There have been a bunch of questions around UAN aka ‘Universal Account Number’, coming in the form of comments on few articles related to Employee Provident Fund here on my blog. This article is aimed at addressing some of the common questions and providing with relevant information about UAN. If you have any specific query related to UAN, feel free to add a comment and I will try my best to answer.
UAN stands for Universal Account Number. The UAN is issued by Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India. This number will act as an identity for multiple member IDs allotted to an employee by different establishments. This would be one more addition to all other numbers one may already have! The idea behind coming up with one more number is to link multiple identification numbers allotted by many employers to an individual under a single Universal Account Number (UAN). To explain it better, let me quote the example of multiple PF account numbers provided by various employers to an individual during the employment tenure. Every time an individual quits the employment with one organization and joins another, a new PF is assigned. With this UAN, an individual can link all the previous EPFO accounts and ensure a smoother transfer/withdrawal of PF amounts as needed. If a member is already allotted UAN, then he/she is required to provide the same on joining new establishment to enable the employer to in-turn mark the new allotted Member Identification Number (Member Id) to the already allotted UAN.
How do I get my UAN? Initially UAN is allocated only to an employee who is in active service with an employer between 01-Jan-2014 and 30-Jun-2014. This newly generated UAN for an employee is communicated to employers alone and will not be directly available/communicated to an individual by the Ministry of Labour & Employment. Employees should contact their respective employer to obtain UAN.
Since this UAN is being put into effect in a phased manner, there will be some delays for sure in getting all the previous accounts linked. To know if you have been assigned with a UAN, follow this link and provide your current PF number. If you have been assigned a UAN, you get the confirmation message of ‘Your UAN is allotted, kindly get your UAN No. from your employer.’ Upon getting the UAN, an individual is required to complete some more verification by submitting an existing photo and address identity proof to have it activated for future use.
While registering for UAN, note of the following:
• Obtain UAN from your employer alongwith your member ID.
• Your mobile number would be required to activate registration.
• Given mobile number can be used for one UAN registration only.
• You can view the passbooks of the EPF accounts tagged with UAN.
I hope this article was of some help to get you started with UAN and there by to link all your previous PF accounts with one single identity. If you have any further questions or insights you want to share with rest of the readers on this blog, please share your thoughts in the form of comments below. This will surely help many people!
Mahesh says
Hope this finds you well. i have a query abt EPF. I have recently changed my job twice, First i was in organization in Mumbai where i have spent around 2 years. I have every detail of company A i.e. EPF number and all. Then i shifted to Gurgaon in company B where i applied for transfer but due to some reasons i left that in one month and joined another company C. Now i need to transfer there but i dont have EPF number of org B. what should i do and put in name of previous PF organization and other stuff. Will it be ok if i give them details of first company A
Vikram says
I have got the UAN number from my current employer, all linked and able to login etc.
My question is: I have not transferred my previous 2 employers PF account money to current employer PF account. How can I do it with UAN?
Sham says
I forgot my UAN number. is there a way to retrieve it apart from contacting EMPLOYER?
Thanks.
Dinesh Yadav says
Dear Sir, My employer has not given me my UAN number. what can i do?
Mohan says
Request them to provide the same. Talk to payroll dept.
hasmukh says
how to upload photo in uan id
Mohan says
That is not an option at this point of time. You can only upload KYC documents to verify that an allotted UAN member ID belongs to you!
dillip says
name mismatch at the time of registration. So not submitted til now. How can i rectify my name ?
Nishant says
Hi Mohan. I have worked with Company X and got UAN from them. I can see the PF account for company X linked to my UAN when I login to UAN portal. Then I have worked with Company Y for another 3 months and I have provided them my UAN no. But they haven’t linked my PF no. for the company Y to my UAN no. I have also left that job. I have asked them several times about the linking but they are not responding. Now I am joining company Z and I need to provide them the PF details. So which details should I provide them and can you please suggest how to deal with this situation? Also should I withdraw PF from PF account provided by company X.
Mohan says
Nishant – providing UAN to company Z should be good enough, they will link the new PF to your existing UAN. Likewise, if company Y didn’t link PF details to your UAN, ask them for the PF number and you link it manually on the UAN portal. Let me know how it goes.
