EPFO has made an important change that affects millions of PF account holders.
The Universal Account Number (UAN) activation option has been removed from the EPFO Unified Member Portal following a system update.
So, if you need to activate your UAN, you will now have to use the UMANG app.
The good news is that the process is still simple. UMANG allows users to activate their UAN using Aadhaar-based Face Authentication (FAT).
Which EPFO Services Are Now Available on UMANG?
UMANG stands for Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance.
It is a government app that provides access to several government services from your smartphone.
For PF members, the app now offers key services such as:
UAN allotment and activation
UAN activation as a separate service
Face authentication for an already activated UAN
PF-related FAQs
Account details through SMS
Account details through missed call
This means users can handle several basic PF-related tasks without having to depend entirely on the EPFO portal.
Some UAN Services Still Work on the EPFO Portal
The change does not mean that all UAN services have moved to UMANG.
Several important services are still available on the EPFO portal.
For example, members can check the status of applications for pension on higher wages.
If you have an old PF account but never received a UAN, you can also verify your mobile number on the portal and generate a UAN after entering the required details.
Forgot your UAN? There is also a retrieval option. Members can enter their registered mobile number, provide the required identity or address proof and complete OTP verification to retrieve their UAN.
Death Claims Can Still Be Filed Online
The EPFO portal continues to allow nominees or legal heirs to file death claims, including pension-related claims.
For this process, the beneficiary needs an active mobile number linked with Aadhaar along with the required bank account details.
Some important documents are also required:
Death certificate of the deceased member
Bank account proof of the beneficiary, such as a cancelled cheque or passbook copy
Proof of the beneficiary’s date of birth
The documents must be uploaded in PDF format, with each file generally limited to 2 MB. File names should also not contain spaces.
Why Was This Change Made?
The EPFO portal and UMANG app faced temporary disruptions in the last week of June during a major system migration.
The upgrade was aimed at making PF services faster, more secure and smoother for users.
With UAN activation now shifted to UMANG, PF members should remember one important point: for UAN activation, the UMANG app is now the key platform to use.
