Deadline to link PAN card and Aadhar is closing in: 5 things you need to know

March 31 is the last day to link the two. If you miss it your PAN card will become inoperative

The deadline for linking your PAN card to your Aadhar card was extended by the Income Tax department to March 31. This is the eighth time the deadline has been extended and it is closing in, you have a little more than a month to get this done. (Arun Sharma/HT PHOTO)

The deadline for linking your PAN card to your Aadhar card was extended by the Income Tax department to March 31. This is the eighth time the deadline has been extended and it is closing in, you have a little more than a month to get this done.

After the Supreme Court announced its verdict about the Aadhar card in 2018, the 12-digit identification number has become mandatory for filing your income tax returns and also to acquire a Permanent Account Number (PAN) card. Your PAN card is connected to your taxes and bank accounts.

If you already have a PAN card, you have to link the two together. If you do not link the two by March 31, your PAN card will become inoperative. If you do not have a PAN card you should apply for it as soon as possible.

Here are 5 things that you have to do:

1) If you are applying for a new PAN card, it is compulsory that you quote Aadhar in your application form and post that you can use your Aadhar number wherever PAN is required. PAN and Aadhar numbers are interchangeable. For those applying for a new PAN card, the interlinking is done automatically when you apply.

2) For existing PAN card holders, it is mandatory that you link it with the Aadhar card by March 31. The linking can be done on the income tax department's e-filing portal or simply by sending an SMS. You can also check the status of your linking online. You can access the e-filing portal from here.

3) Many taxpayers are yet to link their Aadhar with their PAN card and the deadline has now been extended for the eighth time. The last date earlier was December 31, 2019 and has now been extended to March 31.

4) Aadhaar is necessary for any other document that you might need to procure, like your passport or a voter ID card and it is also required if you are going to buy property or vehicles.

5) Once the deadline to link the PAN card and Aadhar is over, the income tax department will start treating all unlinked PAN cards as "inoperative" ones. This means that you will not be able to file income tax returns nor use it as ID proof anywhere.