Nishant says
Hi Mohan. Thank you for your quick reply. I am not able to link account Y to my UAN because the name on the account is different than the UAN. I asked the company Y to get it changed to match name on UAN but they r not responding. Should i visit the PF office? If yes, what documents should i carry?Also since I have left both the companies and the joining for company Y is next week, can I withdraw PF for company X?
It will be great help if you can email me ur number. I will call you. Thanks a lot.
Anoop says
Dear Mohan,
I have absconded from my previous company and they seem to have applied for my UAN. It is tough for me to get the UAN from them now. Is it possible that I can apply for a fresh UAN from my new employer? Kindly advise. I dont want my new employer to know about my previous employer.
Thanks
Mohan says
Not sure of getting the UAN directly from UAN/PF dept. Currently it is being passed on to employer only.
Rajeshwari says
I am having UAN number ,but i failed to note my member id.I left the previous job and it is not possible to ask member number from previous employer ,how can i get my member id.
Mohan says
Yes Rajeshwari, send a mail to payroll dept of your previous employer. They will provide you the UAN member ID.
babita kumari says
Respected sir,
i want to know that how can i entered bank a/c no. and aadhar no. for UAN. please help me.
Sunil Kumar says
Dear Sir,
How can i get my UAN number via PF number because my previous employer is not providing my UAN numbe???? What should i do for the same???
Thanks
dinesh choudhary says
hi
How i can transfarer my old pf amount in new uan account.
Dinesh
raju says
I joined with A company in this month november 2014 and i did not like the environment and i want to join with new company b in the month of december
my doubt is i submit my pf forms and i dont know whether they created uan number or not ,if created i dont want to use the same uan number to next company
is it possible to create multiple uans for single person without any issues
please let me know and is there any chance for employeer to track my details based on uan
Suhas says
I am having two UANs but don’t know it’s allowed.
amit saxena says
Hi,
My UAN no was alloted to me in my previous organization.
Few days back i hve joined in another company. Can i withdraw PF of my earliar company.
Amit
vineedh says
No. You will have to transfer the PF money to the new company by declaring your UAN to the new employer.
Aki says
I have linked my last to last organisation in my UAN account. I dont want to linked that with it. Kindly advice me how can i delete it from my UAN account.
Uday says
In my pervoius company issued PF account my name is printed as s uday kumar
where as in current company samsani uday kumar . when i tried to link my old account with UAN im getting an error saying name miss match.
Could you please help me ?
Anita says
I left previous company july2013, joined another company sep2014. Previous company didnt gave me any UAN. I requested to give UAN in current company. Is it possible to transfer my pf amount of 60k, from previous to current company using current UAN?
Nitesh kumar says
i am working sks mpl for two years about. but my pf A /c i don’t know. so i kindly request to you. plese halp my pf
Abhi says
See i joined a new company around 1 yr back and i dnt hav PF account in my old company,while new company has opened a new PF account.So, my query is that
like i checked my UAN status through EPFO portal its is displaying ‘Your UAN is alloted kindly get ur UAN no. from ur employer.So i enquired my compnays HR team,they told like they havnt got any info on that kindly contact ur previous compnay.But as i told in my last company i dnt hav even my PF account only.
Pls help
thanks
Bakurutheen says
I hv my uan# from my previous employer. Nw im in new company. I Need money frm my previous pf acc. Kindly advise on this
PL Sahu says
Key Tasks of Member
—————
Inform current Employer if already having UAN.
Wait for UAN Information (employer is mandated to update it soon).
Activate UAN registration by following some simple steps at Member Portal.
Key Tasks of Employer
———–
Download UAN list at Employer Portal.
Upload UAN of employees to Employee Profile in your HR system.
Collect PF KYC Info (preferably PAN or Bank A/C) and get it verified.
Update KYC and approve with digital signature or prepare KYC text file for mass upload and authorize it with digital signature.
Dipsy says
I left my previous company after serving partial notice period. Now my previous employer is not providing me the UAN. my new employer has asked me to submit the UAN. How can I get my UAN
Somesh says
hi
EPFO account balance does not seem to be working since 11/11/2014 or before that. I have been placing request for my balance but no SMS is coming to my phone, though website does not give any error. Any ideas ??
Vinit says
Hi, I have got the UAN number 2 months back from my previous employer (until Jan 2014) which I activated. However now I have received a different UAN number from my current employer (working since Jan 2014). I am not able to register my new UAN as it does not accept the same mobile number which is attached to the UAN from previous Employer.
