If you’ve been assigned two Universal Account Numbers (UANs), you’re not alone. This issue often arises when employees change jobs without transferring their EPF (Employees’ Provident Fund) account to their new employer. The UAN is a unique identification number issued by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to manage your EPF contributions and withdrawals seamlessly. Having multiple UANs may result in discrepancies, delays in withdrawal, and confusion in tracking EPF balances. The good news is that EPFO has provided a simple process for merging or deactivating one UAN while retaining the active one.
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What is a Universal Account Number (UAN)?
Universal Account Number is a 12-digit identification number given to every employee contributing to the Employees’ Provident Fund. This is issued by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation and authenticated by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India. The UAN does not change with the change in jobs, but it remains the same throughout the career of the employee.
The UAN is portable across an employee’s entire career, while every job change results in a new member ID. All these member IDs are mapped to the UAN, which makes the EPF transfer and withdrawal processes simple.
But this may happen when an EPFO member has multiple UANs; where the previous UAN must be deactivated and then employees must transfer the balance in the Employees Provident Fund from their earlier member ID to this new member ID of the account otherwise this may result is duplication of UANs.
Why may two UANs be issued?
In some cases, two UANs may be issued to an individual. The primary reason for this is when an employee changes his or her job or organization without linking the previous UAN to the new one. It is very important to resolve this issue so as to avoid complications of EPF contribution and proper tracking of retirement benefits. When duplicate UANs may be issued:
- Lack of update by the previous employer of exit date in Electronic Challan and Return (ECR)
When the exit date is not updated by the previous employer, it will prompt a new UAN from the new employer to be issued to the employee.
- Non-communication of UAN by the employee
In case of a job change, the employee is supposed to communicate his existing UAN to the new employer. If the employee does not communicate his UAN, the new employer will allot a new one. This usually occurs when employees do not want to disclose their previous employment details, either due to unresolved issues with the old employer or to avoid disclosing past employment information.
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Duplicate UANs: Ways to resolve the issue
A duplicate UAN is assigned to an employee when he has more than one UAN, which may be due to reasons such as not disclosing the previous UAN to a new employer or incomplete data from the previous employer. This may cause problems in transferring or withdrawing EPF balances. Fortunately, there are ways to rectify the situation and ensure that only one UAN is active. The employees can take a few steps, including contacting the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation for assistance and making sure that all their member IDs are linked with the correct UAN.
There are two ways through which the problem of duplicate UANs can be resolved. Follow the steps to ensure smooth functioning of EPF.
Duplicate UANs: Steps to rectify the problem
- If you have two UANs, report the issue to EPFO or your new employer.
- Send an email to [email protected], mentioning both the old and new UANs.
- EPFO will conduct a verification to resolve the issue.
- Once the verification is completed, the old UAN will be deactivated.
- Submit a claim to transfer the EPF balance to your new account.
The second method for deactivating a UAN is automatic and generally faster than the previous method. To deactivate one of the UANs using this method, follow these steps:
- EPFO members must request the transfer of EPF balance from the old UAN to the new UAN.
- The EPFO system automatically detects duplicate UANs when an EPF transfer request is made.
- Duplicate UAN identification occurs at regular intervals.
- After identification, the old UAN from which funds are being transferred will be deactivated.
- Once deactivated, the old EPF account will be linked to the new UAN.
- The EPFO member will receive an SMS confirming the deactivation of the old UAN.
- If the new UAN is not yet activated, the member will be asked to activate it.
- If the employee is entitled to EPF arrears from the previous employer, the new UAN will be auto-populated in the ECR.
- Once this is completed, the EPF arrears will be added to the new UAN-linked EPF account.
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Why is resolving duplicate UANs important?
- Avoid confusion: Multiple UANs can lead to discrepancies in EPF contributions and withdrawals.
- Seamless transactions: A single active UAN ensures easy tracking and management of your EPF account.
- Compliance: EPFO mandates the use of a single UAN for all EPF-related activities.
Duplicate UANs: Related FAQs
How do I know if I have a duplicate UAN?
If you find that you have multiple UANs, either from your employer or by checking through the UAN portal, it indicates a duplicate registration.
What should I do if I have a duplicate UAN?
You should report the issue to your employer or the EPFO by emailing them at [email protected], mentioning both UANs. EPFO will verify and deactivate the old UAN.
Can I transfer my EPF balance if I have a duplicate UAN?
Yes, once the old UAN is deactivated, you can transfer the EPF balance to the new UAN via the EPF transfer process.
How can I prevent duplicate UAN registrations?
Ensure you inform your employer if you already have a UAN when starting a new job to avoid multiple registrations under different employers.
