Employee Provident Fund (EPF) Scheme is a retirement benefits scheme where the employers and employees contribute monthly in equal proportion. This scheme is issued to promote savings among employees and build a retirement corpus. Sometimes, the name and other details are incorrect in the EPF Account.
Changing Name in EPF Account
Everyone should update the right information in the EPF Account to avoid any issues in the future. These incorrect details can cause hurdles during the withdrawal of EPF. Therefore, follow the respective methods for updating your EPF account.
How to update credentials online?
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) provides the facility to its members regarding updating credentials in the records of EPFO. You can make changes online on the EPFO UAN Portal. The members must possess a UAN number, password and mobile number to access the EPF Account.
UAN (Universal Account Number) is a 12 digit number allotted by the EPFO to the employees. Following are some changes you can make online:
1. Change in Mobile Number:
Sometimes, people require a change in their phone number due to multiple reasons.
- If you wish to make changes to your mobile number, visit the "EPFO UAN portal"- https://www.unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/
- Go to the ‘Profile’ tab. An option will be displayed to change the mobile number. Keep in mind that you must possess your old active number while making any changes.
- It can ask for an OTP, which will be sent to the old phone number.
2. Forgot Password:
Sometimes, your old number is not active due to phone theft or any other reason.
- If you forgot your password and do not have an active registered mobile number, make an Online request.
- This request can be made through the helpdesk of EPF UAN Portal.
- There can be many changes you require. Everything is possible using the EPF UAN portal.
How to update Credentials Offline?
Some changes can not be made online. For that, you have to follow the offline procedure as mentioned below:
- A joint declaration is required to be made by you and your employer.
- The employer directly sends the application or form to the concerned Employees Provident Fund Organisation Field Office (EPFO). You can download the form here.
- Change of Father’s or Spouse’s name:
If you wish to make changes in your father's or spouse's name, ask for the relevant application form from your employer. Fill up the required details and send the joint application form on the part of your employer and yourself to the EPFO field office.
- Date of birth correction:
If you wish to make changes to the Date Of Birth (DOB), you can also do that by filling up the application form. The only difference is that you need to provide is the Date of Birth proof along with the form.
- Changes in the date of joining/leaving the organisation:
If you wish to make changes in joining or leaving the organisation, you need to follow the same procedure and fill the required areas in the application form, and you are good to go.
- Change of address:
The address change is only required at the time of Provident Fund Transfer or withdrawal. Attach your Address proof with the application. However, the EPFO portal does not allow any change of address through the portal as of now.
Documents Required for Proof and to access EPF Account
The Government mandates some documents for these changes. This list is exhaustive, and every employee must possess these documents.
- PAN card
- Driving license
- Passport (if available)
- Voter Identity Card
- Employee State Insurance ID Card
- Aadhar Card
- Passbook
- Educational Certificates
- Electricity or water bill
- Birth or Death Certificates
EPF Name Change Rules
There are some rules to make changes in the name.
- Specified documents are allowable as "Identity proof" to make changes in the name under EPF. All the documents mentioned above qualify for the same.
- Your name change request can not be made independently by you. You and your employer are required to provide a Joint Application Form to amend the wrong name. This is because your employer has provided your name to the EPF Account.
Also Read: PF Calculator - Calculate EPF Online
EPF Name Correction Form
There is a name correction form in EPF from where you can change your name easily. It can be done online as well as offline.
The PF Name Correction form is more of a letter than a document. You can use this form to correct the following details:
- Change in name
- Updation of father's or spouse’s name
- Updation in EPFor EPS numbers
- Change in Date Of Birth (DOB)
- Change in joining date of an organisation
- Changes in leaving date of an organisation
It has a prescribed format that must be followed:
- The letter should be addressed to the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner.
- Under the letter subject, mention “Joint declaration by the member and the employer.”
- Mention the establishment you are currently or formerly working with that put the wrong details. Also, state the reason behind writing the letter.
- Mention your incorrect details that need to be substituted with the correct ones.
