PAN, Aadhaar linking deadline ends today, here’s how to do it step-by-step

 An individual will be levied Rs 1,000 as a fine if the Aadhaar and PAN are not linked after March 31, 2021

According to Section 139AA in the Income Tax Act (2017), individuals have to link their Permanent Account Number (PAN) and Aadhaar numbers. The deadline is March 31, 2021. If they are not, PAN will be considered invalid to useUntil 2017, income tax could be e-filed without the PAN-Aadhaar link. Earlier, the deadline to link the both was August 31, 2017, and then kept getting postponed until the central government put a stop. Even though the I-T returns can be filed, the returns cannot be processed without the linkage.

This is the eighth time in a row that the government has extended the due date for the linking of Aadhaar and PAN. Earlier to this, the deadline was June 30, 2020. As there are many people who are struggling to rectify the detail mismatch in their Aadhaar and PAN, the government kept extending the dates.

Three ways to link Aadhaar and PAN:

1: Online linking without logging in to income tax e-filing portal.

2: Online linking using the account.

3. Linking PAN-Aadhaar via SMS.

Linking without logging in to Income Tax e-filing portal

Step 1: Open http://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in and click on the “Link Aadhaar” tab.

Step 2: Enter your PAN, Aadhaar, and Name (as on Aadhaar). Submit the details and the linking will be confirmed after verification from UIDAI.

Online linking using Income Tax account

Step 1: Log in to your income tax e-filing portal using the User ID, password, and date of birth. If not registered yet, make the account first.

Step 2: As soon you login, a pop-up notification will alert you to link your PAN and Aadhaar. Click on it. If there is no notification, go to “Profile Settings” on the top bar and click on “Link Aadhaar”…