Can Employees Retrieve Their UAN if Employers Provide Incorrect Mobile Numbers? Seeking Insights

I have a genuine query which I very recently came across, and I solicit some views on the same from the learned experts of this community.

UAN Generation and Mobile Number Requirement

During the generation of a new UAN for a new employee, providing a mobile number is not mandatory. So, suppose the employer skips giving the mobile number or unknowingly provides a wrong mobile number, what will be the consequences?

The employee, on the other hand, works for a very short tenure, probably less than a month, and the UAN number is not mentioned on his payslip. Then, he leaves. Even if he doesn't have the UAN, he has the option of getting his UAN number using the "Know your UAN" facility under the EPFO member portal, where he has to input Aadhaar/PAN, Name, DOB, and mobile number (remember, all of these are mandatory to retrieve the UAN number).

Retrieving UAN with Incorrect Mobile Number

Now, if the employer provides a wrong mobile number or doesn't provide a mobile number at all, my query is: does the employee still get his UAN number by inputting his own mobile number? (I'm assuming the mobile number he provides is different from the one the employer provided at the time of generating the UAN.)

My understanding is YES, even if the mobile number doesn't match, he can get his UAN number as the mobile number is used only to send the PIN. Name, DOB, and KYC data have to match with EPFO records, but if the employer made a mistake by providing the wrong mobile number, the employee can still retrieve his UAN from "Know your UAN" using his original mobile number.

I'm looking forward to receiving some views on the same. I have not initiated this discussion for my own learning purposes; I have seen two cases where the ex-employer didn't provide the UAN, and the employees are still finding it hard to retrieve their UANs. Can someone shed some light on this topic, please?

Dear Friends, I too have a similar problem. Few employees do not have their mobile numbers registered with EPFO, and the "missing detail" link on the EPFO unified portal does not provide the facility to update mobile numbers/email IDs. Can the mobile number be registered now with a joint declaration by the employee/employer (similar to the joint declaration for minor corrections in names)? Is there any way to incorporate the employee's mobile number/email ID in their PF accounts?

Regarding Mr. Arnab's query

This is my opinion: (a) The previous employer has no right to withhold the UAN/ESI IP numbers from their employees. The employee should formally approach the previous employer again with a letter/email, possibly followed up by your company. (b) As a policy, it is best to populate all fields in the EPFO/ESI portal (even those that are not mandatory) to ensure that the records are complete and accurate as of the enrollment date. I have started ensuring this in my organization, and such enrollments are conducted in the presence of the new employee during their induction process for verification of details. (I have observed that, at the operational level, there has been a lackadaisical attitude towards such enrollments, leading to problems for the employees later on... Just my observation.)

Regards, Arun

Mobile number given or given wrong does not matter unless the employee activates his UAN. At the time of submission of the mobile, the portal asks for the correct mobile number, and upon successful OTP verification, the given mobile is automatically populated in the UAN.

Employers have the least role in mobile activation; it is fully in the hands of the employee.

My husband is also facing the same problem. He had PF amounts with previous companies, which were transferred to the company he recently left. Now, he is not working anywhere and is trying to find another good job. He is attempting to withdraw the PF amount, but the mobile number mentioned is from the previous company, which he no longer has access to. The OTP will be generated for that specific number only, which we no longer possess. Can anybody help us in withdrawing our PF amount?

Please inform me.