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PAN-Aadhaar Link Deadline: The Income Tax Department has alerted taxpayers regarding the deadline for linking PAN and Aadhaar cards. If you are among those who have not yet linked their PAN with Aadhaar, this news is extremely important for you. The deadline set by the government is fast approaching. If you do not complete this process in time, your PAN card will be declared "inoperative" from January 1, 2026.

What major problems can arise if your PAN card becomes inactive?
For a common citizen, an inactive PAN card is not just about a document becoming invalid, but it means several essential tasks will come to a halt. If your PAN becomes inactive after January 1, 2026, the consequences can be serious. First, you will not be able to file your Income Tax Return (ITR). If you have any old tax refunds pending with the Income Tax Department, they will also not be released.

The trouble doesn't end there. With an inactive PAN, Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) and Tax Collected at Source (TCS) will be deducted at a much higher rate on your financial transactions. This will directly impact your finances. In addition, wherever a PAN card is mandatory—such as opening a new bank account, investing in mutual funds or the stock market, or conducting large transactions—you will face difficulties. In short, an invalid PAN card can shut you out of the world of banking and investments.

How to check your status in minutes from home?
Often, people don't remember whether their PAN is linked to Aadhaar or not. Fortunately, the Income Tax Department has provided very simple online and offline methods for this. You can check your status from the comfort of your home. Here's the online method:

First, go to the official e-filing website of the Income Tax Department (incometax.gov.in).
On the homepage, you will see the Quick Links section; click on Link Aadhaar Status.
Now enter your PAN and Aadhaar number in the designated boxes. After this, click on View Link Aadhaar Status. The screen will clearly show whether your PAN is linked or not.
Via SMS: If you are not using the internet, you can also get the information via SMS. For this, you will have to send a message from your phone to 567678 or 56161. The message format is: UIDPAN 12-digit Aadhaar number 10-digit PAN number. For example: UIDPAN 34512349891 CFIED1234J

What to do if it's not linked? Here's the complete process:
If the status check reveals that your PAN is not linked, there is no need to panic, but you need to take immediate action. Since several deadlines have already passed, you will now have to pay a late fee (penalty) of Rs. 1,000 for this service. The linking process is as follows:

On the e-filing portal homepage, click on the Link Aadhaar option.
Enter your PAN and Aadhaar number and click on Validate.
Since you are linking after the deadline, you will have to pay Rs. 1,000 through e-Pay Tax. Select 'Minor Head' for payment.
After successful payment, you will receive an OTP on your mobile number linked to your Aadhaar.

Enter the OTP and submit your request.
After submitting the request and confirming the payment, the Income Tax Department sends your information to UIDAI (Aadhaar authority) for verification. This process is usually quite fast, but you can check the status again after a day or two to confirm that it is fully linked.

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