What should I do? Is there a process to delete the previous UAN? Please advice.
Vinit says
Hi, I have got the UAN number 2 months back from my previous employer which I activated. However now I have received a different UAN number from my current employer. I am not able to register my new UAN as it does not accept the same mobile number which is attached to the UAN from previous Employer.
What should I do? Is there a process to delete the previous UAN? Please advice.
Nand kishor says
hi iwant to knw about my pf details of my previous company united associates
uday kumar says
Hello Mohan,
When i tried to link my old PF account to UAN , i got an error saying Name miss match . i have my name as S uday kumar in old pf account and in UAN it is Samsani uday kumar . Colud you let me know how to deal with it .
Mohit chandel says
Dear sir,
I have linked my uan no. With my previous member ids. I want to know whether I have to fill form 13 for transfer of of balance in previous member I’d or just linking member I’d with with uan is sufficient.
Shamik says
Hi, I just got my UAN yeterday. When I tried to activate the UAN based registration, and I put my UAN# and Member ID(which is I guess same as PF a/c#), but it says “Mismatch in UAN and member Id”. Can you please help what should I do now..
sanjay says
even i am facing “Mismatch in UAN and Member ID” and cant found any solution so far.
Harshit says
It may be the case when you have changed the company recently. But anyways you can check whether UAN is alloted to you against this PF account or not.
Anil Sequeira says
even am facing the similar problem, and i have checked the UAN no alloted to me is the same for the PF account which i ma trying to get it registered.
Anil Sequeira says
I am still to receive an update on the said question raised, can someone help me ???
Shamik says
No I havent already changed company, but I am gonna next month. I bet EPFO dont know that in advance 😛 . Also, how can you verify whether the UAN is allotted againt this PF of not?
Neha Gajjar says
Such a good information share by author. Thank you so much. 🙂
Mohan says
Glad this is useful for so many readers on this blog.
Virumaster says
Mohan sir,
Can you please reply to above comment too. related to “Mismatch in UAN and Member ID.”…. Please
Rajesh says
I have old UAN number from my previous employer.As because i donot want to show my previous employement records to my new establishment employer due to some of my personal and professional reason , can it possible or not to create New UAN number , Kindly help Me
Mohan says
UAN is for one time number related PF tractions for all employees just like PAN for IT filings.
Raj says
It is Mandatory to mentioned UAN to the new establishement , if any person donot want to mentioned his previous employment to the new employer is it possible or not. Kindly suggest it.
Raj kumar says
Sir,
i left my previous company 6 months before. But i have not withdrawn my pf. Will uan be allocated to me? I don’t want to mention my old uan to my new company will it be possible or not? Please reply soon.
Mohan says
I am not sure about this in your case Raj. Kindly check with your previous employer if the UAN is allocated for you.
Balaji says
My previous company has given me my UAN number now .I have already joined another organisation two month back .Now how do I link my new pf account to the one generated by my previous company
Mohan says
Balaji – it should be fairly simple. Just log on to your UAN portal and add the new PF number to your UAN account. Also share the UAN to your current employer, they should be able to take care of the rest. Do share your experience back once you go through this, it will benefit a lot of us!
nanddeesh cm says
io lost my UAN number how to get it again
Mohan says
Just get in touch with your company HR or payroll dept.
mathpalsk says
Dear Mohan,
thank for this useful article, by reading the comments, come to know that lot of
person getting their reply from you. I want to ask whether the formula for EPF pensions will change from 6500X pensionable service / 70 to 15000 X pensionable service/70
Mohan says
Sorry, i did not understand your question. Could you elaborate a little bit more please?
mathpalsk says
I mean what will my pension after working of 17 years after Oct.14
rgds/mathpal
Mohan says
Dear Mathpal, it depends on your contribution and your employers contribution to PF in these 17 years. Please check the balance in your PF account, that should give you a guidance. However, upon retirement, only a part of that sum is allowed as withdrawal amount and the remaining will be given in the form of your mode of pension choice. i.e.., monthly/quarterly/half yearly/yearly.
