PAN-Aadhaar card linking deadline: Important FAQs

The government has given a deadline of March 31 for linking one's Aadhaar card with PAN card. Failure to do so will make the PAN inoperative. As we inch closer to the deadline, here are he answers to a few frequently asked questions.

Who needs to link their cards (and who is exempted):

Any person allotted a PAN card as on 1 July 2017, and those eligible to obtain an Aadhar number are required to link both their cards before the deadline.

People residing in the states of Assam, Jammu and Kashmir and Meghalaya, non-residents (as per Income Tax Act) and those above the age of 80 years (at any time during the previous year) are exempted from the same.

Aadhar is a 12-digit number that is issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), while PAN is a 10-digit alphanumeric number given by the Income Tax department.

Steps to linking Aadhar with PAN card:

- Log on to the official income tax return e-filing website - www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in
- First time users, upon registration, must go through OTP verification, create a password by providing the PAN data
- Click on the 'link Aadhaar' option
- Enter the correct PAN, Aadhaar Number, and full name (as given on the Aadhaar card) in the given fields
- Enter other details in the given fields
- Enter the captcha code
- Select the relevant option and click on the 'link Aadhaar' button at the bottom of the webpage

How to link manually:

To link the two IDs manually, send an SMS from the mobile registered with your Aadhaar to one of the PAN providers- NSDL or UTIITSL, at 567678 or 56161 with the specific format, i.e, UIDPAN <12-digit Aadhaar> <10-digit PAN>.

What happens in case of non-linking before deadline?

Failure in linking both cards will result in PAN becoming inoperative. You will then be required to use the Link Aadhaar service on the e-Filing portal and link your Aadhaar, after which the PAN will become operative again.

You could also face issues in opening a bank account and investing in shares.

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