Hurry, link Aadhaar-PAN with this one-page form or you won't be able to file ITR

From today, linking Aadhaar number with permanent account number (PAN) is mandatory

From today, tax payers will not be able to file e-ITR without Aadhaar and linking Aadhaar number with permanent account number (PAN) is mandatory. However, your PAN will continue to be valid.

The Income Tax department on Saturday said it has introduced a one-page form for taxpayers to manually apply for linking their Aadhaar with Permanent Account Number (PAN), apart from the available online and SMS facilities.

"The form is just another procedure, via the paper medium, to link the Aadhaar with the PAN database" a tax department official said.

An individual will have to mention both PAN and Aadhaar numbers, the spelling of the names mentioned on them and give a signed declaration that the Aadhaar number provided in the application form has "not been provided" by them for the purpose of linking it with "any other PAN". 

The government, under the Finance Act 2017, has made it mandatory for taxpayers to quote Aadhaar or enrolment ID of Aadhaar application form for filing of Income-Tax returns (ITR). According to the government, "the uniqueness of Aadhaar helps in elimination of duplicates and fakes from any beneficiary database, which is what makes it suitable for eliminating fake PANs as well."

A number of queries and doubts has risen on the issue of Aadhaar-PAN linking in the wake of the government making it clear that Aadhaar will be a "must" for filing ITRs and obtaining a new PAN from July 1. Addressing the queries, a senior Income Tax Department official clarified that people who are not able to link their Aadhaar and Permanent Account Number (PAN) by July 1, will have the option to mention the UIDAI-provided number in the e-ITR and this will be considered a valid linking of the two unique numbers.

Two major concerns of taxpayers:

1. No PAN, which is not linked to Aadhaar, will be cancelled from today.

2. Any person who wants to e-file their ITRs will either have to have an Aadhaar number or the enrolment id to be mentioned in their ITR.

3. If Aadhaar credentials are not linked with PAN or mentioned in the ITR, then such a person will not be able to e-file

4. E-filing of ITR is mandatory for all individuals except whose income is less than Rs 5 lakh per annum and those who are above 80 years of age

How to link Aadhaar-PAN

Linking Aadhaar number to PAN number is quite simple. You can do so by logging on to the website of PAN service providers like NSDL and UTIITSL, by personally visiting a PAN service centre or over the e-filing website of the tax department.

How to apply via paper:

* Mention both PAN and Aadhaar numbers

* Write names mentioned on them

* Give a signed declaration

1. Aadhaar number provided in the application form has "not been provided" by for the purpose of linking it with "any other PAN".

2. I have "not been allotted any other PAN than the one mentioned" on the form.

3. "I understand that complete security and confidentiality shall be ensured for my personal identity data provided for the purpose of Aadhaar-based authentication

You can do it by just an SMS. Your mobile number and e-mail id will help you receive alerts related to your Aadhaar and to access Aadhaar services easily. The Income Tax Department earlier this month issued advertisements and described how both the unique identity numbers of an individual can be linked by sending an SMS to either 567678 or 56161.

Here is how you can use the SMS facility to link Aadhaar with PAN

Send SMS to 567678 or 56161 in following format:

UIDPAN<SPACE><12 digit Aadhaar><Space><10 digit PAN>

Example:

UIDPAN 111133333321 AAAAAEEEEE

People can also visit the official e-filing website of the department to link the two identities, in both the cases-- identical names in the two databases or in case where there is a minor mismatch.

Linking the two numbers is the key to "seamlessly avail online, a world of income tax facilities", the I-T department said.

"Aadhaar can also be seeded into PAN database by quoting Aadhaar in PAN application form for new PAN allotment or by quoting Aadhaar in change request form used for reprint of PAN card," it said in the advertisement.

How to link your Aadhaar to PAN online:

1. Log on to incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. (This step is not compulsory. You can directly jump to Step 2, if you do not wish to log in)

2. Click on 'Link Aadhaar' 

3. A pop up window will appear. Enter your Aadhaar number, PAN number and name as per Aadhaar 

4. Enter captcha and click on 'Link Aadhaar'.

Section 139AA, Income-tax Act says: "Every person who has been allotted permanent account number as on the 1st day of July, 2017, and who is eligible to obtain Aadhaar number, shall intimate his Aadhaar number to such authority in such form and manner as may be prescribed, on or before a date to be notified by the Central Government in the Official Gazette: Provided that in case of failure to intimate the Aadhaar number, the permanent account number allotted to the person shall be deemed to be invalid and the other provisions of this Act shall apply, as if the person had not applied for allotment of permanent account number."


The department, as per latest data, has linked over 2.62 crore Aadhaar numbers with its PAN database.

While Aadhaar is issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to a resident of India, PAN is a ten-digit alphanumeric number allotted by the I-T department to a person, firm or entity.

There are over 25 crore PAN numbers allotted, while Aadhaar has been allotted to about 115 crore people.

The Income Tax department has also provided guidelines to taxpayers:


Many taxpayers found the website crashing, some even panicked for not successfully linking Aadhaar number with PAN.