You must have had an identity card in school or college. The primary purpose of those ID cards was to verify the identity of the students and ensure they get access to all facilities.

Similarly, we need to have an identity card for various services and taxes. This identity is our PAN and Aadhaar card. Have you linked your Aadhaar card with your PAN card? It is also essential to link Aadhaar with PAN card to strengthen this authentication. 

But why is this authentication necessary in day-to-day life? The answer to this question lies in knowing about the two documents. 

Let’s briefly understand the Aadhaar card and PAN card. 

PAN and Aadhaar in a nutshell

Aadhaar has a 12-digit unique identity number. You can get it if you are an individual in India, irrespective of age. Various biometric details like fingerprints, photographs, and iris scans are linked to the Aadhaar card. So, you can use this as proof of identification and address details. 

Similarly, a PAN or Permanent Account Number is a 10-digit unique alphanumeric identification number for the citizens who pay tax. It is a card that helps the Income Tax Department (ITD) keep track of your earnings and the taxes paid by an individual to the government. 

1. Eligibility for Aadhaar card

1. Any individual residing in India is eligible for an Aadhaar card. 
2. Children below the age of five can obtain a Baal Aadhaar card. 
3. NRIs and foreigners staying in India for more than 12 months are eligible for an Aadhaar card. It can be proposed to NRIs with Indian passports after the arrival of the individual in India without waiting for 180 days.

2. Eligibility for PAN card

1. The person should be a citizen of India. 
2. Hindu Undivided Family can apply for PAN cards to facilitate financial transactions.
3. Parents and guardians can apply for PAN cards for an individual below 18 for investments or, in the case of a nominee for a property.
4. Artificial judicial persons, partnership firms, limited liability partnerships, trusts, companies, local authorities, associations of persons, foreign citizens and foreign companies are all eligible to take PAN cards.

Linking a PAN card with an Aadhaar card has also become compulsory as the income tax return will not be processed if your Aadhaar card is not linked with the PAN card. 

Now that we have learned about these cards, let’s dive into the linking process of Aadhaar card with PAN card.

3. Linking Aadhaar with PAN card online

You can link your PAN card with your Aadhaar card in three ways. Let’s look at each of them:

You can easily link your Aadhaar card with a PAN card through an online portal.

1. The e-filing portal by the ITD

There is an e-filing website which can help you link your Aadhaar card with a PAN card. However, there are certain prerequisites for using the e-filing portal for generating, updating and linking your PAN. It is better to check them before you go further with your request. 

Let’s look at the prerequisites:

• You should be an individual taxpayer. 
• You should have a valid Aadhaar and a valid mobile number linked to it.
• You should not be a minor on the date of request.
• You should not be a representative assessee per section 160 of the Income Tax Act.

Next:

• Visit https://incometaxindia.gov.in/
• There you will be able to see quick links like e-verify return, e-pay tax, link Aadhaar and more.
• All you need to do is click ‘Link Aadhaar’.
• You will have to fill in the necessary details like PAN number, Aadhaar number, mobile number, and name and verify using the captcha.
• Then you can agree to Validate your Aadhaar details with UIDAI. 
• You will get an OTP on your mobile number linked with your Aadhaar. 
• Enter the OTP and validate using the Captcha Code. 
• Click ‘Link Aadhaar’ 
• You will get a success message and an acknowledgement number. You can use this number for further communication. 
• You will also get an SMS in your registered mobile number about the Aadhaar and PAN link being successful. 

On the e-filing website, you can also update your PAN information based on your Aadhaar eKYC and link the two. This process too automatically links your PAN with Aadhaar. 

You can take the following steps:

• In the ‘Quick Links’ section, click on ‘Instant PAN’. You will be diverted to the e-PAN page.
• Choose ‘Update PAN details’.
• On the corresponding page, enter your Aadhaar number and press ‘Continue’.
• If your Aadhaar is already linked to your PAN, you will be notified on the next page. Also, if you have made an error in typing your Aadhaar number, you will get to know on the corresponding page. 
• If your Aadhaar details are correct and if it is not linked with your PAN already, you will be diverted to the OTP validation page. 
• Enter the OTP shared on your registered mobile number and validate. Your OTP will be valid for 15 minutes, and you will get three chances to enter the correct one. 
• Click the tick boxes against the details you wish to update with your Aadhaar eKYC. 
• Recheck and confirm the updated details. 

You will be taken to the request successful page, where you will receive an acknowledgement number for your request. Use the number for future communication.

