Summary of this article
PAN–Aadhaar deadline ended December 31, 2025
Unlinked PAN becomes inoperative from January 1, 2026
Reactivation possible by Aadhaar linking with ₹1,000 penalty
The PAN-Aadhaar linking continues to be one of the most important administrative tasks in India. To streamline income Tax compliance among citizens, PAN-Aadhaar linking has become an important measure. Despite multiple deadline revisions in the past, many taxpayers still remain unsure of the current status of their PAN Cards, whether they are operative, linked, or have become inactive due to not being linked with their Aadhaar. With financial transactions increasingly dependent on PAN validation, this uncertainty is a big block for salaried individuals, investors, senior citizens, and small taxpayers alike.
PAN being inoperative can significantly disturb the financial activities of individuals, be it filing for tax returns, opening bank accounts, investing in mutual funds, or conducting high-value transactions. Moreover, non-compliance with this task can result in higher tax deductions at source (TDS), delayed refunds, and difficulties in completing KYC processes. Given the intensity of these implications, it becomes important to get this job done.
Earlier, announcements had been made that taxpayers must link their Permanent Account Number (PAN) with their respective Aadhaar. This time, the latest deadline to link PAN with Aadhaar was December 31, 2025. People somewhere expected this deadline would be revised again, but as per reports by the Economic Times, there is no revision announced by the Income Tax Department. Making it clear that those who did not complete this formality by the deadline provided will have their PAN cards inoperative from January 01, 2026.
As per the income tax regulations, PAN cards that are not linked to the Aadhaar will be marked inoperative. Any inoperative PAN card is treated as invalid for any financial and tax-related task. Until the PAN is reactivated, taxpayers will face a higher TDS rate on their salaries.
To help individuals confirm their compliance status, the e-filing portal offers an online facility to verify PAN using a simple OTP based authentication process.
Process to Verify Your PAN Status
Visit the e-Filing Portal: Go to the official Income Tax e-Filing portal homepage and click on the “verify your PAN” option.
Verify details: Enter your authentication details like date of birth, PAN number, full name, and registered mobile number. Enter the OTP received by the registered mobile number and check whether the PAN is active or inactive.
Things To Note
The OTP will be valid for only 15 minutes; after that, you have to resubmit the details to receive the active OTP.
Only three attempts will be given to enter the correct OTP.
If the PAN is declared inoperative, it is NOT to be discarded; it can be reactivated by paying a penalty.
How To Reactivate PAN
If any user missed the deadline and now wants to reactivate their PAN cards, they can do so by linking their Aadhaar while paying a penalty of Rs 1,000 on the e-Pay Tax facility on the official portal. Once this is done, it will take 7-30 days to reactivate your PAN status from inoperative to active. During this period, the higher TDS clause will continue to apply.
This process is quick and can be done in a few minutes through the online portal. Ensuring the PAN and Aadhaar are linked will make sure that you are not taxed unnecessarily.
