The Employee’s Provident Fund is a post-retirement scheme for employees working in the organized sector of India. It is managed by the EPFO (Employee Provident Fund Organization) founded in 1952 that handles more than 11 lakh crores of provident funds for employees in the private and public sectors. Generally, an employee is allotted a PF member ID by his/her employer. In this system, whenever an employee changes his/her job or profession, he/she needs to get a new PF member ID from every new employer. However, while an employee could access his/her provident fund, it is was not possible without the due authorization of the employer and this entailed a lot of paperwork and formalities.
Owing to the cumbersome nature of getting new PF member IDs and the lack of independent access to the provident fund account, the central government devised the arrangement of a 12-digit UAN ID in 2014, that could function as a lifetime PF member ID. Not only is it much easier to get a UAN ID, it also provided employees with the facility for free access to their PF account without the necessary interference of their employers. Most importantly, employees do not need to get new PF member IDs every time they join an organization as new employees. The UAN ID can be easily activated and retrieved online with only a few basic identity documents. Below, we will see how to get UAN number.
Getting your UAN Number Online
One of the great benefits offered by the UAN ID is the ease of access to your provident fund account details. Unlike the PF member ID, the UAN provides a comprehensive view of your PF account history across jobs that you might have changed and also allows for easy modification of your personal information and other important details. In case, you do not already have a UAN ID or do not have it at this point of time, you can get it from the EPFO online portal with a few easy steps.
- In order to access your UAN number or your complete EPF account history online, you need to go to the EPFO online portal at https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface.
- On this page, click on ‘Activate UAN’ and from here you can proceed towards the activation and retrieval of your UAN.
- Following the next page, you need to fill your UAN number, PF member ID along with your PAN card or Aadhar card number.
- On this page, you will need to click ‘Get Authorization Pin’.
- By clicking ‘Authorization Pin’, you will receive the PIN on the phone number that you have registered on the EPFO online portal to access your PF account details.
- From the previous page, you will be redirected to a page where you will have to enter the one-time password that you received on your registered mobile number.
- Click ‘I Agree’ and ‘Validate OTP and Activate UAN’.
- Now, you will receive a password on your registered mobile number.
- By now, your UAN ID has been activated and can be used to access your online PF account.
- You can now use your UAN number on the online EPFO portal or mobile apps like Umang.
Documents to be Submitted for Activating the UAN Online
Unlike the PF member ID, you need to submit only the essential documents for activating your UAN ID such as:
- You will need to submit identity proof such as your driving license, voting card, passport or the Aadhar card that contains your name, date of birth and address if applicable.
- You need to submit address proof documents such as telephone bills, electricity bills, rent agreements or your passport. Anyone document is enough.
- Since your PAN card is like a standardized banking ID, you need to submit that for access to the online PF account.
- Your ESIC card.
- All essential bank details such as bank account number, home branch name and IFSC code.
If you follow the above steps and submit legitimate identity documents, you can be done with the UAN activation and retrieval process within 10 minutes. With the UAN you can access your PF account anytime and can make future financial security plans by analyzing your comprehensive PF history at the EPFO portal. However, for the user-friendly experience to invest, access and withdraw your money, you can consider online fixed deposit plans offered by banks and NBFCs like Bajaj Finance. It gives you lots of flexibility in case of an emergency.
