Can You Withdraw PF When Switching Jobs and Still Use the Same UAN? Let's Discuss!

As per the newly introduced UAN, can an employee withdraw his/her PF amount when shifting from one job to another, just like the case where, before the introduction of UAN, it used to be done by most EPF members? So, if an employee wants to withdraw their PF amount and again wants PF in a new job, will the same UAN continue? Please do let me know.

After 2 months of resignation, you can file for EPF withdrawal. For EPS, 6 months of contributions are required to receive the EPS amount.

Thank you.

Thanks for your reply, but I think you didn't understand the question correctly. Even though I am aware of the PF withdrawal norms, I am asking about the UAN. After withdrawal, will the UAN continue or close?

Thank you.

Yes, even after withdrawal, your UAN will remain active for a certain period of time.

Hi, UAN is allotted for a lifetime; you can utilize it for any organization.

Regards, Abhay

Thanks, Abhay. You mean to say if an employee withdraws his amount, then the PF account with UAN becomes zero. And again, if he joins a new organization, it gets new contributions. Is that correct?

For instance: There is an employee, X, working with company Y. He resigned from his job and wants to withdraw the PF amount where he is already allocated with UAN. So, he withdrew his money, and now the UAN allocated account becomes zero.

After 4 months or so, he joined company Z. Will his PF account start with fresh company Z contributions, or does the account collapse once he withdraws the amount when moving from company Y? Please clarify.

According to my view, if an employee leaves one job and joins another, and if PF is applicable at the new job, then they will not be able to withdraw their old company's PF. They will have to transfer their PF accumulations to the new account by updating the UAN and merging the previous PF account.

The person can withdraw their PF if they are not working in any establishment where PF is not applicable, or if they have started their own business and will not work anymore. In that case, they will be able to withdraw the PF; otherwise, the transfer is the only option.

Regards,
Nilesh Soni
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

I agree with Mr. Nilesh Soni, and UAN means Universal Account Number.

Understanding UAN (Universal Account Number)

UAN stands for Universal Account Number. The UAN will act as an umbrella for the multiple Member IDs allotted to an individual by different establishments. The idea is to link multiple Member Identification Numbers (Member ID) allotted to a single member under a single Universal Account Number. This will help the member to view details of all the Member Identification Numbers (Member ID) linked to it. If a member is already allotted a Universal Account Number (UAN), then he/she is required to provide the same on joining a new establishment to enable the employer to, in turn, mark the newly allotted Member Identification Number (Member ID) to the already allotted Universal Identification Number (UAN).

Purpose of Introducing UAN

The basic idea of introducing UAN is to avoid PF withdrawal by the members when they move from one organization to another organization and to avoid difficulty in transferring their PF account. As most of the members are opting for PF withdrawal once they leave an organization, even though they are getting a job before 2 months (by declaring they don't have a job after 2 months also), which is unethical and there is no control over that. So by introducing this UAN, most of the problems will be rectified, and only those who are really eligible (not got a job within 2 months) can opt for PF withdrawal. After withdrawing PF, if they get any new job and PF is applicable in the new organization, with the same UAN, they can start their new PF account in the new organization. So UAN is a lifetime number irrespective of the number of organizations in your career henceforth. This is as per my knowledge. Correct me, seniors, if I am wrong.

According to me, if a member withdraws their PF, the UAN will become invalid. While verifying the UAN, the present employer will not see the UAN as active. When joining a new establishment, in Form 11, the employee will declare that they have withdrawn the EPF and will be allotted a new UAN. If they have withdrawn their EPF and are unable to withdraw EPS for any reason, such as having served more than 10 years, they can transfer the EPS to their new UAN.

Thanks,

Vidyadhar Bhat

If one quotes their UAN in the new establishment, it will prove that they were a PF member. They then cannot claim to be an excluded employee even if their salary is above Rs 15,000/- per month and they provide Form 11.

