The employee provident fund (EPF) is a saving scheme for employees working in the private sector. It is specially made for workers with average salaries. However, employees with higher salaries can also join. Any employer or organization with more than 20 employees is expected to provide the EPF kitty to their employees. Employee contributions are managed by the EPF board, which has representatives from the government, employers, and the employees. That said, here are some facts to know about EPF.
Every employee is entitled to the UAN
This one of the best things to have happened to the EPF fund. The 
Universal Account Number (UAN) is allocated to any active member of the EPF. Unlike the EPF number, which changes, UAN does not change. You might be wondering why all this is good for an employee. Managing or transferring your savings is also comfortable and convenient.
You can check your EPF balance online
Your employer contributes on your behalf to the EPF kitty. As such, you need to keep up with the developments in your account by looking at your balance. This way, you can ensure there are no surprises when you need urgent cash in future. There are many ways one can check their balance. You can use receive it via SMS or by logging into the UAN portal.
You can do online transfers
With every new job, one gets a new PF account. Thus, it is advisable to do a transfer after every job change. You can have multiple PF accounts only that keeping them can be a hassle not forgetting that old accounts stop paying interest after three years of inactivity.
The good thing with transfers is that they can now be done online provided either your former or previous employer okays the change. With The UAN number, your previous balances are transferred automatically once your new employer approves it.
Withdrawal options
There are many reasons one might need money. For instance, during a medical emergency, there is a provision that allows you to withdraw part of the money to attend to the situation. If you are still employed, you can never withdraw more than the set limit. You can withdraw the full amount is two months after leaving a job and remain unemployed.