PAN–Aadhaar Link Status: How to Check, Link and Fix an Inoperative PAN

To check your PAN–Aadhaar link status, open the Income Tax e-Filing portal (incometax.gov.in). Under Quick Links, click Link Aadhaar Status, enter your PAN and Aadhaar number, then click View Link Aadhaar Status. You do not need to log in. If the portal says the PAN is not linked, use Quick Links → Link Aadhaar. Most people who were given a PAN on or before 1 July 2017 and did not link it by 30 June 2023 must first pay a ₹1,000 late-linking fee through e-Pay Tax. Wait four to five working days for the payment to show, then submit the link request with an OTP. Under the Income-tax Rules, 2026, an inoperative PAN becomes operative again within 30 days of your Aadhaar being intimated, once the fee has been paid.

This guide covers checking the status, paying the fee, submitting the request and what each result means. It also explains how to fix the name and date-of-birth mismatches that cause most failed requests. The steps and rules were checked against the Income Tax Department’s own help pages, user manual and rules on 12 November 2026. Since 1 April 2026 the law behind them is the Income-tax Act, 2025, which replaced the 1961 Act. This is general information, not tax advice. If your case is unusual, the e-Filing portal and your jurisdictional assessing officer have the final word.

Who has to link PAN with Aadhaar?

Section 262(6) of the Income-tax Act, 2025 says that anyone who has a PAN and is eligible for Aadhaar must give their Aadhaar number to the tax department. If they don’t, the PAN is made inoperative. This used to be section 139AA of the 1961 Act, and many websites still cite it. In practice, which group you fall into depends on when and how you got your PAN.

Your situation	What applies
PAN allotted on or before 1 July 2017, not yet linked	Linking is mandatory. The deadline was 30 June 2023, so the ₹1,000 fee applies now.
PAN applied for with an Aadhaar number after that	The portal says Aadhaar is linked automatically when the PAN is issued. Check the status once to confirm.
PAN allotted using an Aadhaar Enrolment ID (application filed before 1 October 2024)	CBDT Notification 26/2025 required you to give your actual Aadhaar number by 31 December 2025. The portal says such PANs became inoperative from 1 January 2026 if this was not done.
Resident of Assam, Jammu and Kashmir or Meghalaya; non-resident under the Income-tax Act; aged 80 or more; or not an Indian citizen	Exempt under Notification 37/2017, which the portal still lists. If you want to link anyway, the portal says you must pay the fee.

Many people are unsure about the Enrolment ID group. If your PAN was issued quickly before your Aadhaar number arrived, the application used the 28-digit enrolment ID printed on the Aadhaar acknowledgement slip. The notification does not say whether a fee applies to these late cases. The rule that sets the ₹1,000 fee, Rule 158(10) of the Income-tax Rules, 2026, mentions only people who missed 30 June 2023. In practice the portal decides. If it shows “Payment details not found” when you try to link, it expects the fee.

How to check PAN–Aadhaar link status

Without logging in

1. Go to incometax.gov.in and open the e-Filing home page.
2. Under Quick Links, click Link Aadhaar Status.
3. Enter your 10-character PAN and 12-digit Aadhaar number.
4. Click View Link Aadhaar Status. The result appears on screen.

After logging in

1. Log in to the e-Filing portal with your PAN as the user ID.
2. On the Dashboard, click Link Aadhaar Status. You can also go to My Profile → Link Aadhaar Status.
3. If Aadhaar is already linked, your profile shows the Aadhaar number. If not, you see a Link Aadhaar option instead.

If your PAN is inoperative, the portal also shows a notice after you log in. The department’s FAQ quotes it: “Your PAN is made inoperative as it is not linked with your Aadhaar. Some of the accesses may be limited.”

What the result means

The portal’s user manual describes three outcomes. The exact wording on screen can change, so match the meaning rather than the words.

Result	What it means	What to do
Linked successfully	Your PAN and Aadhaar are linked.	Nothing. If the PAN was inoperative, allow up to 30 days for it to become operative.
Link request in progress / pending with UIDAI	Your request was sent to UIDAI for validation and is waiting.	Check again in a few days. Don’t pay a second time.
Not linked	No successful link exists.	Pay the fee if it applies, then submit a link request (steps below).
Validation failed	UIDAI could not match your details.	Fix the mismatch, then click Link Aadhaar and repeat the request.

How to link PAN with Aadhaar, step by step

Before you start, have your PAN, your Aadhaar number and a mobile phone that can receive an OTP. You can do everything without an e-Filing account. If you are exempt, or still inside a deadline that applies to you, skip Step 1.

Step 1: Pay the ₹1,000 fee through e-Pay Tax

1. On the e-Filing home page, click Link Aadhaar under Quick Links. Enter your PAN and Aadhaar number and click Validate.
2. If no payment is found, click Continue to Pay Through e-Pay Tax.
3. Enter your PAN twice and a mobile number for the OTP, then verify the OTP.
4. On the e-Pay Tax page, choose Income Tax Act, 2025 and click Continue, then click Proceed on the Income Tax tile.
5. Select the relevant Tax Year, choose Other Receipts (500) as the type of payment and Fee for delay in Linking Pan with Aadhaar as the sub-type. The amount is filled in for you.
6. Click Continue to create the challan, choose a payment method and pay through your bank.

Older guides tell you to pick an “Assessment Year”. The current screen asks for the Act first and then a Tax Year, because the 2025 Act replaced assessment years with tax years. The fee is set by section 430 of the 2025 Act, which used to be section 234H.

