5 Steps to UAN Activation, Now Only on the UMANG App

You have a Universal Account Number (UAN) from your employer, but you cannot log in to see your provident fund (PF). How do you activate your UAN today?

UAN activation now happens only in the Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG) app, using Aadhaar face authentication. The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has stopped activations on its member portal, so the old portal method no longer works.

I was surprised to learn that in 2024-25, only 44.68 lakh of the 1.26 crore new UANs, about one in three, were activated by their owners, according to the Ministry of Labour and Employment. If yours is not active, you are far from alone.

What Is UAN Activation?

UAN activation is the one-time step that links your UAN to you, so you can use EPFO’s online services yourself. Once it is done, you can view your passbook, update your Know Your Customer (KYC) details and file claims.

Many people skip this step, as the chart below shows.

What You Need Before UAN Activation

Keep these ready before you start, so the process does not stop halfway:

• Your UAN. Keep it handy to check your passbook once it is active. It is on your salary slip, or you can ask HR. If you have lost it, use the Know Your UAN option on the member portal.
• Your Aadhaar number. UMANG checks you against your Aadhaar record.
• The mobile number linked to your Aadhaar. The one-time password (OTP) goes only to this number.
• A phone with a working front camera. Install UMANG from the Play Store or App Store, and the AadhaarFaceRD app, which runs the face scan. EPFO’s steps name the Play Store for AadhaarFaceRD, so an Android phone is the safest choice.

5 Steps for UAN Activation on UMANG

These steps follow EPFO’s published face authentication process on UMANG:

1. Install both apps. EPFO’s steps need UMANG and the AadhaarFaceRD app on the same phone, both on Google Play.
2. Find the service. Open UMANG, select EPFO Services, then UAN Services Through Face Auth, and choose the UAN Activation option.
3. Enter your details. Type your Aadhaar number and your Aadhaar-registered mobile, then tick the consent box.
4. Enter the OTP. It comes by SMS to that mobile.
5. Scan your face. When the outline around your face turns from red to green, the photo is taken and matched with your Aadhaar.

After a successful match, your UAN is active, and EPFO services such as the passbook, KYC updates and claims open up for you.

No UAN Yet?

If you are starting your first job, choose the UAN Allotment and Activation option in the same UMANG section instead. It creates a new UAN and activates it in one go, and you can download your e-UAN card to give to HR.

3 Reasons UAN Activation Fails

When UMANG will not complete the activation, check these three first:

1. Your mobile is not registered with Aadhaar. The app checks the number you type against the one Aadhaar holds. Update it at an Aadhaar centre, then try again.
2. Your details differ from Aadhaar. A name or date of birth in EPFO’s records that differs from Aadhaar may stop the match. Ask HR how to get the EPFO record corrected.
3. The face scan does not finish. Retry in good light with your face fully visible. If it still fails, call the EPFO helpdesk listed on the member portal.

Once activated, the same UAN stays with you when you change jobs, so give it to each new employer instead of making a new one.

For employers, that means keeping each person’s UAN on file from day one.

UAN Activation for HR and Owners

For HR and owners, the move to face authentication changes joining day. Since 1 August 2025, under an EPFO circular dated 30 July 2025, new UANs must be generated through Aadhaar face authentication on the UMANG app. Only exceptional cases, such as international employees, still go through the employer.

The ELI scheme makes this matter for money too. A first-time employee qualifies for the incentive only with a UAN verified by a face scan, as the ELI scheme note sets out.

The e-UAN card step helps most where many people join at once, such as a factory hiring for a new shift, a hospital onboarding nurses, a retail chain staffing for the festive season, or an IT services firm onboarding a new batch.

Once the UAN is in place, PF goes into the monthly return. The PF online payment guide covers the Electronic Challan cum Return (ECR) filing that follows.

So, How Do You Activate Your UAN?

Open the UMANG app, choose UAN Activation under the face authentication services, enter your details, and finish the face scan. The member portal does not do it any more.

If it fails, check your Aadhaar-registered phone and your details first, then call the EPFO helpdesk.

For employers who want UAN and PF records in one place, see how Attendo handles them.

Frequently Asked Questions