The Income Tax (IT) Department on 31 May 2017 announced that taxpayers can now link their Aadhaar Card number with their Permanent Account Number (PAN) by using an SMS-based facility.
The two numbers can be linked by sending an SMS to either 567678 or 56161. Moreover, people can also use the I-T Department’s e-filing website to link the two numbers.
Aadhaar can also be linked into PAN database by quoting Aadhaar in PAN application form for new PAN allotment or by quoting Aadhaar in change request form used for reprint of PAN card.
After verification from the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India), the linking will be confirmed.
In case of any minor mismatch in Aadhaar name provided by the applicant, Aadhaar OTP (one-time password) will be required.
The OTP will be sent to the mobile number registered in the Aadhaar database. The linking of Aadhaar number and PAN is a means to seamlessly avail income tax facilities online.
The I-T Department earlier this month launched an e-filing website to link Aadhaar number with PAN, a mandatory procedure for filing I-T returns now.
The e-filing website added a link on its homepage where people must enter their PAN numbers, Aadhaar numbers and names.
The Union Government, under the Finance Act, 2017, made it mandatory for taxpayers to quote Aadhaar number or the enrolment number of Aadhaar application form for filing I-T returns.
The government also made Aadhaar Card mandatory for applying for PAN with effect from July 2017.
