How to Check EPF or Provident Fund Balance With UAN Number?

By now most of us subscribing to the Employees Provident Fund must be familiar with the Universal Account Number being allotted by the authorities, through your companies.Several employees now have received their UAN number. We can now check the EPF balance using this number. There is also a method whereby you can check using the APP, which we will discuss later. If you do not have a UAN, you cannot check your EPF or provident fund balance. Contact your company for the purpose. The Universal Account Number is now quickly being allotted by the authorities as compared to earlier when it took time. EPFO stands for Employees Provident Fund Organization, and now you can see the PF balance anytime anywhere through theEPFO website, apps, SMS and giving a missed call.There are four steps to access the PF balance:1. Go to EPFO website : Instead of going to Unified portal now users can see the PF balance from different sites run by EPFO. To check the PF balance user need to link the account with UAN(Universal Account Number).Then go to member passbook is available at www.epfindia.gov.in2. Click on For Employees under Our Services3.Click on Member Passbook under ServicesSMS: The user UAN number linked with EPFO you can get latest updates and PF balance by sending an SMS to 7738299899. The user needs to send this message EPFOHO UAN ENG.(ENG) English is the first three alphabets of the selected language. So, if you want to get the message in Telugu, then type in EPFOHO UAN TEL and facility available for other languages. EPFO can only send details of members available with it. So, make sure your UAN is seeded with your bank account, Aadhaar, and PAN, else ask your employer to fetch them for you.4.By giving a missed call : People can give a missed call to 011-22901406 from your registered mobile number will fetch you the details.Just make sure your UAN number linked to AADHAAR and PAN.5.By using App: Download M-Sewa in google play store and once the app is downloaded click on Member and then on Balance/Passbook.After that, enter your UAN and registered mobile number. a) Begin the process by activating your UAN.b) You need to enter your mobile number as well as the UAN number.c) Your PIN will be sent to your mobile, which you need to enter.d) Your UAN credentials will be identified.e) The user name will be the UAN number of yours.f) You proceed to create a password.g) You are now registered on the UAN portal. You can now check your PF balance using the UAN number. You can also download your passbook and have other details through the app. However, we hope the website is working as sometimes it just does not to view the PF balance. As mentioned earlier you can even use the toll free number to check and view your EPF balance 1800-118-005. However, we do not know if the same would be provided and what information is actually provided and if the toll free number is working.Here is how you merge your multiple EPF accounts?Few Individuals will have multiple EPF due to various reasons which you can club by using the following method.1. visit EPF India official website.2. There you will see an option called One Employee-One EPF Click on the Link3. There you need to Authenticate using OTP which you will receive to your registered mobile number.4. Then you can update your PF numbers there. There you will have an option to update upto 10 EPF Numbers. Login to the EPF portalOnce you have visited the same you can see login on the right side of the page. Below that you can see activate your login. Click on activate your login. Thereafter you would receive a box to tick titled I have understood the instructions. After this step you have certain instructions that you need to fill in.1) Enter the Universal Account Number or UAN2) Enter Your Mobile Number3) Select the state and the office.4) Enter your company code provided by your employer5) Please type the characters shown in the box.Thereafter you would receive the PIN on your mobile.You can thereafter enter a new password, while the login remains your UAN ID. You can download your UAN Card, updated PF - Passbook and can view status of your PF Transfers. Once again sometimes you may not be able to check EPF through UAN, because the portal is down, so you can use the app as well. According to the authorities we have now seen a complete migration to the UAN. On numerous occasions it is highly possible, that the website does not work. In fact, we have noticed several times, when it does not. Therefore, what we suggest to our readers is to download the EPFO app. The only two things that you need after having downloaded the app is your UAN number and mobile number, after which you can view your passbook through the APP. Here is how to to view your PF Balance through the EPFO APPThere are some procedures that you need to follow before you check through the APP, which we have highlighted in the above examples. We do hope that using the APP is helpful to check your balance, though one is not sure.Offical EPF app is not yet available for IOS and windows. 1) You need to contact your employer, if you have not received one. This is very important. These days with the Aadhar card your UAN comes very quickly. There were reports that you now have to link your Aadhar Card to the USN, but, we are not certain whether this facility has now been withdrawn. 