PAN-Aadhaar linking: What tax authorities' latest clarification means for you & how to use e-pay tax tab

In a bid to address the concerns raised by numerous individuals, the Income Tax Department has issued a clarification regarding the status of challan payment for Aadhaar-PAN (Permanent Account Number) linking. The department, just a few hours before the last date, explained the process on Twitter to avoid any last-minute hassles. It's important to note that the last date to link Aadhaar and PAN was June 30, 2023.

PAN-Aadhaar linking: Steps to link shared by Income Tax department

The department tweeted, “Instances have come to notice where PAN holders have faced difficulty in downloading the challan after payment of the fee for Aadhaar-PAN linking.”

PAN-Aadhaar linking: How to check status

The Income Tax Department went on to provide some helpful information to assist individuals in this regard. As per the tweet, you can check the status of your challan payment by logging into the portal and going to the 'e-pay tax' tab.

If your payment is successful, you can proceed with linking your PAN with Aadhaar. Well, there's no need to download the challan receipt separately for this purpose.

Once you've successfully completed the payment, the department will send you an email with an attached copy of the challan. 

This way, you'll have all the necessary documents without any additional hassle.

PAN-Aadhaar linking: Income Tax department’s tweet 

Kind Attention PAN holders!

Instances have come to notice where PAN holders have faced difficulty in downloading the challan after payment of fee for Aadhaar-PAN linking.

In this regard, it is to be informed that status of challan payment may be checked in 'e-pay tax' tab of_

— Income Tax India (@IncomeTaxIndia) June 30, 2023

PAN-Aadhaar linking: What happens if you fail to link it

The department has assured that the cases where fee payment and consent for linking have been received but linking has not been done until June 30, 2023, will be duly considered. It is crucial to remember that if the PAN is not linked with Aadhaar by the specified deadline, June 30, 2023, the PAN will become inoperative. 

PAN-Aadhaar linking: What happens if PAN becomes inoperative

This will result in various consequences, such as non-processing of income tax refunds, higher Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) and Tax Collected at Source (TCS) on incomes and expenditures, inability to invest in bank fixed deposits, mutual fund schemes, and more.

PAN-Aadhaar linking: Last date

Initially, the last date to link PAN with Aadhaar was set for March 31, 2023. However, the Income Tax Department extended this deadline by three months until June 30, 2023. As of now, there has been no announcement from the department regarding a further extension of this deadline. It is worth noting that the deadline to link Aadhaar with PAN has been extended multiple times since it came into effect on July 1, 2017.