The Universal Account Number is a permanent 12-digit identifier assigned by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) that stays with you for your entire working life. Every time you change employers you get a new Member ID, but your UAN ties all those IDs together so your provident fund savings move with you instead of being scattered across old accounts.1Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Frequently Asked Questions For Members It is also the login you use to check your passbook, file withdrawal claims, and manage your account online.
Your employer generates the UAN when you first join a covered establishment and your PF contributions start. From that point, almost everything you do with your PF runs through this number.
Finding Your UAN
The quickest place to look is your salary slip. Most employers print the UAN alongside payroll details, and HR or payroll is required to give it to you if it is not shown.2Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. FAQ for Employers on UAN
If that fails, the Unified Member Portal has a “Know Your UAN” tool that works around the clock. You enter your registered mobile number, receive an OTP, and then provide either your Aadhaar number or an existing Member ID. The system confirms your identity and displays your UAN.3Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Unified Member Portal
EPFO also offers UAN services through the UMANG mobile app with a face authentication option. You need a valid Aadhaar, access to your Aadhaar-linked mobile for the OTP, and the Aadhaar Face RD App installed. After the OTP step the app prompts you for a face scan. If you have never had a UAN, the system can generate and activate one in a single flow and send it by SMS, which is useful for workers whose previous employer never passed the number on.4Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Mandatory Allotment and Activation of UAN through UMANG App using FAT
Once your UAN is activated and at least one KYC document (bank account, Aadhaar, or PAN) is linked, you can give a missed call to 9966044425 from your registered mobile. The call cuts off after two rings at no cost, and an SMS comes back with your last contribution and PF balance.5Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Missed Call Facility
Activating the UAN and Completing KYC
Having a UAN is not the same as having an active account. Until you activate it, you cannot log in to the portal, file claims, or download your passbook.
On the Unified Member Portal, open the activation option and enter your 12-digit UAN, your Aadhaar number, and the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar. An OTP goes to that mobile. After you submit it you set a password, and the account is live.6Vikaspedia. UAN Activation for Employees through Aadhaar-based OTP You can run the same activation through UMANG using face authentication if you prefer the mobile route.4Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Mandatory Allotment and Activation of UAN through UMANG App using FAT
Activation gets you in the door. KYC is what lets you actually do things. Three documents matter: your Aadhaar, your PAN, and your bank account with IFSC code. Your Aadhaar must be linked to an active mobile number because almost every meaningful action on the portal, from claims to transfers, needs an OTP sent there.7Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Frequently Asked Questions UAN and KYC
The single biggest cause of failed KYC is a name mismatch. Your name on Aadhaar, on PAN (specifically in the Income Tax database, which can differ from what is printed on the card), and in your EPFO profile all have to match exactly. A small spelling difference is enough to block verification.7Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Frequently Asked Questions UAN and KYC You can update KYC details through the Manage tab after logging in. Linking PAN specifically is worth doing early, because it changes the tax treatment of any later withdrawal.
Fixing a Name or Data Mismatch
If your records do not line up, EPFO sorts corrections into two buckets that decide how much paperwork you need.8Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Standard Operating Procedure for Joint Declaration – Member Profile Correction
- Minor: two or fewer letters change and the name still sounds the same, adding a surname after marriage, or removing a salutation like “Shri” or “Mrs.”
- Major: more than two letters change, the name sounds different even if only one or two letters moved, or you are expanding an abbreviated name.
Both types go through a Joint Declaration form that your employer has to authenticate. A 2025 circular directed regional offices to simplify the process.9Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Simplification of Joint Declaration Process If your current employer is slow to respond or you have already left, a major correction can take considerably longer because the regional provident fund office usually gets involved. Sorting out mismatches before you start a new job saves real trouble later.
Merging Old PF Accounts Into Your Current One
If you have changed jobs more than once, you probably have multiple Member IDs sitting under your UAN. EPFO’s “One Member, One EPF Account” policy expects you to consolidate the old ones into your current active account.10Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. FAQ Leaving them untouched is more than untidy. Those balances can stop earning interest, and they complicate any future withdrawal or pension calculation.
