How to Find Your UAN Number: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Imagine that you join a new company and you are asked to share your Universal Account Number (UAN) for a PF-related activity. You know that in your previous job your money was deducted from your salary, but you can’t recall receiving your UAN. Or they might have shared one a few years ago, and you’ve forgotten that. 

This is a common situation, especially when the employee changes their job or when they don’t regularly check their EPF accounts. 

The good news is that you will not need your old salary slip or have to visit an EPFO office to find your UAN. You can just check it through the EPFO member portal, contact your employer, or use other available services. 

If you are wondering, where will you find your UAN number? 

This guide will explain to you different methods and the information that you might need and what to do if you cannot retrieve it. 

What is a UAN number?

UAN stands for Universal Account Number. It is a 12-digit identification number that is allotted to the employees who are the members of the Employees Provident Fund scheme by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation. 

Think of the Universal Account Number number as the permanent identification number that will help you to know about your EPF account. Whenever you change your job, your employer will create a new PF member ID for you. But your UAN generally remains the same. 

So for example, suppose you work at company A for three years, and then you change your job and then move to company B. So your PF account details might change with the new employment. But the member’s IDs can be linked to the same UAN number. This will make it easier to manage your PF account, view the contribution, and access the services such as online PF transfers and withdrawals. 

How to find a UAN number? 3 easy methods

If you have forgotten your number and you cannot find it in your documents, then there are several ways that you can retrieve it. The four methods that you can try are: 

1. Find your UAN through the EPFO Member Portal.
2. The official EPFO member portal provides you a facility called Know Your UAN. This option allows the member to retrieve their UAN using their personal details. Personal basic details.
3. Enter your mobile number and other details that are requested on the screen. 
4. Complete the captcha verification if it is given. Then request an OTP. 
5. You will receive your OTP on the mobile number that is registered. 
6. Enter the OTP that you have received, which will help you to verify your details. 

Follow these on-screen steps to retrieve your UAN number. Once all the details are filled accurately and they are successfully verified, you can see your UAN. 

Note: The mobile number and personal details submitted by you must be the same as the details available in your EPFO records. And if the details don’t match up, then you might need to get in touch. You will need to contact your employer or EPFO if you need any further help.

2. You can ask your current or previous employer. 

If you’re unable to retrieve your UAN online, then you can contact your employer. That is a straightforward option for you. Employers have access to all the employee-related EPF records, which includes your UAN number as well. And you can follow these steps: 

1. You can contact the HR of the company or the department that handles the payroll. 
2. Request your UAN or any EPF related formalities. 
3. Share the basic employment details that they will need to identify your PF account 
4. Once you get a UAN, ask them to confirm that UAN, which is linked to your employment 

This method you can particularly use if the mobile number that you have registered with has been changed or you cannot complete the OTP verification process on the EPFO portal. 

3. Check your salary slip.

When you receive your monthly salary slip, you might already have your UAN mentioned on that. Many employers include UAN and PF details in their employees’ salary slips. But the format might differ from one organization to another. 

1. Open your latest salary slip and look for the section that contains your PF or EPF deduction. 
2. You can check whether it contains a twelve-digit number or not, which is mentioned as UAN, or Universal Account 
3. Note the number, or you can verify with your employer if it’s needed. 

Also, check your previous salary slips if you are no longer working with the organization. 

How can you find your UAN using your mobile number? 

If you have access to the mobile number that was registered with EPFO, you might be able to retrieve your UAN through the Know Your UAN facility, which is mentioned in the UAN EPFO member portal.

• Visit the EPFO member portal. 
• Select the option Know Your UAN option. 
• Enter the mobile number that was registered and the details that are requested. 
• Complete the captcha verification. 
• Request an OTP
• Enter the OTP that you have received in your phone 
• Then follow the instructions that are displayed on the screen to retrieve your UAN

However, simply entering any mobile number will not necessarily help you find your UAN number. The number and other details must match the records available with EPFO.

If you no longer use the mobile number registered with EPFO, contact your employer or explore the available account-recovery options.

What If You Do Not Have a UAN Yet?

If you have joined your first organization with EPF, you might not even have your UAN yet. In such cases, the generation of an UAN process is much different from retrieving an existing number. As per the instructions of EPFO, from 1 August, 2025, The generation of UAN is to be carried out through this Aadhaar-based face authentication process, except for some specified exceptional cases. You can follow these steps: 

1. Download the official UMANG app on your smartphone.
2. Open EPFO Services.
3. Select the option of ‘UAN Allotment and Activation,’ which is given under ‘UAN Services Through Face Auth.’
4. Enter your Aadhaar number & mobile number.
5. Complete your OTP verification.
6. Install the Aadhaar Face RD application if prompted.
7. Consent and full face authentication.
8. Once verified, your UAN will be generated and will be sent to your registered mobile number.

You need a valid Aadhaar number, access to the Aadhaar-linked mobile number, and the required face authentication application to use this facility.

If a UAN is already linked to your Aadhaar, the system will inform you instead of generating a new UAN.

You can check the official EPFO website for the latest instructions.

UAN vs PF Member ID: What Is the Difference?

Understanding this difference is useful because you may have multiple PF Member IDs but generally only one active UAN.

How to Activate Your UAN After Finding It?

Finding your UAN and activating are two different things. Your EPFO record already exists in your UAN, but you might have still not completed your activation process. Activating your UAN will help you to access various services of EPFO in your member account. 

EPFO currently provides a facility of an Aadhar-based face authentication system through the UMANG app for activating the existing EPFO. You can follow these steps: 

1. Open the UMANG app and select the services for EPFO. 
2. You can choose the option of UAN activation given under “UAN services through Face Auth.”
3. Enter the details of your UAN, Aadhar number & mobile number. 
4. Complete the verification process of OTP
5. Install the Aadhar face RD application if required. 
6. Give your consent for the necessary requirements and complete your face authentication. 
7. Once all of the details are verified, your UAN will be activated. 

Final Takeaway

Your UAN is an important part for managing your EPFO account, and if you forget it, it doesn’t mean that you will lose access to your PF details. You can use several ways to retrieve your UAN : either you can check your EPFO member portal, contact your employer, or refer to the old salary slips. Once you find your UAN number, keep it safe and share the same number with your future employers to manage your PF accounts more easily.