Understanding Universal Account Number (UAN)

UAN is a 12-digit number assigned or provided to all individuals having an Employee Provident Fund account.  UAN no is an identification number of the EPF account of the employee. Therefore, when an employee changes an organization or Company, he or she is not required to open a new Employee Provident Fund account.

The employee needs to provide the UAN no to his or her new employer. The new employer will thus deposit the EPF amount to the employee’s existing EPF account. Therefore, with the introduction of Universal Account Number, the employee does not need to open or close the Employee Provident Fund account upon change of jobs.

Use of UAN

With the help of Universal Account Number, an employee can fetch and see all records related to the contribution made and deposited by the employer in EPF account, current balance Etc. If the employee does not have Universal Account Number, he or she will need to depend upon the employer to fetch all details of his account.

UAN makes it easy and simple for an employee to fetch all details related to his EPF account online, withdraw money, etc.

When an employee changes job, he does not need to fill a new form of EPF. The employee can share the Universal Account Number with the employer and accordingly the employer can start contributing to the employee EPF account.

Important Facts Of UAN

1. UAN is needed for easy access to the EPF account of the employee.
2. It is a 12-digit identity number assigned to the Employee Provident Fund account of the employee.
3. The employee can fetch all details related to his or her EPF account online.
4. The employee does not need to complete all formalities related to the EPF account upon joining a new company or resigning from an old company.
5. The employee can continue with the existing Employee Provident Fund account upon changing of job and maintain the same account throughout his life.

How to know your Universal Account Number

1. From the Employer – The HR department of all Companies generally maintains a record of the Employee, including their Certificates, Pan no, Aadhaar No, Salary Account and EPF account details. Therefore, the employee can approach the HR of the Company to find out the Universal Account Number associated with his or her Employee Provident Fund Account.
2. Online – However, if the Universal Account Number is not available with the Employer, the employee can also search the same Online in very easy steps.
3. Login to the EPFO website. The website link is epfindia.gov.in.
4. Go to the services page, Click on For Employees option.
5. Scroll down and under services, option-click on Member UAN/Online Service (OCS/OTCP), a new interface will open.
6. Scroll down on the page, under important links click on Know Your UAN no.
7. Enter mobile number and Captcha, a One Time Password will be forwarded to your mobile. Once the OTP is successfully submitted a new page will open.
8. Enter name, date of birth, Aadhar or Pan No or Member Id, and Captcha and click on the show my UAN. The UAN number will be displayed on the screen.

How to activate UAN No.

Once the universal account number is received, the same can be activated from the EPFO website. The user needs to activate UAN in order to view accounts and transactions online.

1. Go to the Services option on the home page. Click on For Employees option.
2. Under Services option click on Member UAN/Online Service (OCS/OTCP), a new interface will open.
3. Scroll down and under Important Links, click on Activate UAN.
4. Enter details such as UAN, Member ID, Aadhar No, Pan Number, Name, Date of birth, Mobile Number, Email ID, and Captcha.
5. Click on Get Authorization Pin. A pin number will be sent to your mobile.
6. Enter Pin no.
7. Now the UAN will be activated and the user can use all services related to EPF account online.