After changing jobs, many employees learn that more than one Universal Account Number, such as UAN, has been created in their name. This may seem like a simple mistake, but it may later cause problems and delay in transferring PF, withdrawing and claiming pension.
As per the rules, the UAN number of any employee must remain the same throughout their entire tenure. When you change company, only a new Member ID is created, which must be linked to the already existing UAN.
Why create a second UAN?
Many times the new company creates a new UAN instead of linking the employee’s old UAN. Apart from this, a new UAN can be generated even if there is a difference in Aadhaar, PAN, date of birth or other KYC information.
UAN is a special 12-digit number. No matter how many times an employee changes jobs, all their member IDs received from different companies must be associated with the same UAN.
How to merge two UAN networks
EPFO has provided two methods to correct duplicate UAN. The first method is via email. Employees can provide information about their old and active UAN by sending a mail to uanepf@epfindia.gov.in.
After completing the investigation, EPFO closes the old UAN and the newly activated UAN remains active. After that, the money deposited in the old PF account can be transferred online and brought to the active account.
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The second way is to start the transfer process through your company or employer. During verification, the EPFO system identifies and locks the old UAN and associates the old member ID with the active UAN.
Old information will be available on EPFO Portal 3.0
Member Service Record option is available in the Online Services section of the EPFO Portal 3.0. Here employees can view their old and current job records, member ID and status of previously made transfer claims.
If the funds are not transferred from the old PF account, the service transfer claim can be submitted through Form 13. Apart from this, the application can also be submitted through the Account Transfer Request option.
What is the importance of linking PF accounts?
By consolidating all PF accounts, your entire retirement savings come in one place. This makes it easy to manage the account and reduces hassles at the time of pre-withdrawal or final settlement.
With this, a record of the employee’s ongoing employment is also maintained. To get a monthly pension under EPS, at least 10 years of qualifying service is required. By merging accounts, the problem of TDS due to early withdrawal of PF can also be avoided.
Along with this, insurance benefits of up to Rs 7 lakh also continue to be available to eligible employees under the EDLI scheme.
Check these things before applying
Aadhaar, PAN, bank account and mobile number information must be updated before initiating the transfer. There may be a temporary delay in some services due to the EPFO 3.0 gateway upgrade. Employees can check the status of their claims from the Track Claim Status option.
