The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has completed a major upgrade of its Unified Member Portal. After a technical upgrade that lasted for about a week, the portal has been relaunched with a new interface and better security features. With this update, EPFO has made many important changes, which will have a direct impact on crores of PF account holders.
The biggest change is that now UAN (Universal Account Number) cannot be activated from the official website of EPFO and new UAN will also not be generated. Both of these features are completely UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) App Has been transferred to.
If you are an EPF member or about to join a new job, then it is very important for you to be aware of these changes.
After the new upgrade made by EPFO, the method of many services related to UAN has changed.
The main changes are as follows-
- Now UAN activation will not happen through EPFO Member Portal.
- The facility of creating a new UAN number (allotment) has been removed from the website.
- UAN Activation and UAN Allotment will be done through UMANG App only.
- Aadhaar based Face Authentication has been made mandatory for both the services.
- “Know Your UAN” facility has been made easier than ever.
- The interface of the portal has been made more modern and user-friendly.
UAN (Universal Account Number) is a 12 digit unique number which EPFO issues to every employee. The same UAN number remains the same even after changing jobs and with this the employee can manage all his PF accounts from a single number.
Employees through UAN—
- Can see PF balance.
- You can download the passbook.
- Can update KYC.
- You can claim PF online.
- You can transfer PF on changing jobs.
- Can avail pension and other EPF services.
If your UAN is not active yet then follow the steps given below-
Step 1
Download UMANG App from Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
Step 2
Login with mobile number.
Step 3
in the search box EPFO Write and open EPFO Services.
Step 4
UAN Allotment and Activation Select option.
Step 5
Complete Aadhaar based Face Authentication.
Step 6
Enter Aadhaar number and required information.
Step 7
Complete OTP Verification.
Step 8
After successful verification your UAN will be activated.
If you have to issue UAN for the first time then the process will also be completed through UMANG App.
Process
- Open UMANG App.
- Select EPFO Services.
- Click on UAN Allotment and Activation.
- Complete Aadhaar based face authentication.
- Fill the requested information.
- Verify mobile OTP.
- The new UAN will be displayed on the screen.
Employees who already have an EPF account but UAN has not been issued can also get a new UAN through UMANG App.
For this it will be necessary –
- aadhaar number
- Registered mobile number
- employee personal information
- Face Authentication
After completion of verification, the new UAN will be linked to your existing PF account.
No need to worry if you do not remember your UAN.
EPFO has Know Your UAN The facility has been made simpler than before.
For this-
- Enter registered mobile number.
- Provide necessary identification information.
- Verify OTP.
- Once the verification is complete, your UAN will appear on the screen.
EPFO has clarified that the facility of online death claim will be available on the Unified Member Portal as before.
The following documents will be required while making a claim-
- mobile number linked to aadhaar
- Bank passbook or canceled check
- death certificate of member
- Age Certificate (if required)
- All documents in PDF format
- Each file size should be less than 2 MB.
EPFO has implemented Face Authentication to prevent online fraud and enhance the security of members.
Its main advantages-
- The chances of creating a fake UAN will be less.
- Identity verification will be more secure.
- Aadhaar based digital verification will be faster.
- Use of wrong documents will be banned.
- Reliability of online services will increase.
According to EPFO, some services may take longer than usual for the first 10–15 days after the system upgrade.
During this time-
- There may be a delay in PF Claim Settlement.
- KYC verification may be a little slow.
- The server may appear busy while logging in.
- Processing of online requests may take additional time.
EPFO has advised members not to submit the same request repeatedly.
- Always keep Aadhaar and mobile number updated.
- Mobile number should be linked to Aadhaar.
- Complete KYC beforehand.
- Download UMANG App from official source only.
- Do not share any OTP or UAN information with any other person.
- Use the camera in good lighting when performing Face Authentication.
UMANG App is not limited to EPFO services only. Through this app, citizens can avail many government services, such as-
- Viewing EPF Passbook
- Checking PF Balance
- Pension Services
- DigiLocker
- PAN related services
- Aadhaar Services
- Gas Booking
- Passport Services
- Driving License related services
- Information about various government schemes
This new update made by EPFO is being considered an important step towards making digital services more secure and faster. Now for UAN Activation and creation of new UAN, members have to use only UMANG App. If your UAN is not yet active or you need a new UAN, then complete the process in time through UMANG App.
Q1. Can UAN be activated now from EPFO website?
Answer: No. Now UAN Activation will happen only through UMANG App.
Q2. Where to get the new UAN number?
Answer: The new UAN will be issued only through UMANG App.
Q3. Is Face Authentication necessary?
Answer: Yes, Aadhaar based Face Authentication has been made mandatory for both UAN Activation and Allotment.
Q4. What to do if you forget UAN?
Answer: UAN can be obtained again through the Know Your UAN facility of EPFO with the help of registered mobile number and OTP.
Q5. Can Death Claim still be made through EPFO Portal?
Answer: Yes, the facility of Death Claim will be available on EPFO Unified Member Portal as before.
Q6. Is UMANG App safe?
Answer: Yes, UMANG is the official digital platform of the Government of India, where many government services including EPFO are available securely.
