Universal Account Number

Let us dig in for more information about Universal Account Numbers like features, benefits, registration process, and more.

Understanding Universal Account Number (UAN)

Issued by the Government of India and regulated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, (UAN) Universal Account Number is basically a unique 12-digit number assigned to every salaried employee making contributions in EPF (Employee Provident Fund) by the EPFO.

The UAN once allotted, can never be changed for an employee throughout their professional life irrespective of ‘n’ numbers of jobs switched by an employee. Suppose, if you switch 5 jobs in 7 years of your professional career to date, then with every switch made, you will be given a different member identification number, which will eventually be linked to your primarily generated UAN. So, with every switch, your new member ID keeps on linking to your existing UAN keeping it unchanged always.

These days, due to the advancement of technology and the growth of digitalization, access to everything has become much easier and peaceful. Earlier, keeping a track of one’s Provident Fund contribution was a daunting task, but now due to the online portal, it is easy to access, check balance, withdraw, or transfer from the PF account.

Where to Get Your UAN Number?

An employee can get the UAN number from the following 2 sources:

1. Through Employer

   In general, the UAN number is assigned to the employee by their employer under the guidelines of Employer’s Provident Fund Organization). Sometimes, the UAN is printed on the salary slip of the employee as well.

2. Through Online UAN Portal

   Generally, the employee receives the UAN number from their employer. But, in case, the employer does not provide the employee with the Universal Account Number, then they can themselves visit the UAN Portal and obtain their respective UAN number.

   To obtain the Universal Account Number, the employee needs to follow the below-mentioned steps:

   • Visit the UAN website https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/

   • Click on the “Know your UAN” tab

   • Now, fill in your mobile number and the captcha mentioned on the page

   • Click on the “Request OTP” tab

   • You will be redirected to another page wherein you have to fill in your basic details like

   • Name

   • Date of Birth

   • Aadhaar card number or PAN Card or Member ID (whatever submitted to the employer)

   • The captcha mentioned on the page

   • Click on the “Show my UAN” tab

   • Finally, your UAN number will appear on the screen

Activation of Your UAN Number

If an employee wants to access their EPF online, then having a UAN is not enough. To activate UAN online, one has to have UAN and PF member ID.

Here are the following steps how one can activate their UAN on the EPFO portal:

• Visit the EPFO website https://epfindia.gov.in/site_en/

• Click on the “For employees” tab under the “Services” header on the left

• Scroll down and click on the “Member UAN/ Online Service (OCS/ OTCP)” tab

• You will be redirected to the UAN portal https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/

• Click on the “Activate UAN” tab in the bottom right

• Fill in all the required details like

• UAN

• Aadhaar card number

• Name

• Date of Birth

• Mobile number

• Captcha mentioned

• Click on the “terms & conditions” check box

• Click on the “Get Authorization Pin” tab

• An OTP will be sent on the registered mobile number

• Under the disclaimer box, enter the OTP received on the mobile

• Click on “Validate OTP” and activate “UAN”

After the UAN activation, a password will be received on the mobile to access the UAN Account

Highlights of UAN

Some of the main highlights of the Universal Account Number are:

• UAN is created once in a lifetime

• It helps store all the employee’s data in one place

• UAN helps the Employee Provident Fund Organization in,

• Getting bank account details of the employee

• KYC of the employee without asking the employer

• Tracking down the number of switches made by the employee

• UAN has reduced untimely withdrawals of EPF considerably

Benefits of UAN for Employees

• With the UAN, it is easy to make online withdrawals from the PF account

• Balance can be transferred or carry-forward easily

• Tracking down of past withdrawals, deposits, current balance, etc. has become much easier with UAN

• Creates transparency between the employee and the employer leading to minimum chances of forgery

• Employees can keep a check whether their PF amount is being regularly deposited by the employer or not

Documents Required for UAN

The following documents are needed at the time of opening your Universal Account Number (UAN):

• Bank details like,

• Bank name

• IFSC Code

• Account number

• Branch name

• Identification proof like,

• Passport size photographs

• Aadhaar card

• Driver’s license

• Passport, etc

• Address proof like,

• Electricity bill

• Voter ID

• Ration card, etc

• Adadhaar Card is mandatory

• Pan Card is mandatory to link UAN

• ESIC Card

To End!

Universal Account Number is very useful for everyone, be it an employee, an employer, or the government of India. It helps in tracking down the history of the employee making it easy to understand their past professional life. UAN number is mandatory for every salaried employee and is also a great way of savings for any unforeseen situation in life.