2. SMS-based linking 

You can also link your Aadhaar card with your PAN card by sending an SMS:

• You must type UIDPAN<your 12-digit Aadhaar> <your 10-digit PAN> on your mobile.
• Send this SMS to 56161 or 567678.
• You will get an SMS about the successful linking of your PAN with Aadhaar. 

3. Protean eGov Technologies or NSDL and UTIITSL

You can also manually link your Aadhaar card with your PAN card by filling out a form available with NSDL or UTIITSL, depending on your chosen PAN service provider during application. Along with the form, a few documents should also be submitted online.

It is important to remember where you had applied for your PAN to visit the same portal for future corrections and duplicate PAN card applications.  

So, have you linked your PAN and Aadhaar? Now, you can use your PAN to open a Fi account and start investing with the Fi money app. The Fi money app offers numerous features for saving, investing and gaining knowledge with research. Check out the Fi money app and manage your money smartly and securely. 

Importance of linking PAN card with Aadhaar card

You may think that when both cards are unique identification proof cards, why do we need to link the Aadhaar card with the PAN card? 

Both the cards are necessary for registration and verification purposes. The government of India has made it mandatory for the citizens to link PAN cards with Aadhaar cards as there are specific purposes behind this.

a. Prevent tax evasion

The government wants to keep a record of all the taxable transactions of an individual or an entity, and the verification of identity and address can be done through your Aadhaar card. So, the government will have the list of transactions you do that can attract tax. Furthermore, all your income sources and destinations are linked with a single PAN. This can prevent tax evasion as individuals and other entities will no longer be able to hide their earnings from ITD. 

b. No need to send ITR-V and ITR-1 physical documents for verification

The connection of the Aadhaar card with the PAN card has also become a great facilitator for the e-verification of Income Tax Returns. Complicated activities like sending the physical copies of Form 16, investment proofs and other receipts to IT departments for verification are not required. You can e-verify your returns using OTP verification with your Aadhaar card. 

c. Opening a bank account and investing

Your Aadhaar and PAN cards are the most important verification documents regarding your financial life. From opening a bank account to investing, you need to do your KYC. The linking of Aadhaar with PAN can ease this verification process. 

When you start earning, you might want to invest some of this money and get good returns. You might also have various short-term, medium-term and long-term financial goals. When you invest to meet these goals, you make capital gains on them. These can be Short-term capital gains (STCG) or long-term capital gains (LTCG). These gains can incur different tax rates, which are recorded through your PAN. 

d. Open e-filing account

You need to have an Aadhaar number and a valid mobile number linked to it to open an e-filing login. This portal can help you create an instant e-PAN card and link it to your Aadhaar. Once your PAN and Aadhaar are linked, you can create login credentials for your e-filing portal by entering your PAN or Aadhaar number. 

You can also view your tax records and file income tax returns using this portal. 

Is your Aadhaar and PAN card ready? Quickly check your tax liability for the financial year. What’s your income slab? If it’s beyond the tax-free threshold, making a tax-saving investment using the 80C tax-saving instruments can help. You can reduce your taxable income by ₹1.5 lakh every financial year by investing in ELSS. Use the Fi money app to set your SIP date and amount and easily save taxes. 

To conclude

Of all the cards in your purse, the PAN and Aadhaar are the most important ones for defining your finances and identity. There are numerous benefits and conveniences of linking your PAN with your Aadhaar card. Also, the process of linking them is simple, fast and secure. And all of this is without charges. 

So, complete your PAN and Aadhaar linking if you haven’t and get all the conveniences associated with it. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I link my mobile number with PAN card by SMS?

You can link your mobile number with your PAN card by sending an SMS to either 567678 or 56161. The format for the SMS is: UIDPAN<space>12-digit Aadhaar number<space>10-digit PAN number<space>Mobile Number. Once the SMS is sent, you will receive an OTP which you need to use to complete the process.

It's worth noting that you can also link your mobile number with your PAN card online by visiting the Income Tax e-filing website or via mobile app of PAN service providers.

2. Do we need to link PAN card with mobile number?

In India, linking your PAN card with your mobile number is not mandatory, but it is recommended as it can help to ensure that your PAN card remains active and that you receive important communications from the Income Tax Department. Additionally, if you have not linked your mobile number with your PAN card and you are required to file income tax returns, then the e-filing of returns may not be possible. Also, if you want to make changes or corrections to your PAN card, linking your mobile number can help to facilitate the process.

In conclusion, it's a good idea to link your mobile number with your PAN card to ensure that your PAN card remains active and you can take advantage of various services offered by the Income Tax Department.