Aadhaar–PAN linking deadline nears: How to fix mismatched details before December 31

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Is your Aadhaar and PAN not linked yet due to mismatched details? Well, you have still got some time to fix the issues as government’s final deadline of December 31, 2025 to link your Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar is around the corner. If you fail to do so, your PAN risks becoming inoperative — a status that can significantly disrupt financial life, starting January 1, 2026.

The mandate was introduced by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) which targets taxpayers whose PAN was issued based on an Aadhaar Enrolment ID filed before October 1, 2024. These individuals must now formally update their Aadhaar number in the income-tax database before the year-end cut-off.

An inoperative PAN isn’t just another bureaucratic label — it stops you from performing essential financial tasks:

• Filing income tax returns is blocked
• Tax refunds may be withheld
• KYC verifications for bank accounts, mutual funds, investments, insurance and loans can fail
• Not just this, rates of TDS/TCS can surge due to non-valid PAN status

Even routine transactions, such as using SIP auto-debit or crediting a salary, can be affected once PAN is inactive. Experts warn that processing of financial instructions may fail until the linking is complete.

A frequent stumbling block for taxpayers is mismatched personal information between Aadhaar and PAN — especially differences in name spelling, date of birth, or gender. Even a missing middle name can cause your linking request to fail.

• You need to verify your Aadhaar and PAN details carefully before submitting a linking request.
• For this, you can update your Aadhaar information online — including name, address or date of birth — through the UIDAI portal.
• For PAN card, you can file a correction request through service providers such as Protean (NSDL) or UTIITSL, if any changes are required.

You can complete the linking process via online and offline methods

Visit the Income Tax e-Filing portal

Select “Link Aadhaar”

Enter your PAN and Aadhaar numbers

Confirm details and verify via OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile

You can confirm your linking status on the portal:

Aadhaar already linked

Linking request pending

Aadhaar not linked

SMS: Send UIDPAN <space> 12-digit Aadhaar <space> 10-digit PAN to shortcodes such as 567678 or 56161.

PAN Service Centres: Visit your nearest Protean (NSDL) or UTIITSL office with original documents and self-attested copies for assistance. A nominal fee may apply.

Once processed, you can check the status online — which will show as “Linked,” “Pending,” or “Not Linked.”

However, if you fail to link PAN and Aadhaar, there's a penalty you will have to pay besides having an inactive PAN.

If you miss the deadline, your PAN will automatically become inoperative from January 1, 2026. To reactivate it, you must pay a Rs 1,000 penalty and complete the linking. This fee is processed via the Income Tax e-Pay facility on the Income Tax e-filing portal, and linking typically completes within days once the fine is cleared.