Today PAN i.e. Permanent Account Number is an important part of most people's life. Especially, the work of employed and taxpayers cannot be done without it. It also helps the government in preventing financial fraud.

This is the reason why the Income Tax Department is constantly requesting that people 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 an Aadhaar card before this, then your PAN card will be deactivated. This can cause other difficulties 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 Home Ministry 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 their PAN with an Aadhaar card. If you do not link the two before the deadline, your PAN card will become inactive. This can lead to several problems, including difficulty in carrying out 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 the PAN-Aadhaar link status?

Go to the Income Tax e-filing portal (www.incometax.gov.in).

Click on the 'Quick Links' option on the homepage.

Click on Link Aadhaar Status, and 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". But, in case of non-linking, the pop-up will read, "PAN is not linked to Aadhaar. Please click on 'Link Aadhaar' appearing under the Quick Links section on the left side of the website. You will be taken to a page where you have to enter the details according to your PAN and Aadhaar card.

How much will the fee for linking

The government had kept linking PAN cards with Aadhaar free till 30 June 2023. But, now a fee will have to be paid for this. It was earlier Rs 500 and now it has become Rs 1 thousand. This means that if you want to link your PAN card with an Aadhaar card, then you will have to pay Rs 1 thousand as a late fee or fine.

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 with Aadhaar. This helps you understand the entire process.