Changing Jobs with a Name Mismatch in EPFO and Aadhaar: Will It Affect My Employment?

I got married in Feb 2021 and added my husband's surname to Aadhaar, PAN, and Bank. However, in EPFO UAN, my husband's surname is not added. Now I am going to change my job. Will this create a problem in my new employment?

Changing Surname After Marriage: Legal and Practical Considerations

Nowhere in any act is it stated that after marriage, a woman should adopt her husband's surname. So why do these misconceptions persist? As we move towards an era where women should have status equal to men, why should you change your name after marriage? I thought this was a common misunderstanding only among less educated women, as I've seen casual workers using their husband's surname on employment slips. When I ask them if they have changed their name officially by publishing it in the gazette, they say no.

My sincere advice is that you cannot change your name without publishing it in the gazette. You can use any name in your Aadhar and bank account. However, EPF records are lifelong records, and the name should basically match your birth certificate or school leaving certificate. In the future, if you want to withdraw your PF, you may face difficulties if your names do not match.

I believe that the name as per EPFO should match the name on your birth certificate and school certificate. Let it remain like that. You should now update the name in Aadhar by visiting the Aadhar facilitation center and providing the school leaving certificate. Similarly, you should also update the name in the bank records. You can change your name in the EPF by submitting a joint declaration duly signed by you and the employer. However, changing the EPF records without updating the name on the school leaving certificate and birth certificates, which are the primary documents supporting your age, is not recommended. This is because it may lead to issues in the future. At the same time, you can easily update the name in Aadhar.

As rightly pointed out by Mr. Madhu, a change of name through gazette notification is advisable so that there will not be any legal issues in the future. I am not sure based on what proof you had made the changes in Aadhar/PAN/Bank. If changes have already been effected in Aadhar, you can change the name in the PF UAN Portal using the KYC tab and the "name as per Aadhar" option. After completing the above process and receiving approval from the employer/PF office, you may remove the bank details and add them again.

Changing the name in EPFO based on Aadhar

Changing the name in EPFO based on the available Aadhar is easy because a declaration jointly signed by the employee and the employer is sufficient. However, if you have not changed the name through an official notification in the gazette, the EPFO claims, including the pension in the future, shall get rejected.

Changing Aadhar and PAN details

At the same time, changing the Aadhar details is easy, but I don't know if it is permitted since you have already availed the facility of changing the name. Similarly, I can't comment on how you can change the name in the PAN because, in all government records nowadays, the father's name is mandatory. Even in the case of married women, the name of the father is mandatory.

Thank you for all the valuable advice. I changed my name by publishing it in the gazette. Could you please confirm if there is any problem when I join a new company, as my name is different on the Adhara and EPFO sites? I had previously linked my Adhara with the UAN number. I have also submitted documentation to my current employer regarding the joint declaration process; however, it is taking longer than usual.

Thank you all in advance.

If you have submitted the joint declaration form, please wait for approval from the respective PF office.