Here is how to merge multiple EPF UAN numbers or Deactivating old UAN

Procedure to combine multiple EPF UAN numbers or Deactivating old UAN:

Mr. Rakesh Agarwal, an IT professional worked in ABC Ltd for one year from April 2015- March 2016 and in April 2016, he joined XYZ Ltd. While working with ABC Ltd, he had an Member ID/EPF account and the employer also had allotted a UAN. When Mr. Rakesh left ABC Ltd and joined XYZ Ltd, his previous employer did not mention the date of exit in the ECR. As a result, a new UAN was allotted to Mr. Rakesh by XYZ Ltd. Now, Mr. Rakesh wants to link his previous Member Id to the UAN provided by his current employer but unable to do so, as the Member Id is already linked to the old UAN, he was wondering if he can have multiple UAN accounts or does he need to merge or deactivate one of the UAN accounts.

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Many of you might have come across a scenario where multiple UAN have been allotted and would be looking for a solution to it. In this post, I will take you through the procedure to deactivate old UAN. So, before we move on, let’s look at the possible reasons for having multiple UAN:

• At the time of leaving your previous employment, your employer may not have furnished your exit date/last working date in the ECR (Electronic Challan cum Return). So, if there is a delay in providing the details and you have already joined another company then your new employer will also generate UAN and you will have multiple UAN.

• At the time of joining the new company, you are required to provide the UAN from your previous employer to the new employer. If not, your new employer will allot a new UAN. As a result, you will have UANs from both the employers.

Note: As per the rule, you cannot have multiple UAN but you can link multiple Member ID/EPF accounts to one UAN. Also, if you have two UANs you will not be able to transfer the money from the previous EPF account to the new EPF account as the previous EPF account may already be linked to the old UAN and you first have to deactivate the old UAN.

How to merge multiple UANs or deactivate old UAN?

There are two ways to merge multiple UAN or get your old UAN deactivated:

Through the first procedure, you can report the matter immediately either to your employer or by sending an email to uanepf@epfindia.gov.in by mentioning your current and previous UANs. After due verification, the previous UAN allotted to you will be blocked, and current UAN will be activated. Later, you have to submit a claim to get the transfer of service and fund to new UAN.

However, the above procedure is time-consuming and in some of the cases resolution has not been provided yet. As a result, EPFO has come up with an alternate solution to resolve the issue. Below are the steps you need to follow as per the new procedure:

• You are advised to apply for the transfer of PF amount from old Provident Fund account to the current Provident Fund account.

• On a periodic basis, the EPFO system will identify the cases in which the PF transfer has been effected between the EPF accounts and where these EPF accounts have different UANs attached to them.

• After the identification of all such UANs (old UANs) where PF transfer has been effected to PF account having distinct UAN (new UANs), such UANs will be deactivated and blocked for further use. This will be applicable to all such identified UANs even if there is no request received from the EPF member.

• After the deactivation of the old UAN, your previous Member ID/EPF account will be linked to the new UAN.

• You will then be informed of the deactivation status of the previous UAN through SMS to your registered mobile number. Further, you will be required to activate the new UAN (in case the new UAN is not yet activated) to receive the updated status of your EPF account.

• There may be a possibility that some of your PF amount is pending with your previous employer, and you are about to receive it. In such a scenario, the system already has the new UAN against the deactivated UAN. Hence, the system will automatically display the new UAN in the ECR (when your employer punch in your Member ID or old UAN), and the statutory contribution by the employer in contrast to the arrears will be remitted to the new UAN only.

Important FAQs on UAN

• How to activate the UAN?

You can activate the UAN by visiting UAN Member Portal using the link below:

Click here to go to UAN Member Portal

You should have UAN, Mobile number and Member ID readily available to activate your UAN on the Member Portal. Once activated, you can login to the UAN Member Portal by using your UAN as the user id and password which you have created.

Also read: Combining/Consolidating Multiple EPF Accounts through UAN

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• What are the facilities available to the members through UAN driven Member Portal?

The UAN driven Member Portal currently facilitates the following to the members:

 Download UAN Card
 Enter KYC Details
 Download Passbook
 Check eligibility for online transfer claim
 List Previous Member IDs
 Edit personal details

Note: More services are likely to be added in future.