Taxpayers across India must link Aadhaar with PAN by December 31, 2025 to keep their PAN active.
The Income Tax Department has made Aadhaar-PAN linking mandatory for eligible PAN holders.
Aadhaar-PAN linking confirms identity, prevents duplicate PANs and improves financial tracking.
Aadhaar-PAN Linking Deadline Nears: What Taxpayers Must Know
Income Tax Department warns PAN may become inoperative if Aadhaar is not linked before the deadline
Aadhaar-PAN Linking Deadline Nears: What Taxpayers Must Know
Summary
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The clock is ticking for millions of taxpayers across India. With just a few days left to December 31, 2025, which has been set as the final deadline to link Aadhaar with the Permanent Account Number (PAN).
Those who will miss this cut-off may face consequences, as an inoperative PAN can disrupt tax filings, refunds and several financial transactions.
The Income Tax Department (ITD) has made it very clear in its April 3, 2025 notification that this step is mandatory. It specifically applies to individuals whose PAN was issued using an Aadhaar number before October 1, 2024. The government is leaving no room for delay.
Who Must Link?
The Aadhaar-PAN linking is important because it connects your PAN to your Aadhaar to confirm your identity. This prevents duplicate PAN cards and helps the government to track financial transactions more efficiently.
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Under Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act (ITC), the one who received a PAN on or after July 1, 2017 and is eligible for Aadhaar must submit their Aadhaar number to the authorities.
If you fail to link the two, your PAN will stop working. You won’t be able to file tax returns or carry out financial transactions that require PAN. The department has warned taxpayers not to ignore this.
For new PAN applicants, there’s no worry. The linking happens automatically during the application process. Existing PAN holders must do it online through the e-Filing Portal. Both registered and unregistered users can complete it.
How to link Aadhaar with PAN?
Taxpayers who have not yet linked their Aadhaar with PAN should act quickly, as only a few days are left to complete the process and avoid hurdle later.
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Before proceeding, keep three things ready: a valid PAN, your Aadhaar number and the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar. These all are needed for online verification.
To link these two, log in to the Income Tax e-Filing portal and click on the ‘Link Aadhaar’ option. Enter your PAN and Aadhaar details and verify them using the OTP sent to your registered mobile number. After this, follow the instructions on the e-Pay Tax page to finish the process.
Once the linking is done, your PAN remains active and usable for all financial and tax-related transactions. Missing the deadline could lead to your PAN becoming inoperative, which may cause unnecessary delays and compliance issues.