What is a UAN?
A Universal Account Number (UAN) is a unique identifier issued by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to each EPF member. Unlike the earlier system where employees got a new PF account number with every employer, the UAN remains constant for life, linking all of a member's EPF member IDs across jobs under one umbrella.
Who gets a UAN and how it's activated
- Every employee covered under the EPF scheme is allotted a UAN by their employer at the time of joining, if they don't already have one.
- The employee must activate the UAN on the EPFO member portal and link it with Aadhaar, PAN and bank account details to enable online services.
- A new employer links the employee's existing UAN to the new EPF member ID instead of generating a fresh number.
Why UAN matters
- It enables employees to view PF passbook, track contributions and file online claims (withdrawal, transfer) without visiting an EPFO office.
- Aadhaar-seeded and KYC-verified UANs are required for employers to file certain EPF transactions correctly.
- A correctly linked UAN avoids duplicate PF accounts and simplifies PF transfer when changing jobs.
Common mistakes
- New employers issuing a fresh UAN instead of checking if the employee already has one from a previous job.
- Not completing Aadhaar/PAN/bank KYC on the UAN, which can delay or block online claims.
- Employees forgetting their UAN and unknowingly ending up with multiple, unlinked PF accounts over a career.
Sources
Last updated 2026-10-12.