Step 2: Wait for the payment to show

The portal says to wait four to five working days after paying before you send the link request. If you try earlier you may get “Payment details not found” even though your bank has taken the money. Keep the challan receipt in case you need it.

Step 3: Submit the link request

1. Go back to Quick Links → Link Aadhaar, or after logging in, Profile → Link Aadhaar.
2. Enter your PAN and Aadhaar number and click Validate. The pop-up should now say your payment details are verified. Click Continue.
3. Fill in the details the form asks for, such as your name as it appears on Aadhaar and a mobile number.
4. Enter the 6-digit OTP sent to that mobile number and click Validate.
5. The portal confirms the request has been submitted. Check Link Aadhaar Status again after a few days.

What an inoperative PAN means

An inoperative PAN has not been cancelled. Your PAN number stays the same and will work again once Aadhaar is linked. Until then, Rule 162 of the Income-tax Rules, 2026 sets out these effects:

• No refunds: any tax refund due to you is not paid.
• No interest on refunds for the period the PAN stays inoperative.
• Higher TDS and TCS: tax deducted or collected at source is charged at the higher rate under section 397(2) of the 2025 Act (previously sections 206AA and 206CC). This can affect salary, interest, rent and many other payments.
• Some portal features may be limited when you log in, as the dashboard notice warns.

The current rules and FAQs don’t say that you cannot file an income tax return with an inoperative PAN. They do say refunds and refund interest are held back. An old FAQ that expired on 30 June 2023 said both things, which is why advice online conflicts. The safe course is to link first, then file.

Rule 162(2) says the PAN “shall become operative within thirty days” of your Aadhaar being intimated, once the fee has been paid. The 30 days run from the date your link request is made, not from the date you paid.

Fixing a name, date of birth or gender mismatch

Most failed link requests are caused by details that don’t match. Your Aadhaar might show “Ramesh Kumar Sharma” while your PAN says “R K Sharma”, or the dates of birth might differ. The department’s FAQ gives three ways to fix this:

1. Correct your PAN record through the agency that issued it, Protean (formerly NSDL) or UTIITSL. See our guide to checking PAN status to find out which agency issued yours.
2. Correct your Aadhaar record with UIDAI, online for some fields or at an Aadhaar centre. Our guide on filling the Aadhaar correction form explains which fields need a centre visit. You can find an Aadhaar centre near you online.
3. Use biometric authentication at a dedicated Protean or UTIITSL centre if the request still fails. Take your PAN, your Aadhaar and the ₹1,000 fee challan. The centre charges its own fee for the biometric check.

Correct whichever record is actually wrong, not the one that is easier to change. Your bank, demat and tax records usually carry your PAN details, so changing PAN details that were right can create new mismatches elsewhere.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting the link request straight after paying. Give the payment four to five working days to show.
• Choosing the wrong payment type. The portal’s manual specifies Other Receipts (500) with the sub-type Fee for delay in Linking Pan with Aadhaar. Check both before you pay.
• Paying twice. If the status says the request is pending with UIDAI, wait. A second payment does not speed it up.
• Using unofficial sites or agents that ask for your Aadhaar OTP. The official portal is free to use apart from the fee. Never share an OTP with someone who calls you about it.
• Assuming the old section numbers still apply. Forms and notices issued from April 2026 refer to the 2025 Act (sections 262, 430 and 397), not 139AA, 234H and 206AA.

Frequently asked questions

Is the PAN–Aadhaar link fee still ₹1,000?

Yes. Section 430 of the Income-tax Act, 2025 allows a fee of up to ₹1,000, and Rule 158(10) of the Income-tax Rules, 2026 sets it at exactly ₹1,000 for late linking. It is paid once, through e-Pay Tax.

Is there a new deadline to link PAN and Aadhaar?

As of 12 November 2026 we found no new deadline. The 30 June 2023 deadline for older PANs and the 31 December 2025 deadline for Enrolment ID PANs have both passed. If you link now, the PAN becomes operative within 30 days of the request once the fee is paid.

Can I check PAN–Aadhaar link status by SMS?

We found no official SMS service for checking the status. An older, undated Income Tax FAQ describes linking by sending UIDPAN <Aadhaar number> <PAN> to 567678 or 56161. It works only if your name and date of birth match exactly, and the current e-Filing help pages no longer mention it. The portal method above is the reliable one, and the fee still applies.

I am an NRI. Do I need to link?

Non-residents under the Income-tax Act are in the exempt list. If your PAN still shows as inoperative, the department’s records may not show you as a non-resident. Ask your jurisdictional assessing officer (found through Know Your AO) to update your residential status, rather than paying to link an Aadhaar you may not have.

My status still says “not linked” a week after I submitted. What now?

If the request was accepted, it may still be pending with UIDAI. Check the status again later. If it shows a validation failure, the details probably don’t match. Fix the record and submit the request again. Keep your challan receipt. If the portal can’t find your earlier payment, contact the e-Filing helpdesk before paying again.

Can I use my e-PAN while it is inoperative?

The PAN number on your e-PAN or card doesn’t change, but the effects listed above apply until it is operative again. For a lost card or a fresh e-PAN, see our guide to getting a duplicate PAN or e-PAN. If you can’t remember your PAN number, read how to find your own PAN safely.

The short version

Check the status first under Quick Links → Link Aadhaar Status. If it is not linked, pay the ₹1,000 fee under Income Tax Act, 2025, Other Receipts (500), wait four to five working days, then submit Link Aadhaar with your OTP. Make sure your name, date of birth and gender match in both records before you start. For background on the card itself, read what a PAN card is and how it is structured.