You link your Aadhaar with PAN online through the Income Tax e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in). Linking is mandatory for filing income tax returns and keeping your PAN operative; an unlinked PAN becomes inoperative and can attract higher TDS/TCS rates and restrict financial transactions.
What you need before you start
Keep your PAN card, Aadhaar card, and a mobile number linked to Aadhaar for OTP verification. Ensure your name and date of birth match on both documents to avoid a mismatch error.
Step by step
- Visit incometax.gov.in and go to the ‘Link Aadhaar’ option under Quick Links (no login required).
- Enter your PAN and Aadhaar number.
- Pay the applicable late fee (currently Rs 1,000) through e-Pay Tax if linking after the due date.
- Submit the linking request; verify via Aadhaar-registered mobile OTP if prompted.
- You will get an on-screen confirmation and can check status under ‘Link Aadhaar Status’.
Fees and timelines
Linking itself is processed within a few days to a few weeks after payment and request submission. A late fee of Rs 1,000 applies since the original free-linking deadline has passed; without linking, PAN becomes inoperative.
What to do if it goes wrong
If linking fails due to a name/date of birth mismatch, correct the discrepancy in either your PAN or Aadhaar record first (via NSDL/UIDAI respectively), then retry linking. If your PAN has already become inoperative, complete the late-fee payment and linking request to reactivate it; reactivation can take up to 30 days.