Payroll & statutory · Updated September 2026
A Universal Account Number, or UAN, is the 12-digit ID that ties all your EPF accounts together for life. Each employer creates a new member ID for you when you join, but they all hang off the same UAN, so your provident fund history stays in one place no matter how many times you switch jobs.
The EPFO allots a UAN the first time any employer files a contribution for you. Your employer usually shares it on the payslip or in the joining paperwork. It exists from that moment, but it does nothing useful until you activate it on the EPFO member portal using your Aadhaar-linked mobile number. Once activated, you can see your passbook, check that contributions are actually landing, update KYC, and raise transfer or withdrawal claims yourself.
Give the same UAN to your new employer. Do not let them generate a fresh UAN, which happens more often than it should and leaves your service split across two numbers that then have to be merged. After joining, raise an online transfer claim so the old balance moves into the new member ID. Keeping the money in EPF rather than withdrawing it preserves the five-year continuous-service clock that makes eventual withdrawal tax-free.
You are not supposed to. If a second one was created by mistake, report it to the EPFO or through your employer so the accounts can be linked to a single UAN and the duplicate deactivated after the balance is transferred.
Yes, KYC seeding of Aadhaar, PAN and bank details against the UAN is required for online claims and for tax to be deducted at the correct rate on withdrawals.
No. It is permanent. The same number is used to file your final withdrawal and, if eligible, your pension claim.
See how PF builds up over a career with the PF Calculator, and how it reduces monthly take-home in the CTC to In-Hand Salary Calculator. For the employer side of PF filing, see our overview of payroll software.