PAN Aadhaar Link: Beware Before PAN Card Gets Cancelled! Do This Process To Link Aadhaar Before 31st December

PAN Aadhaar Link: Linking your PAN card with your Aadhaar card has become a crucial task for every Indian citizen. According to the strict guidelines of the Income Tax Department, failure to link these two documents within the stipulated timeframe may result in your PAN card becoming ‘Inoperative’. This can lead to various hurdles, ranging from banking transactions to filing income tax returns. In this report, we will discuss how you can easily complete this linking process online from the comfort of your home.

Necessity of Linking and Penalty Rules

The Income Tax Department had set a specific deadline for linking PAN and Aadhaar. Since that deadline has passed, you are now required to pay a penalty to complete the linking process. Currently, you can link your PAN with Aadhaar by paying a late fee of ₹1000. If you haven’t linked them yet, it is advisable to do so immediately. However, please note that this rule is not mandatory for senior citizens above 80 years of age, NRIs, and residents of certain specific states, and they are exempted from paying the fee.

Complete Online Linking Process

The step-by-step process to link PAN and Aadhaar is described below:

1. Check Status

Before starting the process, you must verify whether your PAN and Aadhaar are already linked.

• Visit the official e-filing portal of the Income Tax Department.
• Click on the ‘Link Aadhaar’ option from the ‘Quick Links’ section on the left side of the homepage.
• Enter your PAN number and Aadhaar number in the respective boxes and click on the ‘Validate’ button.
• If they are not linked, an option saying ‘Continue to Pay Through e-Pay Tax’ will appear on the screen to proceed with the payment.

2. Payment Process

If not linked, you have to pay a penalty of ₹1000. The procedure is as follows:

• After clicking on ‘Continue to Pay Through e-Pay Tax’, enter your PAN number twice and provide a valid mobile number.
• Verify using the OTP received on your mobile.
• On the next page, you will see different options. Select the ‘Income Tax’ option and click ‘Proceed’.
• Selection of Assessment Year & Financial Year: It is crucial to select the correct Assessment Year. As per the source, you may need to select Assessment Year 2026-27 (Remember, the Assessment Year is always the year following the current Financial Year).
• Type of Payment: Select ‘Other Receipts (500)’ from the dropdown menu.
• Sub-payment Type: Choose the ‘Fee for delay in linking PAN with Aadhaar’ option here and continue.
• Complete the payment of ₹1000 using Net Banking, Debit Card, or UPI. Once the payment is successful, make sure to download the receipt or challan.

3. Submit Link Request

Many people think the job is done after payment, but that is not the case. After payment, you must submit the actual link request. It may take 4-5 hours or up to 1 day for the payment to update in the system.

• Once the payment is updated, go back to the ‘Link Aadhaar’ option on the Income Tax website.
• Validate using your PAN and Aadhaar number. Once payment details are verified, click ‘Continue’.
• Enter your Name and Mobile Number exactly as mentioned in your Aadhaar card.
• Checkbox Selection:
  • If your Aadhaar card only has the Year of Birth instead of the full date, check the box “I have only year of birth in Aadhaar card”.
  • Otherwise, check the box “I agree to validate my Aadhaar details”.
• Finally, click on the ‘Link Aadhaar’ button and submit using the OTP received on your mobile.

Important Information

• To successfully link, your Name and Date of Birth must match exactly on both PAN and Aadhaar cards. If there is any mismatch in spelling or date, the linking will fail; in that case, you must correct the errors first.
• The linking process is usually completed within 48 hours after submitting the request. You can confirm this by checking the status on the portal using the same method.