UAN verification compares a candidate's declared work history with the EPFO records linked to their Universal Account Number. It can show which PF-covered employers they worked for and the joining and exit dates EPFO holds. It cannot confirm job title, salary or why they left. Since an EPFO circular of 27 March 2025, employers using the EPFO portal see only an employee's present job, not past ones, so the check now depends on the candidate's consent and on past employers. That is how SpringVerify's employment verification works: each past employer confirms tenure, with EPFO records as a backup where available.
UAN verification (also called a UAN check, PF check or EPFO verification) is any check that uses a person's Universal Account Number to confirm details held by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). In background verification (BGV), it means comparing the employers and dates in a candidate's EPFO records with the history they declared. EPFO is the statutory body under the Ministry of Labour and Employment that runs India's Provident Fund and pension schemes.
The terms you will see in any UAN-based report:
People use "UAN verification" for three different jobs. Check which one you need before you buy anything:
| The job | Who does it | Where | Does SpringVerify do it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Validate a new joiner's UAN and KYC (Aadhaar, PAN, bank) so PF contributions reach the right account | Payroll or HR operations | EPFO employer portal or payroll software | No. Registering the joiner and linking KYC for PF filing happens on EPFO's employer portal |
| Verify a candidate's past employers and dates before hiring | HR, usually with a background verification provider | Candidate-consented EPFO evidence plus employer confirmation | Yes. It is part of SpringVerify's employment verification |
| Check your own UAN status, service history or passbook | The member | EPFO Member e-Sewa portal or the UMANG app | No. Candidates do this themselves |
The rest of this guide covers the second job.
Not directly. Under EPFO circular No. WSU/MemberProfile/E-710137/2024-25/12, dated 27 March 2025, current employers may view only a member's present employment details on the EPFO portal, so HR cannot pull a candidate's past jobs from its own login. EPFO's stated reason is to protect members "from any potential misuse of their past employment details" (copy of the circular, PDF). The one exception: at onboarding, an employer can still see the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) status of a new joiner who declared past EPS membership in Form 11.
So a candidate's PF history now reaches you in one of three ways:
Whatever the route, never ask for the candidate's EPFO password or an OTP. The EPFO member portal tells members "Do not share passwords", and the EPF passbook portal tells them never to respond to calls asking for an OTP.
SpringVerify combines routes 2 and 3. The candidate gives digital consent and uploads documents online, your team names the employers to verify, and SpringVerify works from direct HR contact, PF/EPFO records, Ministry of Corporate Affairs company records (MCA/ROC) and TAN data (an employer's tax deduction account number). Its list of checks also includes a UAN Check, which validates a candidate's UAN against EPFO records and flags duplicate registrations and discrepancies.
The check doesn't have to wait for the UAN either. In a Signeasy case study, Loina Dhal, Executive Human Resources at Signeasy, said SpringVerify "allows me to skip the UAN and directly initiate candidate verification". With her previous vendors the UAN was mandatory, so verification could not start until the candidate had joined.
A UAN check can confirm the PF-linked employers and the joining and exit dates EPFO holds for a candidate. It cannot confirm job title, full pay, why someone left or how well they worked. For resume fraud, that means it can catch stretched tenure or an invented PF-covered employer, but not an inflated title. Match each claim on the CV to the source that can settle it:
| Claim on the CV | What EPFO records can show | What settles it | How SpringVerify covers it |
|---|---|---|---|
| "I worked at Company X" | A member ID under an establishment linked to the UAN | Proof that the establishment is the company on the CV (staffing agencies and group entities often trade under other names) | Employer confirmation, plus company registration and EPFO records to confirm the employer is real and was active when the candidate worked there |
| Joining date and last working day | The dates the employer filed with EPFO | The employer's confirmation of the actual dates | Tenure confirmed by each past employer, with EPFO records as a backup where available |
| Designation | Nothing | The past employer | The last designation held, confirmed by the employer |
| Salary or CTC | PF contributions, which don't reflect the full pay package | Pay documents, if pay is in scope | The employment check covers tenure, title and conduct, not pay |
| Reason for leaving and conduct | Nothing | The past employer, or a reference check | Asks each past employer about exit formalities, rehire eligibility and integrity issues |
| No unexplained gaps | Breaks between recorded periods | The candidate's explanation | An optional gap review that checks the candidate's reasons |
| The company existed | Establishment records | Company registration records | For companies that have closed: PF/EPFO records, MCA archival data and available statutory filings |
SpringVerify column: its employment verification page, read 27 October 2026.
A company registration search proves the business exists. It does not prove the candidate worked there, which is why the employer's confirmation sits at the centre of the check.
Set the scope, get consent, collect only what you need, then compare the EPFO evidence with the declared history and resolve each difference before you record a result. In six steps:
"As part of your background check, [provider] will verify the previous employers you listed, which may include your EPFO service records. You'll receive a consent request from them. We will never ask for your EPFO password or OTP."
With SpringVerify, your team sets the scope and makes the hiring decision, and SpringVerify does the evidence work in between. You add the candidate by hand, by API or from an ATS or HRMS such as Darwinbox, Keka, Zoho People or Workday (its employment verification page lists 100+ integrations), and name the employers. The candidate gives consent and uploads documents online. You follow each case on a live dashboard, and the report flags discrepancies, with every verification timestamped and source-cited.
