Alert! Income Tax Dept Extends Deadline For Linking PAN With Aadhaar To March 31, 2020

The due date for linking of PAN with Aadhaar as specified under sub-section 2 of Section 139AA of the Income-Tax Act, 1961 has been extended from 31st December, 2019 to 31st March, 2020, the tax department said.

Linking your PAN card with Aadhaar is mandatory if you want to file your income tax return. (Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: The Income Tax (IT) Department on Tuesday extended the deadline for linking the Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar by three months to March 31, 2020. According to department's last notification, the previous deadline to link the two identification documents were December 31, 2019. "The due date for linking of PAN with Aadhaar as specified under sub-section 2 of Section 139AA of the Income-Tax Act, 1961 has been extended from 31st December, 2019 to 31st March, 2020," the tax department said in a Twitter post. The tax department has been extending the PAN-Aadhaar linking deadline with a large number of people yet to complete the process. The process to link the two documents is easy as one can go to the tax department's e-filing portal to complete the interlinking process. It can also be linked through mobile SMS. The status can also be checked instantly. A tax professional told news agency IANS that even many business people are yet to link the two documents as they have certain apprehensions. This is for the eighth time that the government has extended the deadline to link PAN with Aadhaar.

The due date for linking of PAN with Aadhaar as specified under sub-section 2 of Section 139AA of the Income-tax Act,1961 has been extended from 31st December, 2019 to 31st March, 2020. Notification no.107 of 2019 dated 30/12/2019 issued by CBDT.

— Income Tax India (@IncomeTaxIndia) December 30, 2019

The government had made it clear that post the deadline, those PAN cards not linked with Aadhaar will be of no use and will stand 'inoperative'.  The government has still not clarified as to what the word 'inoperative' means and whether an individual will have to apply for PAN again or it can be reactivated after linking with Aadhaar. However, we would suggest everyone not to take chance and in order to avoid any kind of discontinuity, do link the two documents before the deadline ends. Chances are, those who fail to link their PAN with Aadhaar might stand to be barred from filing income tax returns in future. It is also being said that defaulters will be treated as if the individual is not holding the PAN and he/she would be unable to conduct financial transactions where quoting of PAN is mandatory. Now, here's how to link your PAN with Aadhaar: Step 1: Log on to Income Tax Department e-filing portal - https://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/home Step 2: Go to 'Link Aadhaar' option on the left side of the website Step 3: Enter your PAN and Aadhaar numbers and your name as per AADHAAR Step 4: Tick 'I have the only year of birth in Aadhar card,' if you have only the birth year on the Aadhaar Step 5: Tick 'I agree to validate my Aadhar details with UIDAI,' if you agree to do so Step 6: Enter the captcha code on your screen Step 7: Click on 'Link Aadhaar' option to request linking of PAN and Aadhaar (NOTE: You can also check the status of the PAN-Aadhaar linking on the Income Tax Department's website.) Linking your PAN card with Aadhaar is mandatory if you want to file your income tax return. Section 139 AA (2) of the Income Tax Act states that every citizen having PAN as on July 1, 2017, and is eligible to obtain Aadhaar, must intimate his Aadhaar number to tax authorities.