How to Create an EPFO Account and Check Your PF & Pension Balance (2026 Guide)

Entering the formal workforce means starting your Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) journey. Your EPF account acts as a dual-purpose retirement vehicle, pooling a standard 12% deduction from your salary alongside a matching employer contribution, which is split between your provident fund (PF) and the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS-95).

Historically, employees had to rely entirely on their HR departments to generate their Universal Account Number (UAN) and activate their accounts, often resulting in prolonged delays. Under the EPFO 3.0 digital reforms in 2026, members can now independently generate and activate their UAN using Aadhaar biometrics, bypassing employer delays entirely. Here is the complete guide to setting up your account and tracking your retirement corpus.

Part 1: How to Create and Activate Your EPFO Account (UAN)

To create an EPFO account, you need a Universal Account Number (UAN). The fastest and most secure method in 2026 is the Aadhaar Face Authentication Technology (FAT). This process pulls your demographic data directly from the UIDAI database, preventing the spelling errors and Date of Birth mismatches that typically block future withdrawals.

Part 2: How to Check Your PF and Pension Balance

Once your UAN is active and your employer begins depositing the monthly Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR), you can track your accumulated balance using four official methods.

Method 1: The EPFO Member Passbook Portal (Most Detailed)

This is the only method that provides a granular breakdown of your employee share, employer share, and the EPS pension fund.

• Visit the EPFO Member Passbook Portal (passbook.epfindia.gov.in).
• Log in using your UAN, password, and the mandatory Aadhaar OTP.
• Select your current Member ID from the dropdown list.
• The digital passbook will display your monthly deposits, cumulative PF balance, and the total pension contributions.

Method 2: The UMANG App

For a secure, mobile-optimized view of your ledger:

• Open the UMANG App and navigate to All Services → EPFO → Employee Centric Services.
• Select View Passbook.
• Enter your UAN and the OTP sent to your registered mobile number to view your current balance instantly.

Method 3: Offline SMS Service

If you lack internet access, you can retrieve your balance via a simple text message. Your UAN must be linked to your Aadhaar, PAN, and bank account for this to work.

• Send an SMS to 7738299899 from your registered mobile number.
• Format: EPFOHO UAN ENG (Replace "ENG" with HIN, MAR, TAM, etc., for regional languages).
• The EPFO will reply with your latest contribution amount and total available PF balance.

Method 4: The Missed Call Facility

From your UAN-registered mobile phone, dial 9966044425. The call will automatically disconnect after two rings without any charge, and the EPFO backend will text you a summary of your account balance.

Part 3: Understanding Your EPS Pension Balance

When you check your passbook, you will notice that your employer's 12% contribution is split: 3.67% goes into your PF pool, and 8.33% goes into your EPS pension pool. It is critical to understand that EPS funds are strictly locked for retirement pensions (unless you have less than 10 years of service, in which case you can withdraw them via Form 10C).