Deadline for linking PAN-Aadhaar extended from September 30 to December 31

New Delhi: In a major relief for taxpayers, the deadline to link PAN card and Aadhaar has been extended from September 30 to December 31, a notification issued by Ministry of Finance said on Saturday.

In a notification dated September 28, the Ministry of Finance announced the decision of extension, which has come as a relief for those individuals who still have not linked their PAN with their Aadhaar.

Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) extends the date for linking PAN & Aadhaar from 30th September, 2019 to 31st December, 2019. pic.twitter.com/nGsULxLnuj

— ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2019

The notification said, "“In exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (2) of section 139AA of the Income tax Act, 1961 (,Act’)(43 of 1961), the Central Government hereby amends the notification of the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) dated 31st March, 2019, published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part-II, Section 3, sub-section (ii) vide S.O. number 149S(E) dated April 1, 2019.”

This entails that the deadline for linking PAN with Aadhaar has been extended to December 31, 2019.

If your PAN is not linked with Aadhaar by the extended deadline, then as per current laws, PAN card will become inoperative. However, the government is yet to notify the implications of 'inoperative' in case PAN is not linked with Aadhaar.

The rule regarding the consequences of not linking PAN with Aadhaar was revised in the 2019 Budget. The release had also specified that, regardless of the last date for the PAN-Aadhaar linking, it is mandatory for taxpayers to quote and link their Aadhaar number while filing income tax returns with effect from April 1, 2019, unless specifically exempted.

Notably, the deadline for the linking process has been extended several times in the past.