Form 2 is the nomination and declaration form that names who receives your provident fund and pension benefits if you die. It started life as a paper form handed to the employer, but the working version today is the e-nomination on the UAN member portal, which carries the same information.

How nomination works today

You file it yourself, not through HR. After logging in to the EPFO member portal with your UAN, go to Manage, choose E-Nomination, update the family declaration, add each nominee and e-sign with an Aadhaar OTP. For this you need an Aadhaar-verified UAN and a mobile number linked to Aadhaar. Each nominee needs a name, relationship, date of birth, address, Aadhaar details and a photo.

One nomination covers more than the PF balance. It also decides who is paid under the EDLI insurance benefit, and it records the family members who qualify for a pension under EPS. You can split the PF share among nominees in percentages.

Rules that trip people up

• EPFO states that filing a nomination is mandatory under the EPF Scheme, 2026, and it can be changed during service.
• The rule summarised in advisers’ notes is that a nomination made before marriage is invalid, so file again after marriage or after a child is born.
• If you have a family, the nominees are expected to be family members. Check the current scheme text before nominating anyone outside the family.
• Paper Form 2 still exists for members who cannot complete the online route, but it is a fallback, not what new joiners should be asked to fill on day one.

For employers, the practical step is to make e-nomination part of onboarding alongside Form 11. HR can’t file it on the employee’s behalf, but can remind them. Do not confuse it with the gratuity nomination in Form F, which is a separate document under a different Act.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to file again when I change jobs?

The nomination sits against your UAN, not your employer, so it generally carries over. Still, open the e-nomination page after a job change and confirm it is saved, especially if your family details have changed.

Who can I nominate?

Spouse, children and dependent parents are the usual nominees. Your marital status and family declaration decide what the portal lets you add.

What happens if there is no nomination?

Claims by family members can take longer because the heirs must establish their entitlement with documents. See the wider list of PF forms for what else still gets filed.

Once nominations are in place, check how your balance is recorded in the PF passbook.