Employment & Social Security#053

Understanding EPF e-Nomination update — Form 2 / e-Nomination

Update your EPF nominee on marriage, birth of a child, or when changing your nominee.

At a glance

Jurisdiction

Central — Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Ministry of Labour and Employment

Who applies

Any active EPF member who wants to add, change, or update nominee details for their EPF (provident fund) and EPS (pension) accounts to ensure rightful beneficiaries receive funds in the event of the member's death.

Typical time

Instant confirmation on portal after Aadhaar OTP verification. EPFO records are updated within 1–3 working days.

Fee

Nil — no fee charged by EPFO for e-Nomination.

Who should use this process

✓Must be an active EPF member with an activated UAN.
✓Aadhaar must be seeded and approved under UAN KYC.
✓Mobile number must be linked to Aadhaar for OTP-based authentication.
✓Members who are married must nominate family members (spouse, children, dependent parents). Nomination of non-family members is allowed only for unmarried members.
✓A member can nominate multiple nominees and specify the percentage share for each (total must be 100%).

Who does NOT need to apply

✕Nomination by non-family members is automatically superseded once the member marries — the member must update the nomination after marriage.
✕Members in exempted establishments must file the nomination with the PF trust, not via the EPFO portal.
✕Nomination update is not possible if UAN is inactive or Aadhaar KYC is not approved.

Documents required

#	Document	Type needed	Purpose
1	Aadhaar card	Original	Identity verification for Aadhaar OTP-based digital signing of the e-Nomination form online.
2	Nominee's Aadhaar number	Soft copy (PDF)	Nominee's Aadhaar is now mandatory for EPF e-Nomination to ensure correct beneficiary identification.
3	Nominee's date of birth and relationship proof	Self-attested Copy	Birth certificate or Aadhaar of nominee used to confirm date of birth and relationship for EPS family pension eligibility.
4	Nominee's photograph	Soft copy (PDF)	Passport-size photograph of each nominee, uploaded during e-Nomination; JPEG/PNG under 100 KB.
5	Bank account details of nominee(optional)Strongly recommended to avoid delays in death benefit payment.	Soft copy (PDF)	Nominee's bank account (account number, IFSC) required for disbursement of EPF/EPS proceeds in case of member's death.

Original documents: Carry originals only for in-person visits — do not hand them over permanently unless explicitly required.

Step-by-step guide

1
Log in to EPF Member Portal
Online
Visit https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/ and log in using UAN and password. Ensure Aadhaar KYC is in 'Approved' status before proceeding.
2 minutesEPF Member Portal — https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/
2
Navigate to e-Nomination section
Online
Click on 'Manage' → 'e-Nomination'. The portal displays your current nomination details (if any). Click 'Provide Details' to add or update nominee information.
2 minutes
3
Enter family / nominee details
Online
Declare whether you have a family (married status). Add nominee(s) with name, date of birth, Aadhaar number, relationship, address, and share percentage. Upload passport-size photograph for each nominee. Total share must equal 100%. For EPS, specify if the nominee is eligible for EPS family pension.
10–15 minutes
4
Save and proceed to e-sign
Online
Click 'Save EPF Nomination' and review the summary. Click 'e-Sign' to proceed with Aadhaar-based digital signature.
2 minutes
5
Aadhaar OTP verification
Online
An OTP is sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile via UIDAI. Enter the OTP to digitally sign the nomination form. On successful verification, the nomination is submitted and a reference number is generated.
2–3 minutes
6
Download and retain nomination acknowledgement
Online
Download the digitally signed nomination PDF from the portal. This serves as proof of nomination. Share a copy with your nominee(s) so they know how to claim in the event of death.
1 minute

Government officers involved

EPFO System / Automated Portal

EPFO IT Division

End-to-end — the e-Nomination process is fully automated; no manual officer approval is required.

Validates Aadhaar OTP, records nomination, and generates digitally signed acknowledgement.

Employer PF Nodal Officer

Employer HR

Pre-condition — must ensure Aadhaar KYC is approved on UAN before member can e-sign.

Approves Aadhaar KYC in the employer portal so that the member can use e-Nomination.

Government portals

EPF Member Portal (Unified Portal)

https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/

UMANG App

https://web.umang.gov.in/landing/department/epfo.html

Mobile-based e-Nomination and status check.

EPFO Official Website

https://www.epfindia.gov.in

Circulars, FAQs on nomination rules, and EPFO office locator.

Things to watch out for

Nominee's Aadhaar is now mandatory

As of EPFO circulars issued from 2022 onwards, each nominee's Aadhaar number is required during e-Nomination. Nomination forms without nominee Aadhaar may not be accepted. Collect nominee Aadhaar details in advance.

Marriage automatically invalidates pre-marriage nomination of non-family members

Under EPF rules, a nomination made in favour of a non-family member (e.g., a friend or parent before marriage) becomes invalid once the member marries. Update the nomination immediately after marriage to add spouse and children.

EPS nomination is separate from EPF nomination — both must be filled

The e-Nomination form covers both EPF and EPS. Ensure you fill the EPS section separately and specify the nominee eligible for monthly widow/family pension. Omitting EPS can delay monthly pension claims for the family.

Employer KYC approval is a hard prerequisite

If your employer has not approved the Aadhaar KYC in the employer portal, the e-sign step will fail. Follow up with HR; in some cases the employer's DSC may be expired, further delaying the process.

Photograph size and format must be exact

The portal accepts photographs only in JPEG/PNG format under 100 KB. Blurry, incorrectly sized, or oversized images will cause the upload to fail. Compress and resize images before uploading.