Automatic Transfer
When your UAN is active and fully KYC-compliant, EPFO can transfer old balances on its own. The first month your new employer’s PF contribution lands, an automatic transfer trigger is generated and your old balance moves across unless you stop it.11Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Frequently Asked Questions – Transfer Claims for Employees This is the easiest path and one of the strongest reasons to keep KYC current at all times.
Manual Transfer
If the automatic trigger did not fire, usually because KYC was incomplete at the time, use the Online Services menu on the member portal to file a transfer request. It needs digital approval from either your previous or your current employer, and you can watch progress on your dashboard. In practice, approval can drag if the former company is slow or has changed its authorized signatories. Persistent delays are worth escalating through the EPFO grievance portal.
Withdrawing Money Through Your UAN
Your UAN is the gateway for every type of PF withdrawal, whether that is the full balance at retirement or an advance for a specific need. EPFO settles online claims from KYC-compliant accounts in roughly eight days on average. Incomplete KYC is the number one reason claims stall.
Full Withdrawal
You can take out your entire balance when you retire at or after age 55, or in cases of permanent disability, retrenchment, voluntary retirement, or permanent emigration from India. If you leave a job before 55 and stay unemployed for at least two months, you can also withdraw the full amount, though how it is taxed depends on your total years of service.
Partial Withdrawal (Advances)
The EPF Scheme allows advances for specific life events without closing the account. The permitted reasons are:12Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Types of Advances (Form 31)
- Housing: buying or building a home, buying a plot, or adding to or repairing a house you or your spouse own.
- Home loan repayment: paying off outstanding principal and interest.
- Medical treatment for yourself or family members.
- Marriage or education: your own marriage or that of children or siblings, and post-secondary education of your children.
- Pre-retirement: a partial withdrawal after 54, within one year of your retirement or superannuation date.
- Natural calamity: damage to property from floods, earthquakes, or similar events.
- Disability: buying equipment to reduce hardship for physically handicapped members.
Each category carries its own service-length and limit rules, which are set out in the claim form. Advance claims go through the portal on Form 31, and employer approval is not needed when you file using Aadhaar-based OTP.
EPFO 3.0: UPI and ATM Access
EPFO has been rolling out a framework called EPFO 3.0 that lets members take PF advances through UPI apps and, eventually, EPF-linked ATM cards. You can withdraw up to 75% of your balance via UPI, with a minimum 25% kept in the account to protect your retirement corpus. No employer approval is needed for these standard withdrawals; Aadhaar OTP and self-certification are enough. Full KYC on your UAN is the prerequisite.
Tax on Your PF Withdrawal
Whether EPFO deducts tax from your withdrawal turns on two things: your years of continuous service, and whether your PAN is linked to your UAN.13Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Provisions related to TDS on withdrawal from Employees Provident Fund Scheme, 1952
- Five or more years of service: no TDS, and the withdrawal is fully exempt from income tax. Years with different employers count toward this total as long as you transferred the balances between them.
- Less than five years of service, withdrawal under ₹30,000: no TDS.
- Less than five years, withdrawal of ₹30,000 or more, PAN provided: TDS at 10%.
- Less than five years, withdrawal of ₹30,000 or more, PAN not provided: TDS at the maximum marginal rate of 34.608%.
The gap between 10% and 34.608% is huge, and avoiding it is as simple as linking your PAN before you file the claim. If you have less than five years of service but your total income for the year falls below the taxable threshold, you can file Form 15G (or Form 15H if you are 60 or older) with your claim to avoid TDS entirely. You have to quote your PAN on these forms for them to be accepted.13Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Provisions related to TDS on withdrawal from Employees Provident Fund Scheme, 1952
What Happens If You Ignore Old Accounts
An account that receives no contributions for more than three years stops earning interest after that third year.14Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. FAQ – EPFO This is the strongest reason to consolidate old balances through the portal rather than letting them sit. A small balance left behind in your twenties loses decades of compounding at the current rate of 8.25%, and once an account becomes inoperative the balance just erodes against inflation while withdrawing it requires extra verification. Merging it into your active account under the same UAN closes that leak.