Deadline to link PAN-Aadhaar is Nearing. Why is it important?

It is mandatory to link Permanent Account Numbers (PAN) to Aadhaar by March 31, 2023. The last date to link Permanent Account Number (PAN) to Aadhaar is nearing. According to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex body of the Income Tax department, it is mandatory to link Aadhaar to Permanent Account Numbers (PAN) by March 31 this year, failing which the PAN will become ‘inoperative’ on April 1. The previous deadline for linking was March 31, 2022, but the government extended it with a Rs. 1000 penalty fee. PAN and Aadhaar are both unique identification cards that serve as proof of identity and are required for verification. Multiple PAN Cards: Linking of PAN and Aadhaar eliminates the possibility of an individual having more than one PAN Card, thereby reducing fraudulent activities.

• Prevent Tax Evasion: The Income Tax Department will be able to detect any form of tax evasion after PAN is linked with Aadhaar.

-Income Tax Returns: The process of filing income tax returns will become significantly simpler because individuals will no longer be required to provide proof that they have filed their income tax returns. Since Aadhaar holds all the information about an individual including biometric verification, the linking will initiate a faster return filing process.

• Linking your Aadhaar to PAN will prevent the tax return process from being cancelled and will also help in summarising one’s taxes attached to the Aadhaar for furture references.

Steps to link PAN with Aadhaar via web portal:

1. Visit the Income Tax e-filing official websites- eportal.incometax.gov.in or incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in
2. Register on the portal with your PAN as the user ID if not registered already.
3. Log into the portal.
4. A pop-up window will appear to link PAN with Aadhaar or go to ‘Profile Settings’ on the Menu bar and click on Link Aadhaar.
5. Relevant details like name, date of birth, and gender will already be mentioned as per the PAN card details.
6. Verify the details with Aadhaar. If the details match, enter the Aadhaar number and click on the link now button.
7. A message will pop up saying that the Aadhaar has been successfully linked to the PAN.

Other Methods of Linking PAN With Aadhaar:

1. People can also visit the following websites for the linking process- https://www.utiitsl.com/ and https://www.egov-nsdl.co.in/
2. Through SMS: Type the following message UIDPAN<12 digit Aadhaar><10 digit PAN>. The message can be sent to 567678 or 56161.
3. Visiting nearby PAN service centres: The linking process can also be done manually by visiting the nearby PAN service centre.

Unable to link ?

• You may be unable to link your PAN to Aadhaar in some cases. The most common reason for rejection is a mismatch between the information in your PAN and Aadhaar. Ideally, your demographic information (name, gender, and date of birth) should match in both the documents.
• If there is a minor mismatch between your Aadhaar Name and the actual data in Aadhaar, a One Time Password (Aadhaar OTP) will be sent to the mobile phone registered with Aadhaar. Ensure that PAN and Aadhaar have the same date of birth and gender.
• In a rare case where Aadhaar name is completely different from name in PAN, then the linking will fail and you will be prompted to change the name in either Aadhaar or in PAN database.
• However, once the corrections have been made, you will able to link the PAN and Aadhaar.