With the December 31, 2025 deadline fast approaching, individuals who haven’t yet connected their Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar should act immediately to avoid penalties and future complications. Under current tax norms, those who received their PAN using an Aadhaar Enrolment ID filed before October 1, 2024 must complete this linkage by the end of this month. If not done, the PAN could become inoperative from January 1, 2026, affecting important financial processes including tax filing and banking transactions.
Under a government notification issued in April 2025, taxpayers falling in this category are required to submit their Aadhaar number to the Income Tax Department — either online or via authorised processes — on or before 31st December 2025.
How to Link PAN With Aadhaar
Taxpayers can complete the linking process through several methods:
- Online via the Income Tax e-Filing Portal: Log on and choose the Link Aadhaar option, then verify with an OTP.
- Through SMS: Send an SMS in the format
UIDPAN <12-digit Aadhaar> <10-digit PAN>to 567678 or 56161. - At Service Centres: Visit a PAN service centre (Protean/NSDL or UTIITSL) with your original documents. A fee may apply if the PAN needs correction or the linking is done after the deadline.
Fixing Data Mismatches
If your Aadhaar and PAN details (such as name or date of birth) don’t match, the linking won’t go through. In that case:
- Update Aadhaar details through UIDAI.
- Update PAN information via Protean (NSDL) or UTIITSL.
- If issues persist, biometric verification at authorised centres may help.
Check Your Linking Status
Once you’ve initiated the process, you can check whether your PAN and Aadhaar are linked by visiting the Link Aadhaar Status section on the Income Tax e-Filing portal and entering your PAN and Aadhaar numbers. You’ll see one of the following statuses: Linked, Pending, or Not Linked.
Penalty and Consequences of Missing the Deadline
Taxpayers who miss linking by December 31, 2025 will face a ₹1,000 penalty to complete the process later, and their PAN will be marked inoperative from January 1, 2026. An inoperative PAN cannot be used for filing income tax returns, claiming refunds, or conducting many financial transactions.
Reference is taken from here.