Government of India have made Aadhaar, a 12 digit unique identification number linkage mandatory with most of the other important official documents, which includes PAN (Permanent Account Number) also. Government rationalised this linking of Aadhaar with PAN is to eliminate fake or multiple PAN’s held by the same person from the system.
According to sources, so far, nearly 39.5% i.e. over 13.28 crore PANs (Permanent Account Numbers) have been linked with Aadhaar, keeping the mandation in mind. Also, government have made this document a must to file income tax returns or ITR as well. A deadline has also been fixed to complete the linkage. Earlier the deadline for linking PAN with Aadhaar was July 31st but was extended to August 31 and later to December 31, 2017. And again the government has extended the deadline for the same for three more months i.e. March 31st 2018. And this is the third extension given by the government to individuals to complete the linkage.
Even if you don’t file income tax returns, however possess one, you will still have to link the two documents as that’s mandatory, otherwise your PAN card will become invalid after the deadline, as per Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act.
However, those who don’t possess an Aadhaar card have been given relief by the Supreme Court for the time being.
According to experts, If this linking (Aadhaar-PAN linking) is skipped, the return could be considered invalid and the person may have to file it again which shall be considered belated and may attract penalty, interest and other consequences like disallowances for losses.
How to link Aadhaar with PAN through SMS
If you want to link your Aadhaar with your PAN you can do so which is very convenient as it does not require internet connection and neither a smart phone.
All you have to do is type UIDPAN <12 digit Aadhaar number><10 – digit PAN> and send it to 567678 or 56161.
If you want to link the two documents online you can do so by visiting the Income Tax Department’s e – filings official website i.e. incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in
Visit the above mentioned portal and follow the below guide to complete the linkage:
- Once you have visited the income tax e – filing website and on the home page click on “Link Aadhaar” from the quick links section
- This link will direct you to another page where you will have to fill a form in which you will have to provide your PAN card number, Aadhaar number, and a captcha code (security code) and click on “Link Aadhaar” button to proceed
- You will receive an OTP (One Time Password) on your registered mobile phone number which is registered with Aadhaar
- Provide Aadhaar in PAN application form
Also,if an applicant wants they can also seed their Aadhaar with PAN by quoting their biometric based identity number in the application form into the PAN database.
Read more about Aadhaar linking process @ Aadhaar Linking – 5 Important Dates to Keep in Mind.