The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has recently introduced some significant changes to rules regarding Provident Fund (PF) claims. It said that Aadhaar will no longer be mandatory for certain employees to process their PF claims. The retirement fund body, EPFO subscribers are generally required to seed their Aadhaar to their UAN for claim settlements.
But now, the requirement to link the Universal Account Number (UAN) with Aadhaar has been lifted for such categories of employees. These include international workers, Indians with foreign citizenship, Nepali and Bhutanese citizens.
- International employees who returned to their home countries after working in India and were unable to obtain Aadhaar.
- Indian citizens with foreign citizenship who could not acquire Aadhaar.
- Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan, for whom Aadhaar is not required.
- Former Indian citizens who have permanently moved abroad.
Employees without Aadhaar can still make claims under EPFO. For these categories, alternative documents or certificates will be used for verification. It will be carried out through alternative identity documents such as passports, citizenship certificates, or other official identity cards. Moreover, verification will also include documents like PAN cards, bank account details, and other criteria. For claims exceeding Rs 5 lakh, the authenticity of the member will be verified by the employer.
PF balance check/EPFO balance check:
- SMS
- Missed call service/EPF balance check number
Moreover, there are also two online methods for EPF passbook balance check for account holders:
- Using EPF Portal on mobile or desktop
- Using Umang app on mobile
How to Check EPF Balance Online and Offline
Given below are the different ways to check your PF balance both with and without UAN:
a). Check EPF Balance via SMS
Use your registered mobile number to send an SMS to EPFO to fetch information about your account.
SMS Format to be used for sending EPF balance enquiry to EPFO:
EPFOHO UAN to 7738299899
You will get a reply in the English language since it is the default language. For language-specific reply, please add the language code in the SMS.
You can receive the SMS in 10 different languages, viz.Language and CodeEnglish (Default)Hindi (HIN)Gujarati (GUJ)Punjabi (PUN)Marathi (MAR)Kannada (KAN)Malayalam (MAL)Tamil (TAM)Telugu (TEL)Bengali (BEN)
E.g. If you need balance details in Hindi or Marathi or Bengali, send SMS like:
- EPFOHO UAN HIN to 7738299899
- EPFOHO UAN MAR to 7738299899
- EPFOHO UAN BEN to 7738299899
b). How to Check PF Balance by Giving a Missed Call
You can also do an EPF balance check without your UAN. To do so, you need to simply give a missed call on the EPFO balance check number/PF balance check number –
9966044425
You will receive details of the last contribution along with the PF balance. To use the EPF balance check missed call number facility, make sure the following requirements are met with:
- The member’s UAN should be activated
- The member’s mobile number should be registered with the UAN as the missed call will be valid only when made from the registered number
- The UAN should be seeded with other important documents like PAN, Aadhaar and bank account
Note: Members are not required to pay any charges to avail this EPF passbook balance check on mobile service.
c). EPF Balance Enquiry through Umang App
EPFO provides various services through the centralized mobile app of the government, called Umang. You can check your EPF balance and get your PF passbook on the Umang App by simply logging in using your UAN and OTP.
Steps to check PF balance using Umang App:
Step 1: Install the application from Play Store/App Store or directly by clicking on this link: Umang App (Link will open in new tab).
Step 2: Open the Umang app on your smartphone and choose your preferred language. Also, read the terms and conditions of the “End to End License Agreement”.
Step 3: Get your mobile number verified and register.
Step 4: Click on the ‘All Services’ option at the bottom.
Step 5: Find and select ‘EPFO’ from the list of options.
Step 6: Click on ‘View Passbook‘ to check your EPF balance.
Step 7: Enter your UAN and click on ‘Get OTP’. Enter the OTP and click on ‘Submit’. (You will get OTP on your registered mobile number). Your passbook will be displayed on the screen along with your EPF balance/EPFO passbook balance.