The Government has set the last date as March 31st ,2021 to link the Permanent Account Number(PAN) to the Aadhaar card. The PAN card will be inoperative from April 1st which means no financial transactions can be done if failed to link PAN to the Aadhaar Card, also a penalty of ₹10,000 will be imposed by the central government as per Section 272B of the Income Tax Act.
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the government had extended the deadline several times to link both the documents. All Aadhaar cards need to be linked to PAN by the end of this month unless the deadline is extended again.
For opening a bank account, purchasing shares or mutual funds and carrying out transactions above Rs 50,000, it is mandatory to link PAN card to AADHAAR Card.
Interlinking is done automatically for the new PAN card applicants at the application stage and for existing PAN cardholders, it is important to interlink the documents by the last date.
Methods to link Aadhaar card to PAN:
A. Using the income tax department’s portal
Step 1: Visit the income tax department’s e-filing portal: http://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/
Step 2: Click on the ‘Link Aadhaar’ section on the left.
Step 3: Fill in the PAN number, Aadhaar number, name and the CAPTCHA.
Step 4: Click on the ‘Link Aadhaar’ option. The income tax department will validate your details, thereafter your PAN- Aadhaar linking will be completed.
B. Using SMS service
The documents can also be linked by sending an SMS to 567678 or 56161 from your registered mobile number after typing UIDPAN and clicking send. The format for the SMS is: Type UIDPAN (12-digit Aadhaar number), put space (10-digit PAN) and send it to 567678 or 56161.
C. Linking Aadhaar card with PAN manually
In order to link the documents manually, visit a service centre for your PAN card and fill the ‘Annexure-I’ form. Attach the form with a copy of the PAN and Aadhaar cards. For linking the documents manually, a prescribed fee is charged, unlike the online linking which is free.
Steps to check the PAN-AADHAAR linking status:
Step 1: Visit the official Income Tax department website
Step 2: Click on the link reading ‘Link AADHAAR status’
Step 3: You will be redirected to a new page
Step 4: Enter your AADHAAR card and PAN card number. The status will be displayed
Steps to check the PAN-AADHAAR linking status via SMS:
Step 1: You need to type UIDPAN <12-digit AADHAAR> <10-digit PAN>
Step 2: You can send this message either on 56768 or on 56161
