Aadhaar-PAN linking deadline has officially begun, leaving millions of taxpayers with less than a week to secure their financial identities. According to the CBDT, failing to link your Permanent Account Number (PAN) with your Aadhaar by the end of the year will result in your PAN becoming inoperative starting January 1, 2026. An inoperative status doesn't just invite a ₹1,000 penalty for reactivation; it can also freeze your income tax refunds, block new investments in mutual funds, and lead to significantly higher TDS rates of 20% or more. Whether you are struggling with a minor name mismatch or an unverified mobile number, taking immediate corrective action is the only way to avoid a messy start to your 2026 financial year.
As per the official Income Tax Department guidelines, Aadhaar-PAN linking is now automatic for new applicants, as the Aadhaar number is mandatory at the time of the PAN application. For existing holders who were allotted a PAN on or before July 1, 2017, linking is mandatory to keep the document operative. Under the latest CBDT mandate, certain categories (such as those who used an Enrolment ID) have until December 31, 2025, to complete the process, or their PAN will become inoperative from January 1, 2026.
1. Online Portal: Visit the Income Tax e-filing portal and click on the "Link Aadhaar" quick link. Enter your PAN and Aadhaar details, pay the mandatory ₹1,000 penalty (if applicable) via e-Pay Tax, and verify the request using an Aadhaar OTP.
2. SMS Service: From your registered mobile number, send an SMS in the format: UIDPAN <12-digit Aadhaar> <10-digit PAN> to either 567678 or 56161. Ensure your name and DOB match exactly on both documents to avoid rejection.
3. Authorised Service Centres: You can visit a PAN Service Centre (Protean/UTIITSL) or an Aadhaar Seva Kendra for manual linking. This method is particularly useful if you require biometric authentication due to a mismatch in demographic details.
Click on Link Aadhaar in the Quick Links section after visiting the e-Filing Portal Home page.
Enter your PAN and Aadhaar Number.
Click on Continue to Pay Through e-Pay Tax.
Enter your PAN, confirm your PAN, and any mobile number to receive OTP.
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If your PAN and Aadhaar details don't match, update them through:
UIDAI portal for Aadhaar corrections
Protean (NSDL) or UTIITSL for PAN corrections
Biometric verification at authorised PAN service centres if issues persist
If someone wants to verify whether or not their PAN is already linked with Aadhaar, they can visit the Income Tax e-Filing Portal and click on "Link Aadhaar Status." After that, enter your PAN and Aadhaar number and submit. One of the following messages will appear
Your Aadhaar is already linked with PAN
Your Aadhaar-PAN linking request is pending
Aadhaar is not linked with PAN
Image credits: Freepik
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