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GLOSSARY

UAN (Universal Account Number)

✓ Last verified 14 Sep 2026
The short version UAN is a single, permanent number linking all of an employee's EPF accounts across different employers over their career - it stays the same even when you change jobs, only the linked member ID changes.

Unlike the older system of separate PF account numbers per employer, UAN provides one permanent number for an employee's entire EPF history - when changing jobs, only a new member ID gets linked to the same UAN, rather than starting an entirely disconnected account. This makes tracking a consolidated EPF balance across a career, and processing withdrawals or transfers, considerably simpler than under the pre-UAN system.

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