account using your password.

Even though your UAN is activated at this time, you will have to wait for six hours to access it for the first time. Once those six hours are over, you can check your PF balance and other transactions in your account.

Documents required for the activation of UAN

When you get a new job, it is your employer’s responsibility to open your PF account and activate your UAN. To do so, they need certain documents from you. These are as follows:

Aadhaar card
PAN card
Bank account detail along with the IFSC
Any other identity proof (if required)

Words to remember

UAN – Universal Account Number is the unique 12-digit number to access all EPF related portals.

EPFO – Employees’ Provided Fund Organisation – a government-run institution managing EPF.

Why does a person need UAN?

Every company deducts a certain amount from the salary of their employees. This amount goes to EPF (Employee Provident Fund). Earlier, multiple IDs for each PF account were given to the salaried person to access their accounts.

UAN was made mandatory on 1st October, 2014. This was done to remove complexity and make it easier and more convenient to use. Thus, now, to access all your PF accounts, you need just one number, which is your UAN (Universal Account Number). It is possible to access your PF accounts only if you have your UAN.

Did you know?

You can change your mobile number and email ID through the UAN Website.

How do employees benefit from UAN?

Since UAN acts like a single umbrella for all EPF related requirements, you can view all your PF accounts here. It has been simplified for the benefit of employees.

The only time funds can be withdrawn from the EPF account before retirement is:

For buying a new house or land.
For repaying the home loan.
To meet medical requirements.
For the marriage of the children or siblings or members themselves.
For educating the children or siblings or members themselves.

Your UAN needs to be activated and linked to your Aadhaar for any transfers.

3. Your EPF Passbook can be viewed online. This way, you can keep track of all your transactions, download them and also take a printout. You need the active UAN to download your EPF passbook.

4. EPFO claim status can also be checked online through their website (EPFO portal). You need the active UAN to log in.

Conclusion

The government has made it mandatory to link your Aadhaar and PAN card with UAN. Multiple active PF accounts (maximum 10) can be linked with UAN. Follow the simple steps mentioned above to enjoy all the features that UAN comes with!