Business News Desk - Today PAN i.e. Permanent Account Number is an important part of most people's life. Especially the work of employed people and taxpayers cannot go on without it. It also helps the government in preventing financial fraud. This is the reason why the Income Tax Department is constantly requesting people to link their PAN with Aadhaar. The last date for this has been fixed as 31 December 2024. If you do not link your PAN with Aadhaar card before this, then your PAN card will be de-activated. This may cause other problems along with transactions.

Why is it necessary to link PAN with Aadhaar
In the era of technology, cases of financial fraud have also increased significantly. Many fintech companies are accused of using PAN details in an unauthorized manner to create customer profiles. This is the reason why the Ministry of Home Affairs has directed to limit access to personal details through PAN, so that misuse of personal information can be prevented. The Income Tax Department has made it mandatory for all taxpayers to link PAN with Aadhaar card. If you do not link the two before the deadline, your PAN card will be deactivated. This can cause many problems, including difficulty in making financial transactions. Therefore, you must check the status of your PAN-Aadhaar link. If your PAN is not linked to Aadhaar, link it immediately.

How to check PAN-Aadhaar link status?
Visit the Income Tax e-filing portal (www.incometax.gov.in).
Click on the 'Quick Links' option on the homepage.
Click on Link Aadhaar Status, enter the PAN and Aadhaar card number.

If your PAN and Aadhaar are already linked, a message will pop up - "Your PAN is already linked to the given Aadhaar". However, in case of non-linking, the pop-up will say, "PAN is not linked to Aadhaar. Please click on 'Link Aadhaar' appearing in the Quick Links section on the left side of the website. You will be redirected to a page where you have to enter the details as per your PAN and Aadhaar card.

How much fee will be charged for linking
The government had kept linking PAN card to Aadhaar free till June 30, 2023. But, now a fee will have to be paid for this. Earlier it was Rs 500 and now it has become Rs 1 thousand. This means that if you want to link PAN card to Aadhaar card, then you will have to pay Rs 1 thousand as late fee or penalty. The Income Tax Department is also helping taxpayers to link PAN and Aadhaar. It has also created an FAQ page to answer questions related to the process of linking PAN to Aadhaar. This helps you understand the entire process.