UAN stands for Universal Account Number. EPFO uses it as the single login for your member record. The idea is that one number follows you from employer to employer, so a new job does not mean a forgotten balance under a different identity.
Activate the UAN, then seed Aadhaar, PAN, the bank account, and the mobile number. The claim is paid to that bank. If the name or the account number does not match, the claim comes back. Do this before you need the money, not on the day you resign. The portal is the designated path in the 2026 scheme. The buttons move, so a click-by-click of one screen goes stale. The KYC and the paragraph you are claiming do not.
Which claim is which
The scheme itself does not call the claims Form 19 or Form 31. Those names are the ones members still see. Form 19 is the full provident-fund settlement, paragraph 49, including the 25% that a partial claim would leave behind. Form 31 is the partial withdrawal, paragraph 46, at least ₹1,000, after the minimum balance is protected. Form 10C is the pension withdrawal benefit when you do not have 10 years for a monthly pension. Form 10D is that monthly pension. You confirm the bank and sign with an Aadhaar OTP.
A complete claim is supposed to be settled within 20 days of the office receiving it. A gap in the papers should be told to you in the same 20 days. If the portal will not take the claim for a technical reason, a paper form can go through the employer, who sends it on within five days. Online remains the first path.
Changing jobs is not a withdrawal. Tell the new employer the same UAN. A transfer keeps the balance in the fund and keeps earlier membership, which matters for the 5-year tax exclusion in Schedule XI. Withdrawing on the way out can break that chain. The EPF withdrawal guide is the rule for when a claim is allowed. The in-hand salary calculator only shows the monthly contribution, at 12% up to the ceiling of ₹25,000.
Keep one UAN. Two numbers for one person are how a balance gets stranded and a transfer fails. The income tax calculator is separate again: it can show the effect of a deduction, and it does not log in to the member portal or move the balance.
Questions
Do I need a new UAN for every job?
No. One Universal Account Number is meant to follow you. Give the same UAN to the next employer so the new contributions land on the same member record instead of a second account.
What has to be seeded before I file a claim?
Aadhaar, PAN, the bank account the money should reach, and the mobile number. The portal pays the seeded bank. A mismatch is the usual reason a claim is sent back.
Are Form 19 and Form 31 still used?
The 2026 scheme speaks in paragraphs. The portal may still show the old names. Form 19 is the full settlement under paragraph 49. Form 31 is the partial withdrawal under paragraph 46. You approve the claim with an Aadhaar OTP.
Sources
Figures checked 30 Oct 2026.