How to activate UAN (EPF Universal Account Number)

UAN is the acronym for Universal Account Number. It was introduced the Employees Provident fund for a quick and a hassle-free transfer of PF accounts. Before the introduction of the UAN whenever there is a job change, employees either withdrew the entire PF amount or leave the PF account unattended. However, with the introduction of the Universal Account Number an employee can simply transfer their PF account from one organization to another by providing the UAN number to the new employer. The UAN is a 12-digit unique number provided to every salaried individual. This number acts as an umbrella number that links all PF accounts of an individual under it.

Activation of The Universal Account Number

The UAN number is provided by the employer whenever he or she starts working. In case an employee is unaware about the UAN number then he or she can check it on top of the pay slip. In case an employer does not give the number then an employee can activate the number with the following steps:

Documents required for UAN Activation

Before starting the process of UAN activation a person should have the following documents available:

• Last working day in the previous organization
• Bank passbook as it contains all the bank details like account number, IFSC code etc.
• UAN given by the employer
• KYC documents like passport,driving license,voters id card,ration card,ESIC card.

Steps to activate UAN Online

The following steps must be taken in order to activate UAN:

1. visit the official website of the Employees Provident Fund i.e. https://unifiedportal.epfindia.gov.in
2. After this enter the UAN number, EPF number and mobile number.
3. After entering the details, a PIN code will be sent to your registered mobile number
4. The employee is required to provide the PIN number to activate the UAN
5. The registration process will be completed once the employee generates the user id and password.

Benefits of The Universal Account Number

The introduction of UAN ensures that an employee after changing his or her job does not have to contact their previous employer or go through a process that involves lot of paperwork. It is a stress free and an easy process. Further an employer is also notified about his or her monthly PF deduction and thus it also more transparency. Besides this some of the other benefits of the Universal Account Number are:

• Employees can easily transfer, withdraw and download UAN card.
• Easy and hassle-free transfer of PF account. A UAN can hold a number of PF numbers.
• Further an employee does not need to change the UAN number even after job change as the UAN number remains the same throughout a person’s lifetime
• The UAN number also ensures less intervention from the part of the employer. It helps in maintaining a direct relation between the employee and the EPFO.
• The UAN has also ensured more transparency on the PF account. An SMS alert is sent to the employee every time money is credited or debited from the PF account