How to De-link a Wrong Member ID From Your UAN (EPFO, 2026)

If your UAN shows an employer you never worked for, you can ask EPFO to remove that member ID from your UAN on the Member Portal: View > Service History > De-link. A circular dated 13 April 2026 extends the facility to wrong IDs that already have contributions, with the employer or the EPFO office deciding.

De-linking is final. EPFO's manual says the ID cannot be linked to your UAN again and that any funds in it are forfeited. Use it only for an ID that is not yours.

When to use it, and when not to

De-linking is for a member ID that was linked to your UAN by mistake. EPFO's manual gives two reasons you can pick in the form:

• I never worked in this establishment and my UAN was added without my consent.
• The establishment offered the employment, but I had not joined.

It is not a way to tidy up an old job that you did hold. If a member ID is yours but sits under an older UAN, the fix is to bring it under one UAN and transfer the balance; see two UANs and old PF accounts and PF transfer on a job change. If you are not sure whether an entry is yours, find out first. Your UAN service history is also what a new employer may see.

What the 13 April 2026 circular changed

EPFO's circular no. WSU/ErroneousLinkingofUAN/E-838432/2026-27/12, dated 13 April 2026, builds on an earlier circular of 17 January 2025 that introduced de-linking of wrongly linked member IDs. The competent authority approved extending it to cases where wrong IDs were created without the member's knowledge and contributions exist in them.

Who decides your request

What happens depends on what is recorded against the member ID.

At the Regional Office, a Dealing Hand (Compliance) examines the request and passes it to the Section Supervisor (Compliance), who recommends and forwards it. The RPFC (Compliance) approves or rejects it and records reasons. The circular asks offices to take due care to avoid errors, delays and grievances.

Steps on the Member Portal

1. Log in to the EPFO Member Portal with your UAN and password.
2. Go to View > Service History. The page lists every member ID linked to your UAN, with the establishment, date of joining and date of exit.
3. Find the wrong ID and click De-link in the Action column.
4. Select the reason for de-linking.
5. Tick the two declaration boxes. They confirm that the ID does not belong to you and give consent for Aadhaar e-KYC.
6. Click Get OTP, enter the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-registered mobile number and submit.

What you see next depends on the case:

• Nothing recorded against the ID: a message says "Successfully delinked the member", and the ID disappears from Service History.
• Contributions recorded: a message says "Delink request submitted to employer", and Service History shows the status as pending at the employer. Once the request is approved, the ID drops off your list.

Why a request is blocked

The portal checks the ID before it accepts a request. The manual lists these error messages:

• ERR_UNE008: the date of joining is before 31 December 2016, so the ID cannot be de-linked. The manual's closing summary words this condition the other way round, but the error message and its note are explicit that records from before that date are restricted.
• ERR_UNE009: a claim with status settled or pending exists on the ID.
• ERR_UNE010: an online transfer with status settled or pending exists on the ID.

If the wrong entry has a joining date before 31 December 2016, the portal route is closed. The circular and manual describe no other route, so a grievance on EPFiGMS with proof that the job was never yours is the place to start.

What you lose

The manual lists two important notes:

• It cannot be undone. A de-linked member ID cannot be linked again to the same UAN.
• The funds are forfeited. All funds under the de-linked ID are forfeited on approval, because you are declaring that you have no right to them. The circular adds that separate instructions will follow on transferring balances from de-linked IDs to the SRF.

If the ID has a balance and you think part of it may be yours, do not de-link it.

After it is done

Open Service History again and check that only your own employers remain. If the request is still pending after the employer's two weeks, the circular sends the request to the Regional Office. If a decision is slow, quote the date of your request in a grievance on EPFiGMS.

Frequently asked questions

Can I de-link a member ID that has contributions?

Yes since the 13 April 2026 circular, up to 6 contribution instances. Up to 2 are decided by the employer and 3 to 6 by the EPFO Regional Office. More than 6 cannot be de-linked through the portal.

How long does the employer have to respond?

Two weeks. If the employer rejects the request or does not act within two weeks, it goes to the Regional Office.

Can I link the member ID back later?

No. EPFO's manual says a de-linked ID cannot be linked again to the same UAN.

What happens to the money in a de-linked ID?

It is forfeited on approval, per the manual. The circular says instructions for transferring such balances to the SRF will be issued separately.

My claim or transfer is pending on that ID. Can I still de-link it?

No. The portal blocks de-linking for an ID with a settled or pending claim or online transfer.

Sources

• EPFO circular no. WSU/ErroneousLinkingofUAN/E-838432/2026-27/12 dated 13 April 2026, "De-Linking of MIDs from UAN in case Contribution is remitted by Employer", extending the circular of 17 January 2025. Text as reproduced by StaffNews, 17 April 2026.
• EPFO, User Manual of De-link member id functionality (validations, employer and field office flows, error messages ERRUNE008 to ERRUNE010), as published with the circular. Copy hosted by TaxGuru.
• EPFO Member Portal and EPFiGMS grievance portal.