Aadhaar PAN Link Status: Check If Your PAN Is Linked with Aadhaar Online
By the LegalDev India Tax Compliance Team
To check Aadhaar PAN link status, open the Income Tax e-Filing portal at incometax.gov.in, click Link Aadhaar Status under Quick Links, enter your PAN and Aadhaar number, and select View Link Aadhaar Status. The portal shows whether the two are linked, pending with UIDAI, or not linked. No login is required.
Your refund has not arrived, or a bank has cut tax from your interest at double the rate you expected. One two-minute check tells you whether an unlinked PAN is the reason. This page shows the check, explains every result, and walks you through the fix if the answer is "not linked".
What Is Aadhaar PAN Link Status?
Aadhaar PAN link status is the record on the Income Tax Department's system showing whether your PAN is tied to your Aadhaar number, or where a request to tie them currently stands. It has three possible answers: linked, pending validation with UIDAI, or not linked.
Link status is not the same as PAN status. A PAN can be marked inoperative because it is unlinked, and it stays inoperative after you apply until the department reactivates it. So a "pending" result means your request is in the queue, not that the PAN is back to normal.
The duty comes from Section 139AA of the Income-tax Act, 1961, which applies to most residents who hold a PAN and are eligible for Aadhaar. One 2026 summary says the duty is carried into the Income-tax Act, 2025 as Section 262(6).
Why Is Aadhaar PAN Linking Important?
An unlinked PAN became inoperative from 1 July 2023, after the free linking window closed on 30 June 2023. A later group had until 31 December 2025: people whose PAN was allotted on an Aadhaar enrolment ID before 1 October 2024 had to give their actual Aadhaar number by then, under CBDT Notification No. 26/2025 dated 3 April 2025. Those PANs became inoperative from 1 January 2026.
An inoperative PAN is not cancelled, but it stops working for returns, refunds and deductions at normal rates. Details are in the consequences section below.
Who Should Check Aadhaar PAN Link Status?
Salaried employees with a refund pending or a Form 16 showing higher TDS
Freelancers and consultants whose clients deduct tax on fees
Business owners and proprietors, since their PAN is used for returns and bank KYC
Anyone who got a PAN using an Aadhaar enrolment ID before 1 October 2024
Anyone who linked years ago and cannot remember whether it went through
How to Check Aadhaar PAN Link Status (Pre-Login)
The pre-login check needs only your PAN and Aadhaar number and works for registered and unregistered users alike (Income Tax e-Filing Link Aadhaar user manual, 2025).
Step 1: Visit the Income Tax e-Filing Portal
Type https://www.incometax.gov.in into your browser. Do not enter your Aadhaar number on any other site, this one included. Third-party pages cannot read the department's record, so a result from one is not a link status.
Step 2: Click on "Link Aadhaar / View Status"
On the home page, look under Quick Links for Link Aadhaar Status. The user manual names the pre-login option Link Aadhaar/View Status, so either label may appear.
Step 3: Enter PAN and Aadhaar Number
Type your 10-character PAN and your 12-digit Aadhaar number, then click View Link Aadhaar Status. Checking status is different from submitting a new link request, so do not use the Link Aadhaar button for this step.
Step 4: View Link Aadhaar Status
A message appears within seconds. The results section below explains each one.
How to Check Aadhaar PAN Link Status (Post-Login)
If you already have an e-Filing account, log in and open the Link Aadhaar Status option under your profile. If your Aadhaar is linked, the portal displays your Aadhaar number (user manual, 2025).
Step 1: Log in to the e-Filing Portal
Use your PAN as the user ID, your password and the OTP or other second step the portal asks for.
Step 2: Go to My Profile
Open the profile menu from your name at the top of the dashboard.
Step 3: Click on Link Aadhaar Status
Select the option labelled Link Aadhaar Status.
Step 4: View Linked or Not Linked Status
A linked PAN shows your Aadhaar number. An unlinked one shows no Aadhaar number and offers a Link Aadhaar option instead.
