Aadhaar-PAN linking: Check in 3 simple steps if your Aadhaar is linked to PAN

The main aim of linking Aadhaar Card with PAN Card is that both are unique identification cards that serve as proof of identity that are necessary for registration and verification purposes.

New Delhi, June 30: Linking the Aadhaar card with PAN card has been made mandatory for every taxpayer by the government of India. Moreover, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has authorised this implementation in the Finance Bill 2017-18 to curb tax evasion through the use of multiple PAN cards. People have been rushing to link Aadhaar number with permanent account number (PAN) on the income tax website and have found the website crashing.

Linking Aadhaar card to PAN card is now a mandatory procedure for filing Income Tax returns and for various other transactions. The Income Tax department’s e-filing website has created links on its homepage making it easy to link the two unique identities of an individual. The amended income tax rules notify that the government has made quoting of the 12-digit biometric Aadhaar or the enrolment ID a must at the time of application of permanent account number (PAN). The linking has been necessitated as the Modi government has announced that several social welfare schemes will be linked to Aadhaar and the beneficiaries can avail the benefits only if they have shared their Aadhaar numbers for the scheme concerned.

How to link Aadhaar card to PAN Card in three simple steps:

1. To link your Aadhaar Card to PAN card, an individual needs to visit www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in and click on the link on the left side- ‘Link Aadhaar’.
2. After clicking on the ‘Link Aadhaar’ option, the user in needed to enter PAN, Aadhaar no. and enter your name exactly as given in Aadhaar Card (avoid spelling mistakes) and submit.
3. After verification from UIDAI, the linking will be confirmed.

Here’s how you can verify if your Aadhaar card is linked to your PAN card:

To verify if your Aadhaar card is linked to PAN card, follow the following steps:

1. Visit the official website of the Income Tax Department i.e. to www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in and click on Link Aadhaar option at the extreme left side of the website.

2. Enter your Aadhaar card and PAN Card credentials which include user ID, password, date of birth and captcha code.

3.  If both your documents (Aadhaar and PAN) are linked then the display on the page will mention the same.

Section 139AA of the Income-tax Act says that 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. At present, Aadhaar has been made mandatory for a number of things existing bank accounts, opening bank accounts, registering a new mobile connection, lease agreements and now for income tax returns. The main aim of linking PAN Card with Aadhaar Card is that both are unique identification cards that serve as proof of identity that are necessary for registration and verification purposes. Another important reason for linking PAN with Aadhaar is to reduce the occurrence of individuals or entities applying for multiple PAN cards to defraud the government and avoid paying taxes.