EPFO: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has recently exempted some categories of employees from the requirement to link their Universal Account Number (UAN) with Aadhaar. This move will make it easier for employees to claim for whom it is difficult to obtain Aadhaar.
EPFO: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has recently exempted some categories of employees from the requirement to link their Universal Account Number (UAN) with Aadhaar. This move will make it easier for employees to claim for whom obtaining Aadhaar is a difficult task.
Who is exempted?
International employees: Those who returned to their country after working in India and could not obtain Aadhaar.
Overseas Citizens: Indians who have acquired foreign citizenship.
Former Indian citizens who have gone abroad permanently.
Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan.
Employees covered under the EPF&MP Act who reside outside India and do not hold Aadhaar.
Method of generating claim
For these categories of employees, EPFO has allowed settlement of PF claims through other documents. Here is the list of those documents.
Verification documents – Passport, citizenship certificate or other official ID proof.
Additional checks: Verification will be done through PAN, bank account details and other eligibility criteria.
Employer verification: For claims above ₹5 lakh, the authenticity of the member will be verified from the employer.
Method of settling claim: All claims will be through NEFT to ensure secure transactions.
EPFO rules
Officers will have to check all of them carefully.
Approval will have to be taken through e-office file through the Officer-in-Charge (OIC).
Employees have been advised to maintain the same UAN throughout their career and transfer past service records to the existing UAN.
Benefits of this change
This relaxation addresses the problems faced by employees who are facing difficulties in getting Aadhaar. The alternate identity verification makes the entire process easy and secure.
What should employees do?
Keep alternate documents like passport and citizenship certificate ready.
Unify all UANs using EPFO’s One Member One EPF Account feature.
