The Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, has asked the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to ensure that employees’ Universal Account Number (UAN) is activated and their Aadhaar is linked with their bank accounts by November 30, 2024. This is to ensure that employees get the EPFO benefits under the newly-introduced ELI Scheme as announced in Union Budget 2024-25. 

UAN and Aadhaar seeding has been made mandatory for all EPFO services, such as downloading Provident Fund passbook, claims filing, and payment receipt through direct benefit transfer (DBT).  

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According to the EPFO guidelines, this needs to be done so that the ELI Scheme can benefit all employees recruited in this financial year. The EPFO has asked the employers to get it done in time. For help, the employees can reach out to the nearest EPFO office. 

EPFO has also asked for activation of UAN and linking of Aadhaar for the smooth disbursal of the ELI Scheme benefits in a circular released on November 22, 2024. The ELI Scheme aims at incentivising employment and enhancing financial inclusion by way of DBT.  

How to Activate UAN and Link Aadhaar 

Here are the steps by which employees can activate their UAN. 

Step 1. Visit the EPFO Member Portal 

Step 2. Go to the “Important Links” section and click on “Activate UAN” 

Step 3. Fill in your UAN, Aadhaar number, name, date of birth, and Aadhaar-linked mobile number 

Step 4. Verify the mobile number by using an Aadhaar OTP 

Step 5. Click on “Get Authorization PIN” to receive OTP on your registered mobile number 

Step 6. Activate UAN through OTP 

Step 7. You will receive a password on your registered mobile number to view the EPFO portal 

EPFO Membership Growth in September 2024 

EPFO recorded a 9.33 per cent increase in net member additions, with 18.81 lakh members added in September 2024 compared to the corresponding month in 2023. This includes 9.47 lakh new members, marking a 6.22 per cent growth on a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis.