URGENT! Your PAN Card will become invalid after this date; what you need to do.

The Income Tax Department has clearly said that it is mandatory to link PAN-Aadhaar by 30 June 2021. If you have not yet linked your PAN card with Aadhaar, then it is time to hurry up because, after this, the deadline for linking PAN-Aadhaar will not be extended.

According to the I-T Department, if you do not link your PAN to Aadhaar, then it will become invalid under Section-139AA of the Income Tax Act.

What you need to do:

1. It is easy to link the alphanumeric Permanent Account Number (PAN) with 12 digit Aadhaar online through the e-filing portal.
2. To link both, you can also send SMS in a format to UIDPAN <12digit Aadhaar> <10digitPAN> to 567678 or 56161.
3. If there is any problem with the online linking of PAN-Aadhaar, then you can also do it offline from the PAN service centres of NSDL and UTITSL.
4. If you have not done the PAN-Aadhaar link within the time limit, then it is likely that the Income Tax Department will declare your PAN as ‘Invalid’.
5. This means that after the deadline ends, you will not be able to use the PAN card for important tasks like ITR or opening bank accounts.
6. Using an “inoperative” PAN under section 272B of the Income Tax Act 1961 can attract a fine of Rs 10,000. Take special care while filling in PAN card information. Fill the 10 digit PAN number very carefully.
7. Any spelling mistake in this can send you towards heavy penalty.
8.  Even if you have two PAN cards, you will have to pay a hefty fine.

What happens if you don’t link PAN with Aadhaar:

1. The PAN card will be cancelled, it will become useless if it that’s the case.

2. Following this, you will not even be able to file ITR online and your tax refund may get stuck.

3. Apart from this, you will not be able to use PAN in any financial transaction.

After the cancellation of the PAN card, it can be made operative again. However, it must be kept in mind that if someone uses a cancelled PAN card in the meantime, it would be considered a violation of section 272B under the Income Tax Act. In such a situation, the PAN holder will have to pay a fine of Rs 10,000. Not only this, if the cancelled PAN card is used again somewhere, then the penalty can also be increased.