Aadhaar-PAN Linking: The Government of India had already made it mandatory to link PAN card with Aadhaar. The government had made it clear that if you do not link PAN card with Aadhaar then your PAN card will become inactive or useless. The Government of India had already set the deadline for linking PAN with Aadhaar and this deadline ended on June 30, 2023. After this, PAN cards not linked to Aadhaar became inactive and fines started being imposed on defaulters.
Fine will have to be paid after the deadline expires
Let us tell you that earlier the Government of India had kept the process of linking PAN with Aadhaar absolutely free, but after the last deadline is over, now a fee or fine of Rs 1,000 will have to be paid for linking both the documents. Under this policy of 2023, more than 2 crore taxpayers have linked PAN with Aadhaar after the end of the free deadline. In February 2023, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed Parliament that as of January 29, 2024, there were about 11.48 crore PANs that were not yet linked to Aadhaar. Due to this the government collected a fine of about Rs 600 crore. Under Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act, 1961, it is mandatory for every taxpayer to link PAN with Aadhaar, otherwise they cannot file income tax returns.
Let us tell you that the Income Tax Department had declared the last date for PAN-Aadhaar linking as March 31, 2022, but later it was extended to June 30, 2023. Those who have not linked Aadhaar and PAN even after July 1, 2023, will have to pay a fine of Rs 1,000 for linking it.
How to link Aadhaar with PAN?
The process of linking PAN with Aadhaar after paying the fine can be done through the e-filing portal of the Income Tax Department. First of all, go to the portal and click on ‘Link Aadhaar’ and enter PAN and Aadhaar number. After this, make the payment through ‘e-pay tax’ and confirm it by entering the OTP. On completion of payment, challan will be generated and PAN-Aadhaar can be linked to the e-filing portal.
How to link PAN and Aadhaar online?
- Visit the e-filing portal and click on ‘Link Aadhaar’ from the Quick Links section of the homepage.
- Enter your PAN and Aadhaar number.
- Click on ‘Continue payment through e-Pay Tax’.
- Enter your PAN number and confirm it. An OTP will be sent to your registered mobile number.
- After OTP verification, the e-Pay Tax page will appear on your screen.
- Click on ‘Proceed’ on the Income Tax button and select the relevant assessment year and type of payment (Other Receipts – Rs. 500).
- Aadhaar can be linked to PAN after paying the late fee.
- The status of PAN-Aadhaar linking can be checked by clicking on ‘Aadhaar Status’ available on the homepage of the e-filing portal.
