The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has announced that it will not give any further extension for linking Aadhaar with the Universal Account Number (UAN). This means employers will now be able to file the Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) only for employees whose Aadhaar is properly seeded and verified with their UAN.
According to a , the extension that ended on October 31 was the last one. The rule making Aadhaar-UAN seeding mandatory for filing ECR has been in place since June 2021. EPFO clarified that only members with verified Aadhaar linked to their UAN will be included in ECR filing from November 2025 onwards.
For those unfamiliar, a UAN is a 12-digit number given to salaried workers to help them manage their provident fund across various jobs. It makes PF transfers easier whenever an employee changes employers.
The final extension, granted earlier through a communication dated October 28, was available only to limited groups.
These included all seven North Eastern states and specific industries such as beedi-making, construction, tea, coffee, rubber, cashewnut and other plantation sectors.
The organisation said that the pending Aadhaar-UAN cases are now very few and reducing steadily. To avoid repeated delays, it has decided not to continue extending the timeline.
The circular also instructed all zonal and regional offices to immediately run awareness drives for employers so they can complete any pending verification.
In other words, EPFO has made it clear that the ECR filing for November 2025 and beyond will only be allowed for members with verified Aadhaar-UAN linkage. The organisation emphasised that this rule would apply without any exceptions.