How to change or update your EPF nominee online: Step-by-step process here

While enrolling in the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), members are asked to nominate a person who would receive the account's money in the event of their death. Many subscribers complete this step when they first join the workforce and rarely check it afterwards. However, that doesn't mean the nominee you chose earlier has to remain the same throughout your service tenure.

A member may later wish to nominate a different person, maybe a spouse instead of a parent or vice versa. Some may even choose to add children as beneficiaries or revised the distribution of benefits among family members. To accommodate such changes, EPFO allows members to update or modify their nomination online through the e-nomination facility. Here's how the process works.

Requirements to update or change EPF nominee

EPFO members should ensure that they have the necessary details and prerequisites in place before updating or changing their EPF nominee. These requirements include:

• Activated and Aadhaar-linked UAN
• Mobile number linked with Aadhaar
• Updated EPF account profile with residential address and photograph
• Scanned photo and Aadhaar number of the nominee
• Bank account number with IFSC and residential address of the nominee

How to update or change EPF nominee online?

Updating an EPF nominee follows the same e-nomination process used for adding a nominee. Any new nomination submitted replaces the existing one. Previously, if you added your spouse as a nominee and later wish to add your child as well, then both the spouse's and child's details must be entered again while submitting the updated nomination.

Members do not need to delete an existing nomination to make changes. They can directly update nominee details or add new nominees. However, every time a nomination is revised, all nominees who are intended to remain beneficiaries must be included again in the fresh submission.

Here are the steps to update EPF nomination or make a new nomination:

• Visit the EPFO member e-Sewa Portal
• Login using your credentials and then enter the captcha
• Select the ‘e-nomination’ option under the ‘Manage’ tab.
• Click on the ‘Enter new nomination’ option on the next page.
• The ‘Profile’ details will appear on the screen. Click on the ‘Proceed’ button.
• Select ‘Yes’ under the ‘Family Declaration’ section to add a new nominee or update the details of the previously mentioned nominee.
• Include the nominee details and upload their photograph. Click on the ‘Save Family Details’ option. Click on ‘Add now’ if you are adding more than one nominee and then enter their details.
• Enter the total amount of shares for the added nominees and click on the ‘Save EPF Nomination’ button.

Only the spouse, children and parents are considered as family. Thus, if a member wants to add their siblings as nominees, they must select the ‘No’ option under the ‘Having Family’ section.

Don't forget to e-sign the nomination

To make an EPF e-nomination valid, members must complete the e-sign process. After submitting nominee details, follow these steps:

• Click on the 'E-sign' link and select the checkbox on the next page.
• Choose one of the two Aadhaar-based authentication options: Aadhaar Number or Virtual ID (VID).

• Enter your Aadhaar number or Virtual ID and press the verify button.
• An OTP will be sent to the member’s Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
• Enter the OTP and then press the submit button

Once the OTP is verified, the nomination details are saved in the EPFO database and the e-nomination process is completed.