2) A password is needed to view your balance using the UAN.3) You can view and download your EPF passbook to know the exact balance.4) In case there is a need to update your know your customer details, it can be done using the portal.5) You can use the Aadhar Card, Passport, Driving License etc., for the KYC purpose.6) You will have only one number in case, you change your employment. It is pretty much like a income tax one, where there will be only one number all your life.7) Employers too can use the portal to check certain details.8) In due course, you can file a claim online as well. These days you can get your money in the employees provident fund as early as one week, thanks to the new rules. 9) You can also correct the information in the database.10) The employer can use the portal to view an employees UAN number as well.11) Mobile and email IDs can also be added to the Know Your Customer information and can be changed as well.12) The passbook may not be updated till the very last month, so you need to take that into account as well. In fact, the passbook is not the best way to check your EPF balance and go for the latest balance.Five Effective Benefits of UAN?1. It saves a lot of time. Generally, it takes a lot of time to do EPF transfers and withdrawals. Now because of UAN, we can save that time.2. Before UAN you needed to follow up with the employer to forward claims regarding EPF transfer or withdrawal. Now using UAN, the requests can be easily submitted online.3. Before UAN, you need to file all the provident fund for future reference. Now with UAN, you can check all the Details of EPF accounts at one place.4. This method increases the transparency. If we subscribe, then one can get monthly SMS alerts on PF deposits and balance.5. UAN will free you from the hassle of transferring the PF accumulation. Normally an employee needs to apply for transferring their PF accumulation. There are various documents by the authorities that are valid for the purpose of KYC. Among these include the Aadhar Card. In fact, this card is now used to link your UAN number for speedy settlements of claims. A passport and the driving license are other documents that are listed as valid documents for the purpose of ensuring KYC and checking your UAN balance. Remember that if you are not able to get your balance or download the passbook ensure that you use the various other mechanisms that we have highlighted for the purpose of getting your balance. It is not very easy to check your balance.Settling of EPF claims Earlier, one had to send the papers to the EPFO office. Now, there is no need for the same. As the process has been made online and one can settle the claims online. The UAN now paves the way for your old EPF number. Henceforth, you would be using only one number and that is your UAN number. This is also becomes useful if you are changing your job and switching your job, your Universal Account Number would come in handy. Remember, that you cannot today easily view your EPF without having this one. This is also very important and hence you need to have one. For newcomers into the job market, you automatically get allotted with the Universal Account Number. There are a number of forms that have to be filled by your company if you are a first time applicant to applying for the UAN. Your company is likely to explain the complete procedures for the same. As we mentioned earlier the migration is now complete.What if the company does not provide you with UAN?In fact, the company has to provide you with a UAN, after which you can avail all the benefits that one gets, including speedy settlement of EPF amounts. If you are looking to have duplicate UAN number, it must be known that it is simply not possible. So, you have to have only one and it is like an Income Tax PAN card, which can offer you only one permanent card. The first thing that one should do after checking your EPF through UAN is to edit your details on the website. Apart from this the things that you can do and see through the EPF website is:1) Download the passbook2) Enter know your customer details3) Check eligibility of online claims4) List previous member IDS. Please ensure that your completely KPC compliant before you check your EPF balance. It is highly possible that there is a delay in receiving your UAN, which is why you cannot check your provident fund online. You need to contact your employer in case you do not seem to be receiving the same. The other option is to ask the authorities directly. Remember that UAN is a must and almost all employees are now under the same coverage. Settlement of PPF amount through UANIt is now easier for the EPF authorities to settle the amount, due to the UAN. The authorities are now planning to settle whatever provident fund claims that are there within a week. However, you need to link your account with the Aadhar card. If you have forgotten your password, you cannot log into the portal to view your UAN balance. In this case you have to login to the portal, click on forgot password and also key in the captcha. There are certain things that you will have to key in like name, gender etc. This is just for authentication purposes and helps to verify that it is the same person. Sometimes this can be a tedious and very lengthy process. Several times you might also observe that the portal is not working. There are reports now that it has also been shifting to a new website to check epf balance.Why you need to have a EPF account?You need to have an EPF account so that you save enough money for your retirement. Also, after a period of 5-years the amount in your EPF account is also tax free. So, which means