UAN verification can flag a possible overlap between two jobs, but it can't prove moonlighting by itself. Moonlighting, or dual employment, means holding two jobs over the same period. Whether that breaks a rule depends on the employment terms. EPFO data shows contributions and recorded dates, and both can mislead.
Two reasons to be careful:
Example (illustrative, not a real case): a candidate declares a last working day of 8 June and a new joining date of 17 June. Both employers show June contributions. That does not contradict the declared dates.
For a suspected overlap:
Step 4 is where SpringVerify's employment check does the work. It confirms the joining date and last working day with each past employer, so an overlap finding rests on dates the employers confirmed, not on contribution months alone.
Treat a missing or mismatched UAN record as a question to resolve, not as proof of a fake CV. A failed lookup doesn't prove the history is false, and a missing employer doesn't prove the job never happened. The common cases:
| What you see | Likely reason | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The candidate can't log in or doesn't know their UAN | Many UANs are not activated. In the financial year 2024-25, of 1.26 crore UANs allotted, only 44.68 lakh (35.30%) were activated by members (PIB, 9 April 2025) | Point them to EPFO's Know Your UAN service and to UAN activation through Aadhaar face authentication on the UMANG app. Don't take over their login |
| Name or date of birth differs | Errors entered when the UAN was created. PIB noted that mistakes in father's name, mobile number or date of birth "were common" | Match identity carefully. The candidate corrects the record through EPFO |
| The candidate has more than one UAN | A second UAN gets created when an employee doesn't share their existing one with a new employer (Mint, 12 August 2026) | Ask the candidate to declare every UAN and review the history across all of them |
| The exit date is blank | The previous employer never updated it, so EPFO may still show the job as active (Mint) | Confirm the last working day with the employer. Don't assume they still work there |
| The establishment name differs from the CV | Staffing agency, payroll provider, group company or legal name | Confirm the link with documents and the employer. SpringVerify checks company registration and EPFO records to confirm the employer was real and active |
| A declared job has no PF record | An employer outside EPF coverage, an overseas role, freelance or contract work, or an old PF account never linked to the UAN | Rely on employer confirmation and employment documents |
| The company has closed | No HR team left to answer | EPFO evidence becomes central. For defunct companies, SpringVerify uses PF/EPFO records, MCA archival data and available statutory filings |
| An employer appears that the candidate didn't declare | Often a short stint left off the CV | Check what your application asked candidates to disclose, and let the candidate explain before you decide |
| Contributions overlap | See the moonlighting section above | Confirm the actual dates before you raise a finding |
When the evidence stays incomplete, say so in the report. SpringVerify's guide to resolving amber and insufficient BGV cases covers how to run that follow-up.
Two sets of rules matter. EPFO's access rules decide what an employer can see, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) sets how a candidate's data is collected and used. The Act's core duties start in phases, most of them in May 2027.
In practice:
A signed consent form does not entitle anyone to a candidate's EPFO login. For a specific case, take legal advice.
SpringVerify's security page lists ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type II, and says its data handling is aligned with the DPDP Act: candidate data is collected with explicit consent and used only for the stated verification purpose. Its employment verification page adds that Aadhaar numbers are masked after processing and never stored in raw form.
A candidate with an active UAN can view their own EPFO service history in a few minutes (Moneycontrol, 21 July 2026), but a complete employment check takes longer. Titles, exit details and anything EPFO doesn't hold still need the past employer, and that is where the time goes.
SpringVerify publishes 5 to 6 working days for most employment checks, depending on how quickly past employers' HR teams respond (employment verification page, read 27 October 2026). That is an expectation, not a promise for every candidate. When HR doesn't reply, SpringVerify escalates to the candidate's former reporting manager over WhatsApp. Here is how reporting manager verification works.
SpringVerify is a good fit if:
It is probably not right for you if:
Not through the EPFO employer portal. Since 27 March 2025 it shows a current employer only an employee's present employment. Past PF history reaches an employer only if the candidate shares it or consents to a check by a verification provider, and title and exit details still need the past employer.
No. It shows PF-linked employment in the records available. Jobs outside EPF, old PF accounts never linked to the UAN and history split across two UANs need other evidence.
No. PF contributions don't reflect the full pay package. If pay matters for the role, use pay documents.
Not necessarily. If a previous employer never updated the exit date, EPFO may keep showing the job as active (Mint, 12 August 2026). Confirm the last working day with the employer.
Ask why. A first-time employee may have no past employment, and someone whose employers didn't cover them under EPF may never have had one. Neither is a discrepancy. Verify those jobs with the employer and documents.
Sharing the UAN itself is normal. Sharing the password or an OTP is not: EPFO tells members not to share passwords and not to respond to calls asking for an OTP. Candidates should approve access themselves.
Many use EPFO records as one source. SpringVerify uses PF/EPFO records alongside direct HR contact, MCA/ROC company data and TAN data, and escalates to the former reporting manager when HR doesn't respond.
Before your next hiring round, write down which claims EPFO evidence can settle and which need the past employer. Then open SpringVerify's employment verification page: download the redacted sample report to see exactly what you would receive, and book a demo from there if it fits.
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