PAN-Aadhaar link: To combat financial fraud, the government is urging taxpayers to link their Permanent Account Number (PAN) with the Aadhaar Card before December 31, 2024. If cards are not linked, then the PAN card will be deactivated, which might cause transaction problems and other difficulties.
This move comes amid a surge in financial fraud, particularly with reports of fintech companies using PAN data to create customer profiles without consent, raising significant privacy issues. To safeguard personal information, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed the Income Tax Department to restrict access to personal details through PAN.
What happens if PAN not linked to Aadhaar?
If you fail to link your Aadhaar with PAN by December 31, 2024, it could lead to serious consequences. Your PAN card will be deactivated, causing difficulties with future transactions and making reactivation challenging. It is becoming increasingly important to stay informed about data privacy laws and exercise caution when sharing personal information online.
According to Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act, every individual allotted a PAN as of July 1, 2017, and eligible for an Aadhaar number, is required to link the two in the specified form and manner.
Check status of PAN-Aadhaar linking
- Go to the official website of the Income Tax Department (https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/.)
- Click on “Quick Links” located on the left side of the page and select the “Link Aadhaar Status” option.
- If your PAN and Aadhaar are already linked, in that case a message will pop up – “Your PAN is already linked to given Aadhaar”.
- On the next page, enter your 10-digit PAN number and 12-digit Aadhaar number in the respective fields.
- Go to the “View Link Aadhaar Status”.
- If not done, then the pop-up will read, “PAN not linked with Aadhaar. Click on ‘Link Aadhaar’ visible under the Quick Links section of the website’s left-hand side.
Steps to link your PAN and Aadhaar
- Go to e-filing portal home page and click on Link Aadhaar under Quick Links.
- Enter the PAN and Aadhaar and click Validate.
- Enter the mandatory details as required and click on Link Aadhaar.
- Enter the 6-digit OTP received on mobile number mentioned in the previous step and click on Validate.
- Request for link of Aadhaar has been submitted successfully, now you can check the Aadhaar-PAN link status.