UAN Login, Passbook Download, Claim Status
The Universal Account Number or UAN is a unique 12-digit identifier assigned to each member of the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) against his/her name. Issued by the Government of India under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the UAN remains the same and portable throughout an individual’s professional journey. Even if an employee switches jobs, they are assigned a new member ID by EPFO, but their UAN remains unchanged, as it is linked to all member IDs.
An employee has a different member ID while switching between jobs and the entire member IDs are linked to his/her UAN to ease the EPF withdrawals and transfer process. This number serves as a comprehensive tool for tracking total EPF contributions, spanning across previous and current employers, conveniently consolidated in one place.
Significance of UAN Number
Every salaried individual employed in a company and making contributions to the Employee Provident Fund receives a UAN. Mandated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 1, 2014, the UAN initiative aimed to establish a unified platform for employees to effortlessly access their PF accounts.
UAN streamlines PF transactions by centralizing access, simplifying the process, and sparing employees from managing multiple account details and passwords for various PF accounts. Since a part of an employee’s salary is deposited in the EPF account, they must be aware of UAN and its significance to them. Some of the other UAN significance includes:
- Utilizing the UAN, employees can efficiently accomplish a range of EPF-related tasks online, such as withdrawing EPF funds, transferring EPF between accounts, accessing EPF account statements and passbooks, as well as applying for EPF loans.
- The UAN streamlines various EPF activities, allowing you to monitor your contributions, check your balance, and initiate online transfers or withdrawals from your PF account effortlessly.
- Previously, managing PF-related issues such as payouts or withdrawals from multiple PFs was cumbersome. However, the universal account number consolidates all PF accounts linked to different organization IDs into a single platform.
- With the UAN, employees can conveniently access, withdraw, transfer funds, and perform other activities seamlessly.
- By linking all member IDs to a single UAN, the process of EPF transfers and withdrawals is significantly simplified.
How to Generate UAN for a New Employee?
When an individual joins an organization for the first time, the employer needs to generate a UAN for the employee if they employ 20 or more individuals. If the employee already possesses a UAN from a previous employer, he/she must provide this information to the new employer.
To generate a new UAN for an employee, the employer must follow these steps:
- The employer must use the establishment ID and password to log in to the EPF Employer Portal
- Navigate to the “Member” section and select the “Register Individual” tab.
- Input the employee’s details, including Aadhaar, PAN, bank information, etc.
- Review and approve all details in the “Approval” section to initiate the generation of a new UAN by EPFO.
After activation of the employee’s UAN, he/she can log in to the UAN Member e-SEWA portal to get access to diverse services like viewing the UAN card, profile, and service history.
Documents Required for UAN Registration
To securely carry out UAN registration, employees should provide the following documents:
- Applicant’s updated Aadhaar card
- PAN card
- Bank account details along with IFSC
- Identity proof such as passport, driving license, voter ID, etc
- Address Proof
- ESIC card
Advantages of UAN for Employees
Employees do just not have easy access to their PF account but they also benefit in the following ways:
- Different PF accounts of an employee are linked under UAN
- With UAN, employer participation in PF withdrawals has diminished, as PF from the previous organization can be seamlessly transferred to the new PF account upon completion of KYC verification.
- By providing UAN details and KYC to the new employer, the employee facilitates the transfer of the old PF to the new PF account upon verification completion.
- Upon registration on the UAN portal, employees receive SMS alerts for every contribution made by the employer, ensuring easy monitoring of PF activities.
- UAN can be securely used through mobile phones to check PF balance by simply sending an SMS
- Employees can keep track of their PF account to check whether the employer is every month crediting PF or not
- UAN member portal allows both employer and employee to manage a record of their PF account and its balance
How to withdraw or Transfer Funds using UAN?
When an employee changes companies, they have the option to either withdraw or transfer their funds. However, due to the cumbersome nature of the previous process, many individuals often chose not to utilize their PF.
With the introduction of UAN, the tasks for the employees have been simplified in the following ways:
- Log in to their EPF account using their UAN and password.
- Navigate to the ‘Online Services’ section and select the ‘One Member – One EPF Account or Transfer Request’ option.
- Thoroughly review personal information and current PF account details.
- Click on ‘Get Details’ to access PF account details from previous employment.
- Select either the previous or current employer for attesting the claim form, depending on the availability of an authorized signatory with a DSC. Provide your Member ID or UAN accordingly.
- Press the ‘Get OTP’ button to receive a one-time password on their registered mobile number. Enter the OTP in the designated space and click ‘Submit’ to verify their identity.
- Subsequently, a digitally filled PF transfer request form will be generated. Self-attest the form and submit it in PDF format to their chosen employer. The employer will be notified online about the transfer request.
- The employer digitally approves the PF transfer request. Upon approval, the PF funds are transferred to the new account with the current employer. A tracking ID is generated for online application tracking purposes.