Nomination is an essential step for every EPF account holder, as it ensures that the nominee receives the EPF balance, interest, Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) benefits, and pension in case of the member’s unfortunate demise. Once a nomination is added, members can easily update or modify it online. Earlier, changes to nominations were made using Form 2, which had to be submitted through the employer to the EPFO. However, the process has now been simplified — members can add or update nominees directly through the EPF Member Portal.

This blog will help you understand how to add a nominee to PF account so that you can either update or add nominee details to your PF account. 

• Provident Fund (PF) is a government-backed retirement savings scheme where both employees and employers contribute to building a financial corpus for the employee's future.
• A PF nominee is a person the account holder chooses to receive the Provident Fund benefits in the event of their death.
• You can add one or multiple family members as nominees to your PF account. 

Pre-requisites for Updating EPFO Nominee

Before updating or changing your EPF nominee, make sure you have the following in place:

• An activated UAN (Universal Account Number) linked with Aadhaar
• A mobile number registered with Aadhaar
• An updated EPF profile, including your address and photograph
• A scanned photograph of the nominee
• The nominee’s Aadhaar number
• The nominee’s bank account details, including IFSC code and address

Here is the process of adding or updating the nominee details in your PF account:

Step 1: Visit the EPFO’s official E-Sewa Portal and log in by entering your UAN, password, and the captcha code shown.

Step 2: On the ‘Manage Tab’ option, choose the ‘E-nomination’ option. If you have added nominees before, you will see their names here. If not, you can add a new nominee here.

Step 3: Click on ‘Enter New Nomination’ on the next page and click on ‘Proceed.’

Step 4: Click on ‘Yes’ mentioned under the ‘Family Declaration’ option to add or update a nominee. If the nominee is a sibling and not a parent, spouse or child, click on ‘No’ instead of ‘Yes.’

Step 5: If you want to add more nominees, click on ‘Add now’ to enter their details. Enter the amount per share if you have added multiple nominees. Click on ‘Save EPF Nomination.’

Step 6: Click on the ‘E-sign’ option mentioned under the ‘Pending Nomination’ option. If your e-sign is not registered, click ‘Proceed’, enter your Aadhaar card number, and submit the OTP received to register the e-sign. Click on ‘submit.’

Step 7: The EPFO will register the new nominee after successful OTP verification. 

Here are some points to consider for a better understanding of how to add nominee in EPF:

• Multiple nominees: You can add multiple nominees to your PF account. However, you must add the amount per share every nominee will get.
• Family member: You can only add family members as nominees to your PF account; you cannot add a non-family member. If there is no family member, you can add a close member until you have a family member in future.
• Legal guardian: If the nominee is a minor, the guardian must be a family member of the PF account holder.
• Payout: If the account holder dies, the maturity amount is directly credited to the nominee’s bank account. In the case of multiple nominees, the payout is based on the amount per share chosen by the account holder.
• Nominee absence: If the account holder has not added any nominee, and in case of demise, the amount is shared equally between the family members based on certain rules. 

It is vital that you add a nominee to your PF account to ensure that your family members can get the PF balance in case of your demise. Adding a nominee to the PF account ensures that the accumulated funds are transferred seamlessly to the nominee or nominees without legal complications. This step helps prevent any legal disputes regarding the rightful claim of the PF account, and you can ensure that your PF account goes to the rightful person who can use the funds to avoid a financial burden.

Here are the different types of PF nomination forms:

• PF Form 2: Used for nominating beneficiaries for the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) schemes.
• PF Form 9: Used as a declaration form by an employee working in an organisation where EPS is applicable.
• PF Form 11: Used as a declaration form by an employee working in an organisation where EPS and PF are applicable.

Rules for EPF Nomination

• EPF nomination is mandatory for all members to ensure smooth transfer of funds in case of the member’s demise.
• Members can add multiple nominees and specify the percentage of funds each nominee should receive.
• If a member has a family, only family members—spouse, children, and parents—can be nominated. Any nomination made in favor of a non-family member is considered invalid.
• After marriage, a member must update the nomination, as any nomination made before marriage becomes void.
• If the member does not have a family, they may nominate anyone. However, once a family is formed, the nomination must be updated to include eligible family members. If a nominee is a minor, a family member must be assigned as the guardian.
• Upon the member’s death, the EPF balance is distributed to the nominees according to the declared proportions.
• In the absence of a nomination, the EPF amount is equally divided among the family members.
• Members can add or update their nominations online through the EPF Member Portal without visiting the EPFO office or seeking employer approval. However, this facility is available only if the member’s UAN is linked with Aadhaar.

Read Also: Check EPF Balance Amount

If you have a PF account, it is vital that you add a nominee or multiple nominees to the account to ensure they get the funds without hassle in case of your demise. Now that you know how to add a nominee to PF account, you can use the process and ensure that your PF balance goes into the right hands.

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