One of the most overlooked but critical aspects of your EPF account is nominating the right person to receive your funds in case of your demise. With EPFO mandating the process to be done online through the UAN portal, here’s everything you need to know to file, edit, or validate your EPF e-nomination.
Why e-Nomination Matters
- Helps your family access your EPF corpus without delays.
- Avoids disputes in case of multiple family claimants.
- Required for smooth processing of withdrawal, pension, and insurance claims.
- EPFO services like claim filing may be restricted if nomination is missing.
Step 0: Mandatory KYC and Profile Checks Before You Start
Before you attempt filing the e-nomination, ensure that your UAN account is KYC-compliant. The following must be correctly updated:
If any of these are incorrect, update them through your employer or raise a joint declaration before proceeding.
Who Can Be Nominated?
- Spouse, children, dependent parents: Most common nominees.
- You can assign one or multiple nominees, with a defined percentage share.
- If you don’t have a family, you may nominate anyone. But this becomes invalid once a family is acquired.
- Only family members can be nominated for pension purposes.
Checklist Before Filing (EPFO Rulebook)
EPFO advises members to nominate all eligible family members and specify share (%) for each.
Step-by-Step Process to File e-Nomination
Step 1: Log in to the EPFO Member Portal
- Visit unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in
- Enter your UAN, password, and captcha to log in.
Step 2: Navigate to ‘e-Nomination’
- From the top menu, go to ‘Manage’ → ‘e-Nomination’
- This opens your profile data.
Note: If your KYC like Aadhaar, DOB, and Gender is incomplete or mismatched, the nomination screen won’t load. You will have to update these details through your employer before proceeding.
Step 3: Click ‘Proceed’
If your basic KYC is correct, you’ll be shown your profile screen (with photo and basic details).
Click ‘Proceed’ to continue with e-Nomination.
Step 4: Declare Your Family Status
You’ll be asked:
"Do you have a family?"
Click:
- ‘Yes’ if you have a spouse, children, or dependent parents.
- ‘No’ if you don’t (you’ll only be allowed to nominate one person,and it becomes void once you get married or have dependents).
Step 5: Add Family Member Details
Enter each family member's:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Relation
- Aadhaar number (optional but recommended)
- Address
Click ‘Add Row’ to include multiple members.
Step 6: Save Family Details
After entering details for all nominees, click ‘Save Family Details’.
You’ll now be redirected to assign nominee shares.
Step 7: Set EPF Nominee Share
Now you’ll assign what % of your EPF balance goes to each family member.
For example:
- Spouse: 50%
- Child: 25%
- Parent: 25%
Total should be exactly 100%
Now, File Your EPS Nomination
This step is mandatory and often missed.
After completing your EPF nomination, you must now submit nomination for your EPS (Employees' Pension Scheme).
Follow the same process again:
Step 8: Add Family Members
Re-enter details for each family member:
- Name
- Date of Birth (DOB)
- Gender
- Relationship
- Aadhaar Number (optional but recommended)
- Address
Click ‘Add Row’ to include multiple members.
Step 9: Save Family Details
Click ‘Save Family Details’ to move to the share allocation screen.
Step 10: Set EPS Nominee Share
Assign what percentage of your EPS corpus goes to each nominee.
Make sure the total adds up to 100%.
Step 11: Save EPS Nomination
Click ‘Save EPS Nomination’ to save the draft.
✅ Done! You can now proceed to e-Sign this nomination as well to complete the process.
Step 12: Confirm Nomination
After assigning the nominee share, click ‘Save EPF/EPS Nomination’.
Your entry is saved as a draft. Now you need to e-Sign to validate.
Step 13: Click on e-Sign
Click the e-Sign button. You’ll be redirected to the Aadhaar authentication screen.
You’ll be given two options:
- Use Aadhaar number
- Use Virtual ID (VID)
Step 14: Enter Aadhaar or VID
Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number or 16-digit VID, and proceed.
Step 15: Verify via OTP
You’ll receive an OTP on your Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
Enter the OTP to verify. If it matches, your nomination details will be digitally signed.
Step 16: Confirmation
You’ll get a confirmation message on the screen that your e-nomination has been successfully recorded.
You can now view, download, or update your e-nomination any time by revisiting the same portal.
How to Edit or Change Your Nomination
You can edit your e-nomination any time by re-submitting the form:
- Login → Manage → e-Nomination
- Click Add New Nomination
- e-Sign again to make it official
Your latest submission overrides the previous one.
This is especially useful when:
- A new family member is born
- There is a change in marital status
- You wish to redistribute shares