Given the significance of your Employee Provident Fund (EPF) account balance for your future financial stability, losing access to it can be a frightening event. Recovering a lost EPF account is important, regardless of the reason, such as forgotten passwords, updated contact details, etc. Thankfully, the EPF authorities have policies in place to help people get their accounts back.
There are many ways to assist you in taking back control of your money, ranging from online recovery procedures to offline techniques, including direct contact with EPF offices. To make sure you can manage your retirement funds successfully, we’ll go over some methods and techniques in this blog to help you regain access to your EPF account.
What is meant by EPF Number?
An EPF number is a 12-character alphanumeric unique number for the identification of every employee who is enrolled in the scheme of Employee Provident Fund by their employer. The EPF number is used by these employees after completing the EPF registration process to keep a check on their provident fund account and manage these funds based on their needs.
However, you can withdraw the money from your PF account only after 3 years of opening the account to cater to your needs. Provident funds are a very important aspect of your finances, and if lost, it is very difficult to recover a lost EPF account.
How do you know your EPF Number?
It is very important to know your 12-character alphanumeric Employee Provident Fund number. You have many ways to find out your EPF number like –
- You can refer to your salary slip to learn your EPF number and the monthly contribution of your employer.
- The HR department of your organization knows about your EPF account and can help you with that. If you want to recover a lost EPF account, then the HR department’s help can also be taken.
- The employees can refer to their UAN number to access their provident fund and look for details. Through this portal, they can check their balance, manage it, and withdraw the amount for their use. Logging in this portal will make the PF account accessible for all purposes it is meant to.
- If these things are not working for some reason, you can directly approach the EPF office and its grievance forum for an early solution to your issues.
- You can also log in through the UMANG app to access your EPF account for any purpose.
- The PAN number can also be used to access the employee’s PF account.
Steps to Retrieve UAN Password
In case you have forgotten your UAN password, you can refer to these steps to retrieve your UAN password –
Step 1 – You have to land on the official website of the EPFO UAN member portal to manage your password.
Step – 2 In the portal, you have to choose the option ‘Forgot Password’.
Step – 3 To go through the password change, enter your UAN and captcha.
Step – 4 You will now receive an OTP on your registered mobile number, which you have to enter.
Step – 5 As soon as you enter the OTP, you will be required to change your password.
Step – 6 Now, you can log in to the portal through your UAN and new password.
How to Recover a Lost EPF Account?
Recovering a lost EPF account can be a very tedious task, and the employees should always try not to lose the account since it is their retirement savings, and you certainly don’t want to forget about such a huge amount. However, there are ways you can follow to recover a lost EPF account which is –
Customer Care
The initial step to recover a lost EPF account is to contact customer care services and seek their help. The grievance portal of customer care is accessible for anyone facing problems relating to the account’s functioning, and the right way to approach it is for quick response.
Essential Details
For customer care to address your issue and recover a lost EPF account, you need to provide them with essential details related to the account so that there is no potential fraud and also to determine the account holder. This information generally includes things like the EPF account number, PAN card, full name, date of birth, etc.
Document Requirement
The customer care desk may ask for the claimant’s identity verification to be certain about the PF account holder’s identity. To claim EPF account access, the claimant must furnish documents like an Aadhar card, Voter ID, PAN card, Driving Licence, or passport.
Process
The claimant may have to follow a certain procedure to recover a lost EPF account, as stated by customer care. These processes may involve re-submitting KYC documents, resetting your password, or resubmitting the updated contact information. After this, the account may be retrieved in some days for activity.
Online Platform Assistance
These days, there are online apps and portals through which these issues can be addressed and managed. The claimant can use the apps and various portals to manage the issues and provide details or documents as and when they are required to recover a lost EPF.
Office Visit
If the problem persists, even after you have received help from the online portals, you can visit the EPF office for assistance. In the nearest branch, an executive will be assigned to help you out with the issue and take the necessary steps to recover a lost EPF account.
Recordkeeping
During the process of recovering the account, one should always keep the conversations recorded with them for further assistance and proof. All the messages, emails, submitted documents, and even calls should be saved for future reference.
You need to be patient with the process of recovering your lost EPF account since it may require some time to complete the verification process. The KYC submitted takes time to get updated; patience is the key. To be free from these liabilities in the future, you should regularly maintain the account and keep it updated for future use. If, even after this, you have any issues while recovering a lost EPF, you should consider professional help like the one from Corpbiz.
Conclusion
In short, successful retirement savings management depends on recovering access to a lost EPF account. People can overcome obstacles and reclaim control over their financial destiny by being vigilant in communicating with EPF customer service, submitting the required information and documentation, using the available online portals, and visiting EPF offices when necessary. Throughout the healing process, proactive record-keeping, perseverance, and patience are crucial. Through frequent updates to personal information, being educated, and seeking expert help when needed, people can protect their retirement plans and future financial stability by ensuring easy access to their EPF funds.
Corpbiz can help individuals recover a lost EPF account through our experienced and capable executives. We can help you get back your account in a very short time so that you don’t have to suffer much.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q- 1 What is the relevance of EPF number?
The relevance of an EPF number is that it is a 12-character alphanumeric unique number for the identification of every employee to claim the benefits of provident funds.
Q- 2 What to do if online portals do not help recover a lost EPF account?
If the problem persists even if you have taken help from the online portals, then in that case, you can even visit the EPF office for their assistance over the matter. In the nearest branch, an executive will be assigned to help you out with the issue and take the necessary steps to recover a lost EPF account.
Q- 3 Is it possible to have two or more PF numbers?
Yes, it is possible to have two or more PF numbers in the case where you have switched jobs or have different employers.
Q- 4 Is it possible to change a PF number?
No, the employee can’t change the PF number since it is granted to them by their employers.
Q- 5 What can one do if he has lost his EPF account?
One can get help from the online portals by approaching their grievance redressal cell or can visit the offline nearest office to seek help from one of their executives.
Q- 6 Can I seek the help of my organization to recover a lost EPF account?
The HR department of your organization knows about your EPF account and can help you with that. If you want to recover a lost EPF account, then the HR department’s help can also be taken.
Important Post on EPF – How to apply for EPF Registration online?
