New Delhi, July 6: The Income Tax Department on Monday extended the deadline for linking Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar till March 31, 2021. The decision has been taken by the IT department because of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

Informing about the latest development, the IT department took to Twitter and wrote, "Understanding & keeping in mind the times that we are in, we have extended deadlines. PAN – AADHAAR linking can be done till 31st March 2021. We do hope this helps you plan things better." How to Link Aadhaar Card to PAN Card Before June 30, 2020 Deadline: Know Online and Offline Ways to Link PAN Number and Aadhaar Number.

Here's what the IT department said:

Earlier, the IT department had extended the deadline for linking PAN with Aadhaar till June 30, 2020. As per the Central Board of Direct Taxation (CBDT), it is mandatory to link PAN and Aadhaar to file for Income Tax returns. However, the Aadhaar card is not a compulsory document to get a PAN card. Here are a few methods by which a person can link PAN with Aadhaar.

PAN-Aadhaar Linking by SMS:

To link two identity documents through SMS, send an SMS to 56161 or 567678 from registered mobile number in the format - UIDPAN. For example, if your Aadhaar number is 586738291086 and your PAN number is KBJH11234M, you have to type UIDPAN 586738291086 KBJH11234M and send the message to either 56161 or 567678.

PAN-Aadhaar Can Also Be Linked Through e-Filing Website:

a) Visit the Income Tax site- incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in

b) Click on "Link Aadhaar" under the Quick Links section.

c) Enter your PAN, Aadhaar number and other details.

d) Once the details are filled, click on 'Link Aadhaar' and submit.

e) Post verification from UIDAI, the PAN-Aadhaar linking will be confirmed.

The PAN account may be declared as "inoperative" if the PAN-Aadhaar linkage is not done within the deadline. Failing this, one cannot file ITR or open bank accounts. Using "inoperative" PAN can also result in Rs 10,000 fine as it violates section 139A of the Act. Section 272B(1). This PAN-Aadhaar linking is not required from NRIs.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 06, 2020 04:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).