What is PAN and why is it needed
Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a ten-digit alphanumeric number provided by the Income Tax government in the form of a laminated card to any "person" who applies for it or to whom the government allots the number without an application.
PAN allows the department to associate all "person" transactions with the department. Tax payments, TDS/TCS credits, income returns, defined transactions, correspondence, and so on are examples of these transactions. As a result, PAN serves as an identifier for the "person" with the tax department.
If you have not linked your PAN with Aadhaar, there is a possibility that your PAN could be inoperative as per the guidelines. Follow the steps below to check if your PAN is valid or not.
Prerequisites for availing this service
- Valid PAN
- Valid mobile number (accessible to you)
- For External Agencies: Registered user on the e-Filing portal with valid user ID and password
Steps to Verify PAN details
Step 1: Go to e-Filing portal homepage.
Step 2: Click Verify Your PAN on the e-Filing homepage.
Step 3: On the Verify Your PAN page, enter your PAN, Full Name, Date of Birth and Mobile Number (accessible to you) and click Continue.
Step 4: On the Verification page, enter the 6-digit OTP received on the mobile number entered in Step 3 and click Validate.
Note:
• OTP will be valid for 15 minutes only.
You have 3 attempts to enter the correct OTP.
• The OTP expiry countdown timer on screen tells you when the OTP will expire.
• The OTP timer displays the time remaining to regenerate an OTP. On clicking Resend OTP, a new OTP will be generated and sent.
On successful verification, your PAN status will be displayed.
According to the Income Tax Act of 1961, all PAN holders who are not exempt must link their PAN to Aadhaar. If a person has not yet linked their PAN to Aadhaar, their PAN will become inactive as of today (July 1, 2023).
If your PAN becomes inoperative you will be unable to use certain services that need you to cite the number. Furthermore, if you have not yet submitted your income tax return (ITR), you will only be able to do so after linking your PAN to Aadhaar.
How to check PAN Aadhaar linking status
Step 1: Visit the Income Tax Department’s official website - incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/
Step 2: Open the Quick Links section and select Link Aadhaar Status
Step 3: Enter your PAN and Aadhaar Card number
Step 4: Click on the ‘View Link Aadhaar Status’ option
Step 5: The screen will show you the PAN-Aadhaar link status
If your PAN Card and Aadhaar are linked, the screen will display linked; otherwise, it will display the details to link the two cards.
