Government extends last date for Aadhaar-PAN linking by 6 months

The Government on Sunday extended the last date for linking Permanent Account Number (PAN) with biometric ID Aadhaar till September 30.

The Central Board of Direct Taxation (CBDT) clarified that after reports that those PANs which are not linked with Aadhaar number by March 31 may be invalidated, the step was taken to extend the deadline by six months.

"It has been reported in some sections of the media that those PANs which are not linked with Aadhaar number by 31.03.2019 may be invalidated. The matter has been considered by the Central Government and now the cut-off date for intimating the Aadhaar number and linking PAN with Aadhaar is 30.09.2019, unless specifically exempted," said a statement.

However, quoting and linking of Aadhaar number will be mandatory while filing income tax returns (ITRs) with effect from April 1, 2019.

"Notwithstanding the last date of intimating/linking of Aadhaar Number with PAN being 30.09.2019, it is also made clear that w.e.f. 01.04.2019, it is mandatory to quote and link Aadhaar number while filing the return of income, unless specifically exempted," added the statement.

This is the sixth time the government has extended the deadline for individuals to link their PAN to Aadhaar.