The Indian Income Tax Department has extended the deadline for linking PAN (Permanent Account Number) with Aadhaar once again. If you haven't linked yours yet, here's everything you need to know about the process, penalties, and consequences.
New Deadline
The latest deadline extension gives taxpayers until June 30, 2026, to complete the linkage. After this date, unlinked PAN cards will become permanently inoperative — meaning you won't be able to use them for any financial transaction, tax filing, or as proof of identity.
Why Is Linking Mandatory?
Under Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act, every person who has been allotted a PAN and is eligible for Aadhaar must link the two. This is to eliminate duplicate PANs (estimated at over 17 million duplicates in the system) and prevent tax evasion through multiple identities.
How to Link PAN with Aadhaar
Method 1: Visit the Income Tax e-Filing portal (incometax.gov.in) and use the 'Link Aadhaar' option. Enter your PAN, Aadhaar number, and name as per Aadhaar. Method 2: Send an SMS — type 'UIDPAN [12-digit Aadhaar] [10-digit PAN]' and send it to 567678 or 56161. Method 3: Visit your nearest PAN service center with both documents.
Late Linking Fee
A penalty of ₹1,000 applies for linkage done after the original deadline. This fee must be paid before submitting the linkage request. Payment can be made through the e-Filing portal using the 'e-Pay Tax' feature under 'Other Receipts (500)'.
What Happens If You Don't Link
If PAN becomes inoperative: TDS/TCS will be deducted at a higher rate (20% instead of applicable rate), you cannot file income tax returns, pending refunds won't be processed, mutual fund and demat account transactions will be blocked, and you cannot open new bank accounts using PAN.
Check Your Linking Status
Visit incometax.gov.in and click 'Link Aadhaar Status'. Enter your PAN and Aadhaar number to check if they're already linked. If the status shows 'already linked', no further action is needed.
MyDocStatus Team
Our editorial team researches and verifies information from official government sources to bring you accurate, up-to-date guides on document services worldwide.