If you’ve been pushing your PAN–Aadhaar linking to “someday soon,” that someday is here. The clock is ticking, and December 31, 2025, is the final cut-off for linking your Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar. Miss this deadline, and your PAN will turn inoperative — a change that can quietly derail everything from filing your income-tax return to receiving your refund.
For millions of taxpayers, PAN isn’t just a card tucked away in a wallet. It’s the thread connecting your financial life to the Income Tax Department. From tracking tax payments to issuing refunds to processing filings, PAN acts as your financial identity. And Aadhaar–PAN linking helps the government streamline duplicate PANs, reduce fraud and match tax records accurately.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has made it clear:
Anyone who received their PAN and Aadhaar before October 1, 2025, must link the two by December 31, 2025.
If not, your PAN becomes inactive — and here’s what that means in real life:
You won’t be able to file your income tax returns
Pending refunds will simply not be issued
Any pending return or defective return proceeding will stall
Higher TDS/TCS will be deducted because you’ll be treated as a person “without PAN”
In short, an inoperative PAN can create a frustrating chain of delays and financial headaches.
Easy steps to follow to link Aadhaar With PAN
The process is actually quite easy and can be done in minutes from home. You don’t need to log in to the portal — the facility works for registered and unregistered users.
Go to www.incometax.gov.in and look for the Quick Links section on the homepage.
This opens a simple form where you need to enter:
Your 10-digit PAN
Your 12-digit Aadhaar number
Your name as per Aadhaar
Tick the box confirming the details and click Validate.
Linking beyond the deadline will attract a ₹1,000 penalty.
If applicable, a popup saying “Payment details not found” will appear. Follow these steps:
Click Continue to Pay Through e-Pay Tax
Enter PAN + mobile number → verify with OTP
On the e-Pay Tax page, choose:
Assessment Year: 2025–26
Payment Type: Other Receipts (500)
Sub-type: Fee for delay in linking PAN with Aadhaar
The ₹1,000 fee autofills → complete payment via your preferred method
A challan will be generated — keep it safely.
Return to the Link Aadhaar page.
Re-enter PAN, Aadhaar, name
Enter the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile
Click Validate
Your request is submitted.
How to Check If Your Aadhaar–PAN Link Is Successful
You can verify your linking status in a few seconds:
Go to www.incometax.gov.in
Under Quick Links, click Link Aadhaar Status
Enter PAN + Aadhaar
Hit View Link Aadhaar Status
You’ll see one of these:
Linked → “Your PAN is already linked…”
Not Linked → You’ll be prompted to link
Pending → Request has gone to UIDAI for validation