Regards,
Varghese Mathew
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

As Mr. Nilesh explained, because of this UAN concept, an employee cannot withdraw if he changes organizations (before 60 days). However, before UAN, he could withdraw by mentioning the reason for leaving as Resignation/Personal. After joining the new organization, he has to confirm whether he is subscribing to PF for the first time (a new UAN will be allotted) or if he was a subscribed member earlier. If so, he must provide the UAN from the previous organization.

This means EPFO will have the information to verify if the employee has a 60-day non-contribution period to approve the withdrawal applied by the employee. Ideally, EPFO should reject withdrawal claims if there is no 60-day gap.

We will have to see how EPFO acts on this. If they do not reject the claims of employees with continuous non-contributions for 60 days, what is the use of the PF act which states there should be a continuous 60-day non-contribution period to withdraw PF?

Thank you.

Please note that PF was acting as per the declaration given in the application form 19, stating that I am not a member of EPF where the EPF Act is applicable for the last 60 days. Previously, all the records were maintained manually.

Now, as the member has withdrawn the EPF by giving a false declaration, he cannot continue with the same UAN as the account will be marked as Settled. He will have to provide a declaration in form 11 that EPF has been withdrawn and will need to be allotted a new UAN. If the member has only withdrawn EPF and not EPS, he can transfer his EPS to the new UAN.

In my opinion, the UAN can continue until the member has not withdrawn the EPF amount. Once the EPF is withdrawn, the member has to get a new UAN in the new establishment. Therefore, saying that the UAN will remain the same for a lifetime is not correct. There is no transfer activity as UAN activity is implemented. The member only needs to inform the UAN to the new establishment, and PF will be accumulated to his UAN.

Thanks,
Vidyadhar Bhat

UAN is for a lifetime only. Even if you withdraw the amount after 60 days, once you join a new organization after two months, the same UAN will continue with a zero balance. There is no need to get a new UAN again. Once a UAN is allotted, you may continue with the same number until you retire.

Regards

Hi sir, currently I am working at Samsung C&T. Recently, my present employer asked me for my UAN number, which I provided. He submitted a request to link my current ID to the UAN. In Form 11, I mistakenly provided the wrong date of leaving my previous organization because I only had nine months of experience there. At the time of joining, the company required one year of experience to get the job, so I stated March 2014 to June 2014 instead. Now, my current employer requires approval from my previous organization to link my present PF ID to the UAN. I fabricated three more months of payslips and a relieving letter by editing them with a friend's help. How can I resolve this situation? Can I tell my current HR that I don't know about my date of leaving details because I broke the two-year bond, and that's why they are not approving it? Can I request a new UAN? Is there any problem for my current job?

Regards

Dear All,

I was wrong in my above posting dated 16-09-2014. The UAN remains the same even if the EPF is withdrawn. There is no need for a transfer. Only the new employer needs to provide your UAN number in Form 11.

Thanks,
Vidyadhar Bhat

UAN is issued as a social security identification. Seeding all accounts in one UAN makes the employee eligible for the total contribution period seniority. Therefore, it is always advised to seed the old UAN and avail the seniority benefit of the pension.

Dear All,

I have resigned from my previous company in the month of November 2017. I served there till the 18th of November 2017. Recently, I joined another company on the 22nd of January 2018. Now, I want to withdraw the amount from my account. My question is, if I linked my UAN with the new PF number allocated in the new company, will there be any problem with withdrawing the existing amount? Please suggest.

UAN and PF Transfer Process

Firstly, if you have joined a new establishment, you need to provide your UAN in Form 11 to the new establishment. It will be linked, and no separate transfer will be required. If, for any reason, your new establishment has given you a new UAN, you have to transfer the old UAN to the new UAN under the One Member One UAN on the member's portal. You cannot withdraw the PF if you are in service. You may not be able to link your Aadhaar to the new UAN as your Aadhaar is already linked with the old UAN.

Please provide your UAN to the new establishment for the salary process for January 2018.

Thanks,
Vidyadhar Bhat