Govt extends last date of linking PAN card with Aadhar card

The income tax department has once again extended the deadline for linking of Permanent Account Number (PAN) card and Aadhaar card. Now, you have time till March 31, 2021 to link your Aadhaar card with PAN card. In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, the central government has decided to extend various deadlines.

After 2018 Supreme Court verdict on constitutional the validity of Aadhaar, it is mandatory to link 12-digit identification number with PAN card for filing of income tax returns (ITR). Even if you are applying for a new PAN card, quoting of your Aadhaar number is compulsory. For new applicants of PAN card, the interlinking is done automatically during the application stage.

In view of the challenges faced by taxpayers in meeting the regulatory compliance requirements across sectors due to the outbreak of COVID-19), the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), on Wednesday, extended the deadline for linking PAN card with Aadhar card to March 31, 2021.

For existing PAN card holders, it is mandatory to link it with Aadhaar within the last date. To link your PAN with Aadhaar, you can go to the income tax department’s e-filing portal and click on Link Aadhaar section on the left. You need to fill PAN number, Aadhaar number and name. The I-T department will validate your name, date of birth and gender against Aadhaar details after which the linking will be done.

Once the deadline to link PAN and Aadhaar is over, the income tax department will start treating all unlinked PAN cards as “inoperative” ones. This means that your PAN card will not be treated as being in use and you will also not be able to file income tax returns (ITR).

If you are not sure whether your PAN is linked to Aadhaar, you can check the status in income-tax department’s e-filing portal.

You get instant PAN Card if you have an Aadhaar card

If you have an Aadhaar card, getting a PAN card from the income tax department is now easier than before. You can get a from the income tax department’s e-filing portal. Click on the ‘Instant PAN through Aadhaar’ link on the portal, then select ‘Get New PAN’. You will be asked to share your Aadhaar number after which you get an OTP (one time password) on your registered mobile number. Once you enter the OTP, all your Aadhaar details will be validated from the UIDAI database and PAN card will be issued.

As per income tax rules, PAN Aadhaar linking is mandatory. For new PAN seekers, the Income Tax Department allows the creation of Aadhaar-based instant PAN on the e-filing website. “Aadhaar-based instant PAN allotment service is to allot PAN in near-real time. You are required to quote a valid Aadhaar number issued by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and is not linked with any PAN. The e-KYC data of that Aadhaar number is exchanged with the Unique Identification Authority of India(UIDAI). After due process of e KYC data in Income-tax database, you get a PAN,” the Income Tax Department says on its website.