If you haven't linked your PAN or Permanent Account Number with Aadhaar (Unique Identity Number) yet, you need to do it by the end of the month. Income tax assessees are required to link the two identification numbers - the 10-digit PAN and 12-digit Aadhaar - by March 31, 2019, according to the Income Tax Department. The taxman has time and again reminded the income tax assessees about the due date to link their Aadhaar with PAN. Linking the Aadhaar number with the PAN will be essential for filing an income tax return (ITR). The mandatory linking of Aadhaar and PAN is applicable to PAN holders requiring filing of income tax return, according to the Income Tax Department's website - incometaxindia.gov.in.
Link your AADHAAR with PAN today to enjoy seamless Income Tax services online. pic.twitter.com/URKcJDidC7
(Read: How to link PAN card with Aadhaar | Income tax assessments to be "completely faceless" in few years)
The Income Tax Department has mentioned various ways for the assessees to link their Aadhaar with PAN. Some of these ways are: through SMS, through the income tax e-filing portal and through ITR.
How to link PAN with Aadhaar for filing of income tax return
Online (through the income tax e-filing website)
An Aadhaar card number can be linked with a PAN card number online through the Income Tax Department's e-filing portal (incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in), according to the taxman. In order to do this, the user is required to click on the "link Aadhaar" option on the portal's homepage to proceed.
On the following page, the user can submit a request to link the two personal identification numbers by entering details such as full name along with his or her PAN and Aadhaar.
Income tax return (ITR)
An individual can also submit a request to link Aadhaar number with PAN while filing the income tax return (ITR) online (e-filing). The link of e-filing, according to the Income Tax Department, is available on the websites of NSDL (tin-nsdl.com) and UTIITSL (utiitsl.com), as well as the income tax e-filing portal.
SMS
A PAN can be linked with an Aadhaar number (UID) through an SMS facility. To link the two through this SMS facility, the user is required to send an SMS to 567678 or 56161 in the following format, according to the Income Tax Department website:
UIDPAN<space><12-digit Aadhaar><space><10-digit PAN>
For example, UIDPAN 111122223333 AAAPA9999Q
PAN card application
A request to link Aadhaar number with PAN can also be registered in the application to obtain a PAN card or apply for any changes in one's information on the PAN card, according to the taxman.
Meanwhile, the Income Tax Department has also urged the assessees to link their PAN with their bank accounts. In a separate post on microblogging website Twitter, the Income Tax Department said: "Get your refund directly, swiftly and securely in your bank account. Stating that it would issue "only e-refunds" from March 1, 2019, the I-T has department said the (income tax) refunds would be credited to bank accounts linked with PAN. This will be applicable to savings, current, cash and overdraft accounts, according to the Income Tax Department's website.
Currently, the Income Tax Department issues refunds to assessees either in their bank account or through account payee cheques. The Income Tax Department also said the assessees will be able to check the status of linkage of a bank account with a PAN through its e-filing portal, incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. (Also read: How to link PAN with bank account)
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
