How to Link Aadhaar (Aadhar) with UAN/EPF and Fix a Name or DOB Mismatch?

What changed for UAN and Aadhaar in 2024–2026?

UAN is short for Universal Account Number, the number for your EPF (provident fund) account. EPFO, which runs EPF, now ties it closely to Aadhaar. These are the dates that matter:

We are an independent guide, not EPFO. EPFO's app screens and rules can change. Where a step depends on EPFO's own screens, we say so, and your employer or EPFO has the final word.

How do you activate your UAN with Aadhaar face authentication?

The only route now is the UMANG app on a smartphone. The steps below are general. We don't describe EPFO's menus, because they are EPFO's and they change. Follow what the app shows.

1. Get a smartphone with the UMANG app

   Use your own phone or one belonging to someone you trust. Install UMANG only from the phone's official app store, never from a link someone sends you.

2. Open EPFO's UAN service in UMANG

   Look for EPFO's service to allot or activate a UAN. We don't list the menu names here because EPFO controls them. If you can't find it, ask your employer or EPFO.

3. Enter the details the app asks for

   Type each detail exactly as the app asks. Make sure your name and date of birth in Aadhaar are correct before you start. If they are wrong, fix the mismatch first.

4. Complete face authentication

   Face authentication checks your live face. In Aadhaar face authentication, your face is matched one-to-one with the photo in your Aadhaar record. Sit in good light and follow the on-screen prompts.

   Face check failing? See what to do when face authentication fails.

5. Note your UAN

   Write down or screenshot the UAN the app shows. Keep it with your salary and EPF papers.

   You'll know it worked when the app shows your UAN as allotted or activated. If you're not sure, ask your employer or EPFO to confirm.

What can you do if face authentication fails?

Face checks fail for many people, not only in UMANG. In our experience, face authentication failing is also a common problem when people register in UIDAI's new Aadhaar App (see the new Aadhaar App).

• Light: UIDAI asks for good light for face authentication in its Aadhaar App. Face a window or a bright lamp; avoid light behind you.
• Try again later: users have reported the portal being down for a week. A failure is not always your fault.
• Old Aadhaar photo: users of the new Aadhaar App report that face match fails for people who were enrolled as children. If your Aadhaar photo is from your childhood, a photo update at an Aadhaar centre (₹125) may help; see Photo & biometric update.
• Still failing: the usual advice when biometrics keep failing is to retry first, then do a biometric update. For EPF, ask your employer or EPFO what to do next. We haven't seen an offline route.

What if you don't have a smartphone?

Name or DOB differs in EPF and Aadhaar: which record should you fix first?

Don't change a record just to match the other one. Check both against your documents, such as a birth certificate, 10th marksheet or passport. Then fix the one that is wrong. For the same problem with PAN or a bank, see Fix a name or DOB mismatch; for the PAN side, see PAN–Aadhaar name or DOB mismatch fixes.

How do you correct your name or date of birth in Aadhaar?

Name and date of birth cannot be changed in the Aadhaar App or online. You need an Aadhaar centre. The fee is ₹75, or free if done together with a biometric update (₹125).

• Name change: which document you need depends on the kind of change (spelling, surname after marriage, full change). Full steps: Change your name in Aadhaar.
• Date of birth: UIDAI's DOB rules of 24 December 2025 allow a change only on set grounds, such as an operator error. Full steps: Change your date of birth in Aadhaar.
• Track it: use the number on your slip (URN, update request number); see Update status & rejection fixes. When it's done, download your e-Aadhaar again and check the corrected details before you go to EPF.
• Book or walk in: booking a slot is free at centres listed for online booking; other centres are walk-in. See Book an Aadhaar appointment. Aadhaar Seva Kendras usually open on Sundays too. The centre we visit closes for lunch from 1 to 2 pm, so check your centre's hours.

Find an Aadhaar centre bhuvan-app3.nrsc.gov.in

Know the lifetime limits before you change anything

• Don't count: operator typing errors, transliteration errors and regional-language changes.
• Limit used up? Apply at a centre anyway. Then email or post the URN slip and proofs to the UIDAI Regional Office, or call 1947. The Regional Office verifies, and there is no fixed timeline.

How do you correct your name or DOB in the EPF record?

This part is handled by EPFO and your employer, not UIDAI. What our sources say:

• Aadhaar-verified profile: PIB said in January 2025 that members whose profile is verified with Aadhaar can correct it themselves, without documents. Which details you can correct this way is decided by EPFO's own service.
• Joint Declaration: EPFO issued Joint Declaration rules in an order of 13 August 2025. We haven't checked its details, so we don't describe it here. Ask your employer or EPFO whether it applies to you.
• Date of birth proof: EPFO is reported to have stopped accepting Aadhaar as proof of date of birth in January 2024. Keep another DOB document ready, and ask EPFO which one it accepts.
• Not sure where to start? Ask your employer's HR or payroll team first.

We don't give EPFO menu names, processing times or approval steps, because our sources don't cover them. Rely on EPFO and your employer for these.

Does the mobile number on your Aadhaar matter?

• Aadhaar's online services send OTPs to the mobile registered with your Aadhaar. If that number is old or lost, update it at any Aadhaar centre for ₹75. In our experience it can be done the same day, and OTPs start arriving within 1–2 days. See Update your Aadhaar mobile number.
• Other records don't change by themselves. Changing your Aadhaar mobile doesn't change the number your bank uses for OTPs and UPI. Check the mobile in your EPF record separately with your employer or EPFO.

What goes wrong with UAN and Aadhaar, and how do you fix it?

Bottom line

New UANs are activated only in the UMANG app with face authentication; a trusted person's smartphone works if you don't have one. For a name or DOB mismatch, fix the wrong record. Correct Aadhaar at a centre (₹75, mind the limits), and EPF through your profile, your employer or EPFO. For Aadhaar problems, call UIDAI's free helpline 1947 (hours and tips: UIDAI helpline 1947). For other links, see Aadhaar linking: master table.