PAN–Aadhaar linking deadline ends today: Last chance to link, late fee details and steps

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• Today is the last day to link PAN with Aadhaar to avoid inoperative PAN status.
• Unlinked PAN after deadline will disrupt tax filing and financial transactions.
• Linking after deadline requires a Rs 1,000 late fee before proceeding.

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If you haven’t yet linked your PAN with Aadhaar, today is the final day to do so. The deadline for PAN–Aadhaar linking ends today, December 31, 2025, leaving taxpayers with just a few hours to complete the process.

The Income Tax Department has warned that PAN cards not linked with Aadhaar by today will become inoperative, which could disrupt several essential financial and tax-related activities.

What happens if you miss today’s deadline?

Once the deadline lapses, an unlinked PAN will be rendered inoperative. This means taxpayers may face issues while:

• Filing income tax returns
• Receiving tax refunds
• Opening bank or demat accounts
• Carrying out high-value financial transactions

In addition, anyone attempting to link PAN and Aadhaar after today will have to pay a late fee of Rs 1,000 before initiating the linking process.

PAN–Aadhaar linking: Deadline and late fee

The last date to link PAN with Aadhaar is today i.e. December 31, 2025 however, if you fail to update by today you will still have a chance to link both by paying Rs 1,000. According to the IT department, late fee must be paid first, after which Aadhaar can be linked with PAN.

Taxpayers can complete the linking online via the Income Tax Department’s e-filing portal.

Here are simple steps to link PAN with Aadhaar: Step-by-step

Taxpayers can can complete the linking process via online and offline methods.

Steps to do it through online method

• 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

However, taxpayers who do not have easy access to the internet can also opt for the offline method

For offline method, taxpayer can opt between SMS service or visiting service centres

For SMS: Send UIDPAN <space> 12-digit Aadhaar <space> 10-digit PAN to short codes 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.”

How to Check linking status

You can confirm your linking status on the portal:

• Aadhaar already linked
• Linking request pending
• Aadhaar not linked

In case of any mismatched information or discrepancies in Aadhaar or PAN details, taxpayers can rectify the same by making corrections in Aadhaar on UIDAI portal and PAN-related corrections on the UTIITSL portal.

What to do in case of Mismatched Aadhaar and PAN

If an Aadhaar number is linked to another PAN, taxpayers must contact their Jurisdictional Assessing Officer and submit a request for delinking.

Aadhaar mandatory for new PAN applicants

For new PAN card applicants, Aadhaar-based verification is now mandatory at the time of application. This move aims to eliminate the need for PAN–Aadhaar linking later.