PAN Card-Aadhaar Card linking: What can NRIs do if their PAN have become inoperable? I-T dept answers

PAN Card-Aadhaar Card Linking: The last date to link one's Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar number was June 30, 2023. Though the government had extended the deadline several times, it has not done it this time. For individuals who haven't linked their PAN with Aadhaar, their PAN cards have become inoperative from July 1, 2023. 

In lieu of the deadline crossing, the Income Tax Department has been receiving a lot of queries about inoperative PAN cards and how will it affect their financial transactions.  

One Twitter user noted that many Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) were affected due to the PAN-Aadhaar linking. The user said that over 10 crore PANs of NRIs were made “inactive” and their investments and bank balance in India could be “frozen”. 

Replying to the query, the I-T department said that not-linking Aadhaar with PAN makes a PAN inactive and has several other consequences. However, non-residents who had intimated their NRI status to the Department were already exempted from PAN-Aadhaar linking and their PANs are active and operative. 

“It may be noted that non-linking of PAN with Aadhaar makes a PAN inoperative and not inactive, consequences of which have already been specified…The NRIs who had intimated their NRI status to the Department are already exempted from PAN – Aadhaar linking and their PANs are active and operative,” the Income Tax Department tweeted. 

 

 

The I-T department further said that persons, who have not yet intimated their NRI status to the Department, should contact their Jurisdictional Assessing Officer.  

“ Persons who have not yet intimated their NRI status to the Department are requested to kindly contact their Jurisdictional Assessing Officer (JAO), online, with supporting documents (copy of PAN card & copy of passport showing period of residence outside India), so that their status can be updated in the PAN database.” 

Another Twitter user too raised the similar query and said his PAN was inoperative and wanted to make it operative again.  

In reply, the Income Tax department said: “Please write to us with your/ taxpayer’s details, along with colour-scanned copy of PAN and copy of documents in support of non-resident status (passport showing period of residence outside India) via email at adg1.systems@incometax.gov.in & jd.systems1.1@incometax.gov.in Our team will look into it.” 

Earlier, the Income Tax department had said the last date to link PAN with Aadhaar by paying Rs 1000 as a late fee ended on June 30. For users, who had paid fees but failed to link, the tax department said such cases will be duly considered. 

The data from the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) showed that there was a considerable gap between the number of PAN cards issued and those that are linked to Aadhaar numbers. According to the report released in February, about 610 million individual PANs have been issued till now. Of this, around 480 million have been linked with Aadhaar. 

It is important to note that the Income Tax department has exempted a few from linking PAN and Aaddhar. 

Residents of the states of Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, and Meghalaya; non-residents as per the I-T Act, 1961; persons aged 80 and above at any time during the previous year; and those who are not citizens of India. 

Also read: Linking of PAN and Aadhaar is not compulsory for these individuals. Find out here 

Also read: PAN, Aadhaar not linked: I plan to file ITR, but have forgotten the password. What should I do?