EPFO Issues New Guidelines for Seeding and Correction of Aadhaar in Universal Account Number

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has issued a notification simplifying the process for seeding and correction of Aadhaar details in the Universal Account Number (UAN) of members. This update is aimed at making provident fund services more accessible, streamlined, and member-friendly.

📌 Background:

EPFO had introduced Aadhaar as a Know Your Customer (KYC) requirement for UAN in 2014 to enable direct access to services for members, eliminating the need for employer intervention. Over time, a simplified digital process allowed members to modify personal information if Aadhaar was already linked and verified by the Unique Identification Authority of India.

However, some cases—such as unverified or incorrectly seeded Aadhaar details—still required employer or EPFO approval. The latest circular addresses and further simplifies these scenarios.

✅ Key Updates from the EPFO Notification:

1. Direct Aadhaar Seeding by Employers:
   • If the name, gender, and date of birth in UAN exactly match those in Aadhaar, the employer can directly seed Aadhaar through the employer portal—no EPFO approval needed.
2. Correction via Joint Declaration (JD) Functionality:

1. If there is a mismatch in any of the three key fields (name, gender, date of birth), the employer can file a correction using the Joint Declaration system.
2. If the wrong Aadhaar number was previously linked, the employer can now enter the correct Aadhaar number using the online JD functionality and forward the request to the regional office.
3. Option for Members without Employer Support:

1. If the establishment is closed or the employer is unavailable, the member can submit a physical Joint Declaration form (as per Annexure I) attested by authorized officials to the Public Relations Officer at the nearest EPFO regional office.
2. The officer will verify and manually update the system with the correction request.
3. Approval Process:

1. All Aadhaar-related corrections submitted through JD will undergo scrutiny and approval at the level of Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner (APFC).
2. Corrections in already verified Aadhaar cases will not be allowed, emphasizing the need for careful verification before initial seeding.

📅 Why This Matters:

These changes will:

• Reduce dependency on employers
• Speed up service delivery
• Allow corrections in a more user-friendly manner
• Prevent identity-related issues in provident fund claims and transfers

The EPFO continues to work toward improving service efficiency, member experience, and technological integration. These Aadhaar-related reforms are a step toward greater transparency, accuracy, and digital governance in social security management.