that if you have worked for a continuous period of 5 years and then withdraw your money, you do have to pay any tax.This is one of the major advantages of having an EPF account. Now, you can also check your EPF through UAN, SMS and the government app that can be easily downloaded. Now that you have a fool proof UAN system in place, what you should do is increase your EPF amount. This would help you save money for your retirement without any hassle.Tax BenefitsIn EPF an employer as well as the employee contributes. Of this the employees contribution is taxable, but the employer contribution is not taxable. Though the employee contribution is taxable, according to Income Tax Act section 80C, a deduction of Rs 1,50,000 can be claimed from your total income. The money invested by the employee in the EPF, the Interest earned, the money you withdraw finally are exempted from income tax.To apply for withdrawal of EPF, you should not be employed for two months at least after quitting the previous job. It is advised not draw the EPF better to transfer the accumulated EPF because if you withdraw your EPF before completion of five years, then your EPF is taxable.There are various methods that we have given for the withdrawal of EPF. You may take a look and suggest appropriate measures.Taxation On PF If you have completed more than 5 years, your PF would most certainly be not taxable. So, what this means is that after 5 years you would not have to pay taxes, provided that it is continuous years of service. it is always recommended that you do not withdraw your EPF, so as to enable you build a decent corpus. This is the most important as the EPF corpus helps to build a retirement sum. In any case we have now completed explaining how you can check your EPF through UAN.Increase in interest rates on EPFThe government has now also increased the interest rates on the EPF, which will benefit almost 6 crore employees.The interest rate for 2018-19, has been fixed at 8.65 per cent, as against the previous years 8.55 per cent.The Employees Provident Fund manages funds of more than Rs 11 crores and the setting-up of the UAN was a step to facilitate ease in accessing the balance in the UAN. According to a notice issued by the government in November 2016, even dormant accounts like inoperative accounts will continue to accrue interest and will no longer be classified as inoperative. EPFO had stopped paying interest on dormant accounts since 2011. But once the new amendment takes effect, all dormant accounts will receive interest at a rate of 8.5% per year. The contribution will be made until your 58th birthday or until the retirement date, whichever occurs first.Previously, the accounts stopped working mainly due to two reasons:The cumbersome processes involved in the transfer of EPF.The employees prefer to open new accounts while changing jobs from one company to another.The communication gap between an individuals current and former employers also contributes greatly to the same. In cases where employees are unable to trace the details of their old inoperative accounts, they can approach the EPFO help desk and transfer the balance of those accounts to the current one.Check the EPF balance of Exempt Establishments/private trusts:Under the Miscellaneous Provisions Act of 1952 and the Employees Provident Fund(EPF), Few employers can manage their PF schemes for their employees. Exempt establishments are Multinational companies such as HDFC, Nestle, Godrej, Wipro, TCS, Infosys, etc. They have internal EPF trusts and are exempt from contributing their EPF corpus to the EPFO.These exempt establishments can administer the EPF corpus with their trusts. However, these trusts are expected to provide higher returns than the fund managed by EPFO. The same rules for EPFs contribution to EPFO also apply to these trusts.If it is an exempt institution or private trusts, then the EPF contribution is transferred to the trusts managed by the company, rather than being transferred to the Employee Provident Fund. In this case, only the trust managed by the company can provide information on the PF balance of an employee. The EPF accounts, managed by the exempt institutions, do not contain a common method for checking the balances of the PFs with the EPFO. In addition, EPFO is in no way linked to such EPF accounts, nor do they provide an EPF passbook control benefit for these EPF members.Employees of Exempt Establishments can check their EPF balance in different ways:Check your payslip: Most large establishments provide payslips to their employees via official email Ids. Employees can check their payslips to view the EPF account balance. Some companies also provide an EPF receipt in addition to the payslip. They can check their EPF contributions as well as their total EPF account balance on that Payslip/PF slip.Check Company Employee Portal: Most large companies maintain a company website where employees can log in and check their EPF account balance in the EPF section. Wipro and TCS are an example of these companies that offer the online possibility to check the EPF account balance and obtain the PF account statement.Approach your HR department: Employees contact the companys human resources department as they take care of employee EPF and are better able to provide related details.Track Your Contributions: Employees can track their monthly contributions by checking their payroll to calculate their annual EPF balance. Use the interest rate established by the EPFO for the EPF interest calculation.