What Is UAN Number and How Does It Work?

The term ‘UAN Number’ is used whenever an employee’s provident fund (PF) is discussed. You can undertake different essential PF-related tasks only if you have activated your UAN Number.

With the digitalization of Government processes, the Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has made it mandatory for all working employees to activate the UAN Number and use it to avail of any services related to their PF account.

Since the PF account is crucial for all employees, it is essential for them to generate their UAN or procure it from their company and activate UAN before using it.

In this article, we will check out the multiple advantages and benefits of having a UAN Number as well as understand its relevance for a PF account holder. We will also discuss the steps to transfer the accounts as well as check out the various other services offered on the EPFO portal.

Also Read: How to claim PF Online? Step-by-Step Guide

What is Universal Account Number (UAN) Number?

The Universal Account Number (UAN) is a unique identification number provided to every employee who is a member of the Employee’s Provident Fund. The Ministry of Labour and Employment issues this number. The Employee’s Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) allocates this 12-digit number to each employee to access and manage their PF account online.

The UAN is unique for each employee and stays constant throughout their career, irrespective of the number of jobs and positions they have held. Each time an employee changes their job, a unique ‘Member Identification Number’ or ‘Member ID’ is allocated to the employee, linked with their UAN. When an employee changes jobs, they can request the EPFO to assign a new member ID directly or provide their existing UAN to their employer and ask them to request it with the EPFO.

Earlier, a different PF account used to be created every time an employee changes their company. However, keeping track of the employee’s PF details was troublesome as one had to track their job switches to get a good idea of their PF contributions. The Universal Account Number made this process simpler by collating an employee’s PF data under one roof.

Relevance of Having a UAN Number

There are many advantages of having a UAN. Some of the significant benefits are:

➔ Lesser Employer Involvement

With the help of UAN, the employee can transfer their PF from one account to another without explicit consent from their employer. They would require only their KYC to be completed, which can be done beforehand.

➔ Avoid Manual Fund Transfer

If the employee provides their KYC documents and their UAN to their new employer, their existing funds can be transferred to their new PF account without any manual input by the employee.

➔ Get SMS Alerts

Employees can receive SMS alerts whenever any changes happen to their PF account. There are no charges for this service.

➔ Access to Unified EPFO Portal

Using UAN, the employee can log in to their EPFO account online to view their account balance, edit their details, complete their KYC, transfer their funds, or withdraw them.

➔ Access to a Unified Passbook

The UAN can also access the Member Passbook portal, which provides the details of the different PF accounts under one roof.

➔ View PF History

The employers can view the employee’s PF history and get a vague idea of their previous employment.

How to Generate & Activate your UAN Number?

Since August 2025, the EPFO scrapped the old member portal’s OTP-based UAN generation. Here are the steps of the new process via the UMANG app:

Step 1. Download UMANG and the AadhaarFaceRD app.

Step 2. Open the UMANG app, search ‘EPFO’, and go to ‘EPFO Services’.

Step 3. Choose ‘UAN Allotment and Activation’ under ‘UAN Services Through Face Auth’.

Step 4. Enter Aadhaar number and the mobile number linked to that Aadhaar number.

Step 5. Consent to Aadhaar verification and let the app open the AadhaarFaceRD app for live face scan.

Step 6. Once face authentication is successfully verified, set a password for your UAN account.

What to do in case you forget the UAN Portal Password?

The EPFO portal has the option to reset your EPF account password if you forget it:

Step 1. Go to the EPFO Member Portal and click ‘Forgot Password’.

Step 2. Enter your 12-digit UAN and the captcha.

Step 3. Verify basic details like name, date of birth, gender, as per EPFO records.

Step 4. Confirm your Aadhaar number if prompted, as the OTP goes to your Aadhaar-linked mobile number.

Step 5. Enter the OTP sent to that number.

Step 6. Set a new password, click on ‘Submit’, and confirm it.

Services offered by the UAN Portal

The EPFO portal acts as a one-stop solution to manage your PF accounts. Using your Universal Account Number as the login ID ensures that you can view the details of all your PF accounts in a single location and manage them effectively. The employees can also view and download their PF passbooks using this portal. At the same time, the employer can analyze their employment history.

The significant features of this portal include:

• Updating the KYC documents and checking their KYC status
• Viewing the different PF Number Member IDs and their status
• Changing one’s details to reflect accurate data
• Viewing and downloading the PF passbook
• Filing claims and viewing their status.

Conclusion

The Universal Account Number makes it easy for the employees, the employer, and the EPFO to view and manage the PF account. It collates the multiple PF accounts defined by multiple PF Number Member IDs under a single account to ensure that the PF details of each employee can be tracked effectively. It ensures that the functions related to the PF account, such as contributing to it, claiming it, etc., are undertaken swiftly.