Usually, all salaried individuals have an account with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in India. It is essential for EPF account holders (members) to file a nomination for their EPF accounts. The nominees would be able to withdraw money from the EPF account if any mishap happens to the member.
Once the nomination is done, the members can update or change the nomination online. Initially, changing of nomination was done using Form 2, which the employer would send to the EPFO. Now, the EPFO has simplified the process, and the members can add new nominees or change nominations by logging into the EPF members portal.
The members need to have the following before updating or changing their EPF nominee:
The steps to update a nominee are the same as adding a nominee. The steps to update EPF nomination are as follows:
Step 1: Visit the EPFO Member e-Sewa Portal.
Step 2: Login by entering the UAN, password, and captcha and click on the ‘Sign in’ button.
Step 3: Select the ‘E-nomination’ option under the ‘Manage’ tab.
Step 4: Click on the ‘Enter new nomination’ option on the next page.
Step 5: The ‘Profile’ details will appear on the screen. Click on the ‘Proceed’ button.
Step 6: Select ‘Yes’ under the ‘Family Declaration’ section to add a new nominee or update the details of the previously existing nominee.
Step 7: Provide the nominee details, i.e. the Aadhaar number, name, gender, date of birth, relation, bank account details, and guardian (if the nominee is a minor), and upload the photo of the nominee. Click on the ‘Save Family Details’ option. Click on ‘Add now’ when more than one nominee is to be added and enter their details.
Step 8: Enter the total amount of shares for the added nominees and click on the ‘Save EPF Nomination’ button.
Step 9: Click on the ‘e-Sign’ option under the ‘Pending Nomination’ section.
Step 10: A dialogue box will appear when the eSign is not registered. Click on the ‘Proceed’ button.
Step 11: A new page will open. Enter the Aadhaar virtual ID and click on the ‘Verify’ button.
Step 12: Tick/select the box to provide your consent for e-KYC services data from Aadhaar.
Step 13: Enter your Aadhaar or Virtual ID and click on the ‘Get OTP’ button. The OTP will be sent to the registered mobile number. Enter the OTP, select the check box to give your consent and click on the ‘Submit’ button.
Step 14: Upon verification of the OTP, the new nominee will be registered with the EPFO. The ‘Nomination History’ can be viewed by clicking on the ‘E-nomination’ option under the ‘Manage’ tab. The ‘Nomination History’ will show the status of the newly added or updated nominee details as ‘Nomination Successful’. It will show all the previous nomination details also. However, only the first nomination is valid as it overrides all other previous nominations.
Note: Only the spouse, children and parents are considered as family. Thus, if a member wants to add his/her siblings (brother or sister) as nominees, he/she should select the ‘No’ option under the ‘Having Family’ section.
The process to update the EPF nominee online is the same as the process to add e-nomination. When a new nomination is added, it will override the existing nomination. Thus, if a member has already added his spouse as the nominee and also wants to add his child, then he must add both their details again by following the e-nomination process.
If he adds only his child since the spouse is already added as a nominee, then only the child will be the nominee and not both the child and spouse. This is because the previous spouse nominee will be overridden by the new addition of the child nominee.
Thus, every time a member wants to add a nominee, then he/she needs to add the previous nominee details again with the new nominee details to keep both the persons as nominees.
However, if a member wants to change the nominee or update any details of the existing nominee, then the member need not delete the old nomination. He/she can directly add details of the new nominee or update details of the already existing nominee and complete the process. The EPFO will consider the newly added nominee or updated details of the existing nominee and the old nomination is not valid.
A member cannot delete the old nomination. The old nomination details will be available on the EPFO portal, but they will not be valid when a new nomination is added.
Can I nominate more than one person for my PF account?
Yes, you can nominate more than one person for the PF account and add a proportionate share for each nominee.
Do I have to nominate only my family members?
Yes, you only have to nominate family members, which includes parents, children, and spouse. Siblings and other members are not considered family members.
What will happen if I don’t nominate anyone for my PF?
In case you don’t nominate anyone for the EPF account, the maturity amount will be equally distributed among the family members in case of demise.
Disclaimer: The materials provided herein are solely for information purposes. No attorney-client relationship is created when you access or use the site or the materials. The information presented on this site does not constitute legal or professional advice and should not be relied upon for such purposes or used as a substitute for legal advice from an attorney licensed in your state.