Is It Legal to Have Two Active PF Accounts with Different Employers at Once?

I would like to know if I can have two active PF/Membership accounts with two different companies simultaneously. I am working as a full-time employee in one company and in a remote job for Company B. Both employers offer PF benefits and have TDS deductions. I am unsure about the legality of maintaining two active EPF accounts concurrently.

Please note that I have one UAN number, not two. Within that UAN number, I possess multiple PF Account Numbers from both my previous and current employers. I share the same UAN number with different employers, rather than having separate UAN numbers.

I kindly seek clarification regarding this matter.

EPFO Policy on UAN

EPFO has a policy for one single UAN for each employee. It uses only Aadhaar authentication as the main employee credential and KYC. In case of having multiple UANs or EPF numbers from different employers, it will always show that you are already registered and ask for UAN merging to one. So, in my view, you cannot have two or more UANs with multiple employers as it is Aadhaar verified.

Thank you, Bijay, for the response. I only have one UAN number, not two, and I am going to submit the same UAN number to the other employer. My doubt is if I submit the same UAN number to another employer, is it possible for the employer to generate another EPF number? If it is possible and I have two different active EPF numbers, and both employers contribute to Company A and Company B, where Company B is a remote job, would both of them provide PF benefits and have TDS deductions? I would like to know if it is legal to have two active EPF accounts simultaneously. Are there any chances that both employers will find out by any means?

Multiple EPF Membership and Its Implications

I am not an expert in the ESI and EPF Laws, nor do I have any working knowledge of those matters. Yet, my common sense induces me to raise some questions on the practice of multiple EPF memberships, which, in my opinion, amounts to duplicity.

Dual or Multiple Employment

Dual or multiple employment of the same individual under different employers is a complicated issue to be decided by the individual and the employers concerned according to their convenience. However, when the effective role of the Government is also involved in such a Social Security Labor Law, such as paying contributions for three years in respect of new employees, such an arrangement of multiplicity of EPF or ESI membership in organized employment of a single individual would lead to questions of legality. Therefore, in my opinion, it is not correct.

In case of no objections to his multiple employment by the employers concerned, the poster can demand higher compensation inclusive of the proportionate amount of the concerned employers' contribution to EPF.

Seniors may shed more light!

Employment Mapping and EPFO Auto-Deactivation

In employment mapping, EPFO will auto-deactivate the former employer. This means that in the member portal, only the latest and last employer will be displayed, and only that will be available for submission of all requests.

Complications in Merging Passbooks

The issue will arise when the member opts to merge both passbooks. At that junction, several complications would arise, such as:

1) EPS Limit: The EPS limit is fixed for the individual and not on the establishment. If both establishments deposit EPS, then as per law, the employee gets entitled to 2X pension, which is beyond the limitation of EPFO.

2) EDLI Claim: In case of any mishap, the EDLI claim would be in jeopardy, as both employers have submitted the EDLI. EPFO will cease all claims and issue SCN to both employers.

There are multiple complexities, including that both amounts can never be merged because there is cascading dual employment.

Hi Anonymous, can you update us on whether you are still employed as a full-time employee in Company A and hold a remote job in Company B? If so, did you face any issues when both Company A and Company B made PF contributions to two different PF accounts under the same UAN number? Thank you.

Hi Sir, I have worked in Company A and Company B. I worked in Company A for 8 months and in Company B for 3 months. However, during my time at Company B, I received two PFs from the employer within the 3 months. Now, I am shifting to a new employer, Company C. Will this affect my chances of getting a job at Company C? Thank you.