The Provident Fund (PF) rule is going to change from 1st September 2021. According to the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), it is mandatory for Employees Provident Fund (EPF) account holders to link their Aadhaar number and PF account by 31st August 2021. Failing to EPF Aadhaar seeding by this date will lead to discontinuation of recruiter’s contribution in one’s PF account.
The provident fund regulator also directed employers to get the UAN (Universal Account Number) of all EPF account holders Aadhaar verified. Earlier, the deadline for EPF-Aadhaar link was 30 May 2021, but later on the EPFO extended EPF Aadhaar link last date to 31st August 2021.
The deadline to link your Universal Account Number (UAN) with your Aadhaar was August 31, 2021. If it has not been done then your employer won’t be able to make monthly contributions to your Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) account. Further, you will not be able to make a withdrawal from your EPF account either.
This is because the government has made it mandatory for UAN to be linked with Aadhaar so that employers are able to file Employee Cum Return (ECR) challan and deposit the money into your EPF account. The government announced this via section 142 of the Code on Social Security, 2020 with effect from May 3, 2021, through a gazette notification dated April 30, 2021.
Employees Provident Fund (EPF) account holders need to link their Aadhaar number and provident fund (PF) account by August 31, 2021, according to the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). The PF rule is going to change from September 1, 2021.
Recruiter’s contribution in one’s PF account will be discontinued, if the EPF account is not linked to Aadhaar number by August 31, 2021. The EPFO also directed employers to get Universal Account Number (UAN) of EPF account holders Aadhaar verified.
How to check if your UAN is linked to Aadhaar
If you are not sure if your UAN is linked to Aadhaar, then follow the steps below to check:
Step 1: Visit the member sewa portal: https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/
Step 2: Login to your account by entering your UAN and password.
Step 3: Once logged in successfully, select ‘KYC’ option under the ‘Manage’ tab.
On the screen check under the verified documents tab, if your Aadhaar number is shown and approved, then it means that your UAN is linked with Aadhaar.
However, if the Aadhaar number is not shown under the verified documents tab, then you will be required to link your UAN with Aadhaar.
Here’s how to do EPF-Aadhaar seeding online
As EPF Aadhar link last date is fast approaching, an EPFO subscriber is advised to do this online.
How to link your UAN with Aadhaar
There are four ways to link UAN with Aadhaar: (a) On the Member Sewa portal, (b) Using Umang App, (c) Using OTP verification on the e-KYC Portal of EPFO and (d) Using biometric credentials on the e-KYC portal of EPFO.
Here is the process of linking UAN with Aadhaar on the Member Sewa portal.
Here is step by step guide:
- Login with UAN number and password at the direct EPFO link — iwu.epfindia.gov.in/eKYC/;
- Enter your UAN and Aadhaar-registered mobile number;
- Click at ‘Generate OTP’ option;
- Fill OTP and select gender;
- Enter Aadhaar number and select ‘Aadhaar Verification’ method;
- Select ‘Use Mobile or E-mail based verification’ option;
- Another OTP will come to your mobile number;
- Enter second OTP; and
- Complete your EPF, UAN Aadhaar seeding process.
Saraswathi Kasturirangan, Partner, Deloitte India, says, “The newly introduced section 142 of the Code on Social Security, 2020 requires the existing EPF members to establish their identity using Aadhaar to be eligible to claim the benefit related to pension, gratuity or any other withdrawal benefit from EPF. This simply means that Aadhaar has now become mandatory for registering under the EPF scheme as well as at the time of making a withdrawal from the EPF scheme. Thus, if an employee’s UAN is not linked with Aadhaar by August 31, 2021, then neither employers will be able to deposit money into the EPF account nor the employees’ will be able to make any withdrawal from their EPF account.”