- You only have to fill the columns where change or correction is required.
- Mention the documents to be provided as proof.
- Attest the form by affixing your name and signing it.
- Enter the authorised signatory from the organisation to sign and affix the company seal on the form.
EPF name correction Form online
Before proceeding further, you need some details in hand:
- A Universal Account Number or UAN.
- A valid Aadhaar number
- Access to Employees Provident Fund Organization Unified Portal
- A request by the employer to the Employees Provident Fund Organisation Unified Portal.
You can now proceed to the PF Correction Form online by following some steps:
Step 1: Go to the Employees Provident Fund Organisation Unified Portal. Put your UAN, password, and captcha displayed and sign in into your account.
Step 2: The screen will display the member profile and some tabs. Go to the 'Manage' tab and choose to "modify basic details" from the given options.
Step 3: The screen will display a new page. Enter your Adhar and other details required. After filling in the required information, click the “Update Details” option.
Step 4: The new page will display the pending requests on the part of the employee. The employer needs to confirm the same to update the requested details. However, the employee may delete this request before getting confirmation from the employer.
Name Correction due to Marriage-
Name correction can occur in many instances. Marriage is one of them. After marriage, people (mostly women) require a change in their surnames or title. In this case, you are required to fill the name change form and submit it to the EPFO or online. However, it is not applicable in all cases.
- It is only applicable if you make changes to your bank or office records. In that case, attach a copy of the marriage certificate as well and then submit the form.
- If you continue your prior name after the marriage, do not make any amendments to your EPF account. Your EPF Database should match your office and bank records.
How to change father’s name in EPF
Confused about how to change your father's name in UAN? Sometimes your details are correct, but you may have forgotten to enter your father's name or committed some spelling error in the father's name. You can change these details on the EPFO UAN Portal. Just follow some basic steps, and you are done.
- Follow the same process mentioned above regarding your name change. Fill the Joint Declaration form with your employer along with the required details. Also, enter the incorrect details to be substituted with correct details.
- After filling the form, take the signature and the company's seal from your company's "Authorised Signatory".
- Then, submit it to the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner.
- Do not forget to attach the mandatory documents to support the form.
Issues caused by errors in EPF details
There are many issues that a person has to face due to the incorrect details in the EPF Account. Everything will be fine until you apply for the withdrawal of retirement corpus from the EPF Account. Your claim will be approved after the verification of the details provided on the portal during registration.
Details must match else the claim will be rejected. This creates a lot of problems for the members as they are required to change the details first. You can only apply for the withdrawal once your credentials are changed. Keep a list of the issues you may face in the future so that it's easier to solve them. Some issues caused by errors in EPF details are mentioned as below:
- A spelling mistake or incorrect data:
Your application may get rejected due to a spelling mistake in your name or any incorrect data entered during the initial registration in EPFO.
- Nominee details missing:
While filling in the details during the initial registration, always mention the details of the nominee. A nominee is a person who will get the corpus in case of a member's death or mental incapacitation etc. Therefore, the absence of a nominee can cause hurdles in the approval of claims.
- Joining/ Leaving Date:
The date of joining and the date of leaving should be mentioned correctly in your EPF account. It is essential because it helps in calculating your total years and months of contribution to the EPFO. It also calculates the sum collected as EPS pension. These facts help in knowing whether it is taxable or not. If these dates are missing, it can cause unnecessary hassles.
- Correction in the name after marriage:
Name correction after marriage mostly happens in the case of women due to changes in their surnames/titles. Some people also change their names before marriage. Whatever the case may be, you are required to update the necessary change as soon as possible. If the change is not updated until retirement, you will face many challenges to get the retirement claim.
Also Read: How To Change your Mobile Number in the EPF Account
Conclusion
This was all about updating credentials online and offline, EPF Name correction form, name change rules, how to change father's name in EPF and many more. Always remember to update the details as soon as possible to avoid any hassles in future. The whole process is mentioned above. You can download the PF correction form from this website.
