Recently the government made it mandatory to provide both Aadhaar card number and PAN number while filing for taxes. The 10 character alpha-numeric Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a unique ID that every taxpaying body in India needs to have currently. The 12 digit Aadhar card number has additional features like a biometric thumb impression & retina scan which makes it more unique & difficult to duplicate.
To link both the identifications, taxpayers first need to register on the Income tax website. Once registered, the following steps need to be taken to link the two IDs:
1. Log in to the e-Filing portal with your user ID and password.
2. In the various tabs on top of the page, click on “Profile Settings”. In the drop down, click on “Link Aadhaar”.
3. In the new page, you will see your personal details like name, date of birth etc. Verify the details on the screen with your Aadhaar Card. The details have to match exactly for both to be linked. If they match, enter the 12 digit Aadhaar number and click on the ‘Link Now’ button. You will receive a pop-up message saying – “Aadhaar-PAN linking is completed successfully”.
If the personal details do not match then the discrepancy has to be corrected in any one of the two documents before linking the two. The most common difference seen is that there is some discrepancy in name – like middle name or initials given in one document & not in the other.
Sabyasachi Paul has been associated with equity research and advisory on equity markets in India for over 9 years & currently heads the equity research desk of Eastern Financiers Ltd, Kolkata.He also manages a portfolio on the online platform Kristal. Find link to the strategy named ‘The Tortoise’