Parts of the PF Account Number
Before we start talking about the account number, let’s take one account number as an example.
Example 1: KN/KRP/12345/9876543
Example 2: KN/KRP/12345/000/9876543
The fields that form the PF account number are identifiers for the region, the employer and the employee. This means that in example 1:
- KN stands for Karnataka tell us that this account is held in the state of Karnataka.
- KRP stands for K R Puram which tells us that this account is under the K R Puram EPF office.
- 12345 is the employer, or establishment, code and
- 9876543 is the actual PF account number assigned to the employee.
EPF and UAN
Off late there has been a lot of talk about something known as the UAN. The UAN stands for Universal Account Number and has been conceived to solve a very specific problem. Assume that you have, over the past 10 years, worked for 4 different establishment. Each of these establishments offered you a PF and you never withdrew or transferred it when you left the establishment. Now you have to join a new one and are going to have to keep tabs on 5 different numbers. What the UAN does here is to bring all the 5 PFs under one account number. This means that using your UAN you can actually check on the status of each of your EPF accounts.
How to Know EPF Account Number
n case your employer has not communicated your EPF number to you, you can receive this information from the EPFO. If you are unable to do so, you can also get this number in the following ways:
- Refer to your salary slip, as most employers print this number on the payslips of their employees.
- Ask the HR department at your workplace, as they would have all the relevant information.
- If you know the UAN Registration Number, you can get the EPF account number by logging in to the UAN member portal.
- If all else fails, you can visit the regional PF office, and provide your personal details and ID proof to get this number.
How to Link Aadhaar with UAN in EPFO Portal
- Aadhaar can now be linked with UAN through EPFO website “epfindia.gov.in”.
- An EPFO member can access this facility by selecting the “eKYC Portal” link under the Online Services section on the website.
- From this page, the subscriber can move on to the next step by navigating to “Link UAN Aadhaar“.
- The next step will be to provide the subscriber’s EPFO UAN to move to the next step. This step will lead to an OTP being sent to their UAN-linked mobile number.
- The member will have enter the OTP and get verified, after which they will be asked to provide their Aadhaar number.
- After this step, another OTP for Aadhaar verification will be sent to their Aadhaar-linked mobile or mail.
- After Aadhaar verification is complete their UAN will get linked with their Aadhaar, provided the UAN details match Aadhaar details.
Roles of EPF Account Number
- Using the EPF number, it is possible to check the balance in the PF account.
- The EPF number is required to initially find the UAN number.
- The EPF number is useful in initiating the withdrawal of the PF balance.
- The member can also request for a transfer of the EPF, using this number.