UAN Activation - How to Generate & Activate UAN Number? Aditya Birla Capital

UAN (Universal Account Number) is a twelve-digit identification number issued by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. It is generated and allocated by EPFO (Employees' Provident Fund Organization). This UAN number is given to both employers and employees. In this account, both employers and employees contribute to the employee's provident fund. This UAN number, once allocated to the employee, remains the same throughout their life (employment years). The UAN is linked to the employee's EPF (Employee Provident Fund) account. Usually, the employer provides the details to the employee. However, employees can view it online by visiting the EPFO member portal. For convenience, some employers print the UAN on their salary slips.

There are two ways of activating UAN. It can be done on the UAN portal and can also be done through SMS. To activate through SMS, EPF (Employee Provident Fund) members should send an SMS to 7738299899 from their registered mobile number. The SMS typed should be EPFOHO ACT, “12 Digit UAN”, “PF member ID”. After typing this message, send it to 7738299899. There should be no space before and after the comma in the SMS.


Within 1 or 2 minutes, an SMS will be received confirming that the EPFO SMS service UAN has been activated successfully. As soon as the member is activated, they can access all UAN services through sms, such as access to their passbook, balance, and credit alerts.

Having two UAN numbers is illegal. It is against the rules for an employee to have two UAN numbers. If the person is shifting jobs and joining a new organisation, the Provident Fund account should be transferred immediately. For this, the employee has to submit form 13 to the employer. The submission of this form will help in verifying and approving the details.
If an employee is allotted two UANs, then one of them should be deactivated (usually, the previous one is deactivated).
Two UAN numbers can be activated under two circumstances:
Suppose the employee should have disclosed the previous UAN and member ID upon joining a new firm. The new firm or employer opens a new UAN and EPF account.
Previous employers did not provide details of the ‘date of exit’. If not provided with this information, the new firm may allot another UAN to the new employee.

The UAN number and PF account number are not the same.


UAN is a permanent number that remains the same throughout your entire life. PF account number changes with a new job.
An individual can only have one UAN, whereas an individual can have multiple PF accounts.
All PF account transactions can be tracked through UAN. A PF number can only track transactions of a linked account.
It is easier to transfer or withdraw funds through UAN, whereas it is complex to withdraw or transfer funds using a PF number.
UAN is a 12-digit number, whereas the PF account number is alphanumeric.
UAN allows individuals to withdraw the entire amount from their PF account. On the other hand, funds can only be withdrawn with the number corresponding to the PF number.

An individual must continue with the same UAN number upon shifting jobs. This number remains the same based on the principle of one account, one subscriber. A new PF account is added to the UAN number. The balance of the existing PF account can be transferred to the new one.

Every individual is allowed only one UAN. If two UANs are opened, the previous one needs to be deactivated as soon as possible. The entire PF amount in the previous UAN should be shifted to the newly created UAN.

Apart from the account holder, the employer can also check the employment history using their employee's UAN. In case of a job change, the UAN must be transferred to the new employer. An employer cannot withhold an employee's UAN.
Besides this, any individual having login credentials can access the UAN details. Thus, it is very critical to keep login details private from unknown people.

There are a lot of ways to check PF balance without UAN:

By giving a missed call from the registered mobile number to 9966044425.
Using the UMANG mobile application.
Using the EPFO online portal.·Sending an SMS to 7738299899 from your registered mobile number.

UAN is active throughout life. When a person changes jobs, UAN details are given to the new employer or firm to deposit the PF amount. The previous accumulated PF can be withdrawn, but the UAN remains active.
If the new UAN has been activated during a job change, the previous UAN needs to be deactivated. The entire amount in the previous UAN should either be withdrawn or transferred to the newly activated UAN.

If two UAN numbers are used simultaneously, one must be deactivated (usually the previous one). There are two ways of merging the old UAN and the new UAN. Here are a few steps to follow:


UAN Merging Method 1

EPFO or the employer should be notified when the employer becomes aware of a new UAN.
Regarding 2 UAN (the previous and the present one), a mail should be sent to uanepf@epfindia.gov.in.
EPFO will verify the information.
The previous UAN will be blocked, and the updated one will remain active.
After this, the EPF account linked to the blocked UAN needs to be transferred to the newly created account, which is active.

UAN Merging Method 2

EPFO members should request EPFO to transfer the EPF to the newly created UAN.
The EPFO system automatically identifies the newly created UAN on receiving the request.
After proper identification, the old UAN will be deactivated, and the previous member ID will be linked to the newly created UAN. It is intimated through SMS.
The entire identification process takes place at intervals.