EPFO simplifies PF fund transfer: No separate fund transfer request needed for Aadhaar-linked UAN

Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has announced several changes related to Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) as the EPFO’s completed the migration of its entire member database to a centralised platform. Such changes include quicker PF claim settlements, automatic PF account transfers on job change among others. Here is what new Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) features mean.

Good news for EPF members! When you change a job, your Aadhaar-linked Universal Account Number (UAN)-based PF accounts will now be transferred automatically, eliminating the need to submit separate transfer applications. This means you will no longer have to submit a separate PF transfer request online or offline after switching your job.

Previously, transferring PF accounts required clearance from the EPFO office, the new employer, and the former employer in addition to a separate application to transfer service history. Employees had to share their UAN with the new employer so that the PF account opened in the new organisation can be connected to earlier accounts. However, even after that, the account holder needed to send a fund transfer request through the online or the offline mode.

Now, this process will happen automatically for Aadhaar-linked UAN accounts.

Your Universal Account Number is a unique 12-digit identifier that is linked to your EPF accounts and should stay with you throughout your career, regardless of how many times you change employers.

Merging old PF accounts increases your total service history. This is beneficial for consolidation of PF balances, higher payouts for advances/full settlement. Having all your EPF in one account helps you easily track your corpus during your service period.

Employees who change jobs more than once can have multiple Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) accounts from different employers. These accounts need to be merged with the current EPF account to ensure a continuous service record and smooth management of the PF balance. Now, with the automatic PF transfer facility available, it is expected to be a smooth experience for PF account holders.

An EPF account becomes inactive or ‘inoperative’ if no contributions are made for 36 months (three years) after the member retires (on or after age 55), permanently migrates abroad or passes away.

Members can login to the Unified member portal by entering their UAN and password to access, then use their registered mobile number to authenticate using an OTP.

After logging in, individuals can access and download their employment records by going to the ‘Service History’ area. EPF members can verify all previous employment details.