Pan card will become useless if not linked with Aadhaar before March 31st

In the last budget the government has introduced a law making compulsory for every individual to have their PAN linked with their Aadhaar card.

The linking of PAN with Aadhaar has been allowed by the Supreme Court while reading out its verdict on the constitutional validity of Aadhaar. Whereas, PAN card will be of no use if you fail to follow the Supreme Court’s order, similarly it is mandatory to link it with the PAN card.

The deadline has been extended by the Central Board of Direct taxes (CBDT) to link PAN and Aadhaar till March 31, 2019.

As per the e-filing website of Income Tax, as on 7^th February 2019 there are more than 58 million registered users who have their PAN linked with Aadhaar and more than 23 million non-registered users who have their PAN linked to Aadhaar.

Whereas, in September last year the Supreme Court declared that the Aadhaar scheme is valid constitutionally and has said ,Aadhaar was mandatory to file I-T returns and issuance of PAN card. It was also added that Aadhaar was not necessarily needed to open bank accounts and buy a mobile phone connection.

The Aadhaar-PAN linking will make sure that the benefits of the government’s welfare schemes are availed by eligible persons as a lot of agencies are linked with Aadhaar.

Similarly, the apex court laid down that Aadhaar is mandatory to file income tax returns (ITR) and to apply for a new PAN.

How to link Aadhaar with PAN:

• Log into the incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in
• Click on ‘Linking Aadhaar’. Another window will open, reminding you to link your PAN card with Aadhaar card
• Confirm your information’s such as name, date of birth and gender with the details on your Aadhaar card
• Submit Aadhaar card number and enter the captcha code.
• Click on the ‘Link Aadhaar’.
• Once it is linked, a success message will be shown.

Therefore, to avoid the disconnection of PAN or face problem in filing income tax you should rather link your adhar with PAN before March 31, 2019.

 By

Riya Mishra

Director, Legal News