Shailendra Singh says
Sir, I have 12 digit UAN No. Please guide to me how to use it for further use such as account detail
Mohan says
Dear Shailendra, once you have the UAN, use it on the UAN portal to register as an individual by providing some more additional information as guided by the site. Once you have registered, you will be able to add all the PF accounts to the newly allocated UAN there by you will not lose track of all the PF contributions you have made so far in your professional career.
yogesh says
sir
how can we get UAN no on the basis of pf no,I mean if I haven’t Uan no but I have pf number so it is possible to get uan number from it.
Mohan says
Yes Yogesh, you can get the UAN from your employer. Please check with HR/Payroll department.
Kausik Das says
It is Mandatory to mentioned UAN to the new establishement , if any person donot want to mentioned his previous employment to the new employer is it possible or not.
Mohan says
Well, if you don’t mention, you lose out on linking previous PF account. Any specific reason you want to hide the UAN / PF info from your new employer?
Kausik Das says
As because i donot want to show my previous employement records to my new establishment due to some of my personal and professional reason , can it possible or not , Kindly help Mohan
Prashanta says
you can with draw your previous PF in this very special case.
Matbar Rawat says
i have my old pf number and how to know my UAN number
Mohan says
Dear Matbar, please read the article once again. You need to have an active PF number with an employer and payroll dept will be able provide you the UAN number.
Mahi says
Dear sir i left my previous ogranisation 2 years ago. how can i get UAN? please tell me. i also have dispute with my previous employer…
Mohan says
UAN will be publicly announced in next couple of weeks, please wait for that.
Mahi says
Than u very much sir…….
Sankar says
when i click for uan pin code then get error `UAN error099`. what can i do?
Mohan says
Did you report this error to UAN site admins?
Rifat Fatima says
Hi, I have activated my UAN. But have lost the UAN number. So i am unable to login. Can you help ?
Mohan says
Check with your employer, they will be able to provide your UAN number again!
Amit Chakraborty says
Hi. I have two queries. Pls help me:
1. The UAN is allotted to me from my current employer.Now if I leave the organization and join any new one can i withdraw my P.F of the previous organization just like I earlier did before adopting the new system of UAN by EPFO? or, is it compulsory to transfer the P.F balance of old organization?
2. Suppose I have left my current organization without getting any new job and after 2 months or so, I get a job in a new company. Now, can my new company track the exit date of previous employment with the UAN?
Amit Chakraborty says
I still haven’t got any reply. Please help.
Mohan says
Hi Amit, here it is:
1. Yes, you should be able to. There is a limit on how much you can withdraw and under what circumstances you can withdraw PF amount. I am planning for a separate post on that, will publish it soon. Stay tuned.
2. Should be possible. Not sure though.
Prashanta says
If your previous organisation wants to track , they can track by checking by IT 26(A).. You can also check your 26(A) ,,,
Fathima says
Thanks for detailed steps on how to check status of Universal Account Number (UAN) online. This number is the key to PF portability and faster PF transfers too! I knew this was coming but didn’t know how to check if i have been allocated a UAN or not. The link you provided here helped me to validate and happy to know that i have been assigned an UAN number too.
Mohan says
Thanks Fathima, glad this was useful for you!
Meghana Nair says
Excellent piece of info on PF accounts linking with UAN all the from getting started. Thanks for this article Mohan.
Mohan says
You are welcome!
Eldo says
Very useful article. Did not know only that we could link old accounts as well.
Mohan says
Thanks Eldo. Well, currently you can list previous PFs and link them to UAN. You can also check if the old PF balances can be initiated for online transfer as well. If online transfer is not available for a particular account, it suggests you to initiate the manual transfer process if not already done!
Kavya says
Very useful with all the details about UAN for PF accounts. Thanks for this article mohan. Let me reach out to my payroll to register my UAN too.
Mohan says
Happy to share what I learn and there by help others too!
Ayush Jain says
Thanks for the article – need to check UAN status. One query – suppose the UAN has been allocated – do we now need to transfer older PF accounts into current one, or can we tag them all with UAN and then leave them as it is ? Will the older accounts continue to earn interest (there is some 3-year rule on dormant accounts) ?
Mohan says
Hi Ayush, you are most welcome! Well, the UAN is allocated based on your existing and active PF account. If you have not already transferred the balance in the previous PF accounts to your latest, it makes all sense to link them with UAN. Once all the balance is moved to your current active account, the interest will continue to accumulate as always.