A Universal Account Number (UAN) is given to every employee who is contributing towards EPF. Various Member IDs that have been allotted to employees from various organisations come under the UAN. Each employee will be allotted only one UAN throughout his/her employment life. The EPFO allots the distinctive 12-digit UAN to employees. A monthly SMS regarding the contribution of the EPF amount, transferring of EPF amount from the previous Member ID to the current one, checking and downloading EPF Passbook, withdrawal of EPF online, and updating KYC details online are some of the services that are provided by the UAN.
However, employees must activate their UAN in order to avail the services online. Once the UAN is activated, employees can use their UAN and password to login on the EPFO portal and avail these services.
In February 2015, the EPFO set up the Inoperative Accounts Online Helpdesk to help employees track dormant and old inoperative accounts that do not accumulate any interest. Employees can track these accounts, and either withdraw the funds or transfer them to the current Member ID. Basic details must be provided by the employees about their previous employment to track inoperative accounts.
The EPF withdrawal amount can be easily done online with the help of the UAN. Employees who have been unemployed for more than 2 months are eligible to withdraw their EPF amount. However, the Aadhaar and bank details of the employee must be linked with the UAN.
EPF members that are working in countries who have Social Security Agreements with India can generate a Certificate of Coverage (CoC) with the help of an online centralised software that the EPFO has launched.
With the help of the IT tool that the EPFO has launched, exempted establishments can file their monthly returns online without any trouble.
The EPFO has launched the Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG) for EPF members. Employees can use their UAN and password to avail the services of the UMANG app. Various services such as viewing of EPF passbook, updating profile details, etc. are available on the UMANG app.
EPF Transfer amount from the employee’s previous Member ID to the current one can be done online with the help of the UAN. The process is hassle-free, paperless, and simple.
The Online Registration of Establishments (OLRE) can be completed on the EPFO portal. Employees are also benefitting due to the online presence of the PF code allotment letter.
It is compulsory for all organisations to make the PF payments online. Currently, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Indian Bank, Punjab National Bank (PNB), and State Bank of India (SBI) are the 10 banks that have agreements with the EPFO for the collection of dues.
Members who have activated their UAN can access their PF balance, previous contribution, the status of KYC, etc., by sending an SMS (Format: EPFOHO UAN) to 88028-12345 or by giving a missed call to +91-9990295506. Employers will also receive an SMS for non-payment of EPF.
The EPFO members will be able to check the status of their claims as well as view and download their EPF passbook with the help of the UAN.
In case of any issues regarding the settlement of pension, transfer of PF, withdrawal of PF, etc., members can raise a complaint online. Grievance redressals are a top priority for the EPFO, and they are dealt with swiftly. 80% of the complaints are solved within 7 days and 97% of them are solved within 15 days. Due to constant monitoring of the EPF grievances, complaints have come down from 20,000 to 2,000-3,000 in a day.