Gold Silver Reports – It has been decided to further extend the time for linking of Aadhaar with PAN till 31.03.2018; here is a quick look at how to do it
Earlier this year, as per the Finance Act, 2017, the government made it mandatory to quote Aadhaar number while filing income tax returns, with effect from 1 July 2017. For this purpose, you need to link your Aadhaar with the permanent account number (PAN).
The Central Board of Direct Taxes had initially extended the deadline to link Aadhaar with PAN to 31 December 2017. The deadline has now been further extended to 31 March 2018. “It has come to notice that some of the taxpayers have not yet completed the linking of PAN with Aadhaar. Therefore, to facilitate the process of linking, it has been decided to further extend the time for linking of Aadhaar with PAN till 31.03.2018,” a Ministry of Finance press release stated.
Here is a quick look at how to link your Aadhaar with your PAN.
Link your Aadhaar
To link your Aadhaar with PAN, just go to www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in and click on the tab ‘Link Aadhaar’ on the left side of the window. Fill your PAN and Aadhaar number; enter your name exactly as mentioned in Aadhaar; and then submit it. After details are verified by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the linking will be confirmed.
But if there is even a minor mismatch—for example, in your Aadhaar name—a one-time password (OTP) will be sent to your Aadhaar-registered mobile number. Make sure that the date of birth and gender in PAN and Aadhaar are the same. There is no need to even login or be registered on the e-filing website.
If you are already registered on the e-filing website, you can link your Aadhaar after logging in. Just click on the Aadhaar linking option under profile settings. The details as per PAN will be pre-populated and you only need to enter your Aadhaar number and name exactly as mentioned in Aadhaar.
If your Aadhaar name is completely different from your name in PAN, then the linking will fail and the taxpayer will be prompted to change the name in either the Aadhaar or the PAN database. If you want to make corrections in your PAN or Aadhaar, you can do so by going to National Securities Depository Ltd website (http://bit.ly/2fI8GuA) or at the UIDAI portal (https://ssup.uidai.gov.in/web/guest/update).
Other Aadhaar deadlines
While the government has extended the deadline to link Aadhaar with PAN for now, at the time of going to print, there was no change in several other important Aadhaar linking deadlines such as for bank accounts, mutual funds, insurance policies and mobile phone connections.
In the meantime, the Supreme Court is expected to soon deliberate on an interim relief on Aadhaar linking. A constitutional bench of the Supreme Court is also expected to hear other Aadhaar-related petitions including those challenging the constitutionality of Aadhaar.
For now, the deadlines for linking bank accounts, mutual fund folios and insurance policies with Aadhaar is 31 December 2017, and for mobile phones it is 6 February 2018. In an earlier hearing on the matter, the Supreme Court had directed all service providers to mention these deadlines in their reminders.
One must note that Aadhaar once linked, can’t be de-linked. – Neal Bhai Reports