Aadhaar PAN Link Status Results Explained
The portal returns one of three answers. Find yours in the table and act on the right-hand column.
| Result | What It Means | PAN Operative Yet? | What to Do |
|---|
| PAN already linked to the Aadhaar entered | Link is complete | Yes, unless the portal separately flags it | Nothing |
| Request sent to UIDAI for validation | Request submitted, answer pending | Not yet, if it was inoperative | Check again later; do not resubmit |
| PAN not linked | No link on record | No | Pay the fee, then submit a link request |
These are paraphrased from the portal's messages and the user manual, 2025.
Aadhaar Already Linked with PAN
The link exists. Keep the screenshot. If you still see delays or higher TDS, ask your CA or the deductor to confirm the PAN shows as operative on their side.
Aadhaar Not Linked with PAN
You need to pay the late fee and submit a link request. Also check you typed the right Aadhaar number: a PAN can be linked to a different Aadhaar than the one you entered, and the portal flags that case.
Linking Request Pending with UIDAI
The department has sent your details to UIDAI for validation. The user manual says to check the status later. Submitting again does not speed it up.
Name or Date of Birth Mismatch
If validation fails because details do not match, the manual tells you to return to the status page and start the link request again after the records agree. Fix the wrong record first. Mismatch causes are in the issues section below.
How to Link Aadhaar with PAN If Not Linked
Pay the ₹1,000 fee through the portal first, then submit the link request. The sequence matters: the request is accepted only after the payment is verified.
Link Aadhaar Without Login
On the home page choose Link Aadhaar, enter your PAN and Aadhaar number, and click Validate. If the fee has not been paid, the portal points you to e-Pay Tax. After the fee is verified, continue, enter your name as on Aadhaar and the Aadhaar-linked mobile number, and verify the OTP (Link Aadhaar user manual, 2025).
Link Aadhaar After Login
The route is the same once you are logged in. Open your profile, choose the Link Aadhaar option, confirm the details that appear and submit.
Link Aadhaar via SMS
The SMS format UIDPAN, a space, your 12-digit Aadhaar, a space, your 10-digit PAN, sent to 567678 or 56161, is documented for checking status (Business Standard, December 2025). We found no current official statement that a link request can be completed by SMS alone now that the fee applies. Use the portal to link.
Pay Linking Fee If Applicable
The late-linking fee is ₹1,000 under Section 234H, unchanged as of mid-2026 in the guides we reviewed. It is paid through e-Pay Tax under Income Tax, Other Receipts (500), before you submit the request. After the request is validated, the department makes the PAN operative within up to 30 days.
Worked timeline (illustrative): you pay ₹1,000 on 2 November 2026, the payment shows as verified by 5 November, and you submit the request that day. The PAN could take until about 5 December to become operative. A ₹21,500 refund on your return would be released only after that.
The fee is a government payment; LegalDev India charges separately if you ask us to do the work for you.
Common Aadhaar PAN Linking Issues and Fixes
Most failures come from records that do not match, not from the portal.
Name mismatch between PAN and Aadhaar
The name on your PAN and Aadhaar must agree. Correct the wrong record, in Aadhaar through UIDAI or in PAN through the PAN service provider, then retry. Fix first, and do not pay a second fee unless the portal asks for one.
Date of birth mismatch
A different date of birth on the two records fails validation the same way. Decide which one is right and correct the other.
Invalid Aadhaar or PAN details
Re-check all 12 digits of the Aadhaar and all 10 characters of the PAN. A common slip is the letter O in place of a zero in the PAN. Make sure the mobile number you enter is the one linked to Aadhaar, since the OTP goes there.
Status showing pending for a long time
Wait the full 30 days from the request. If the status still shows pending after that, raise a grievance on the e-Filing portal and keep your payment receipt.
Who Is Exempt from Linking?
Not everyone must link. As reported in 2025, non-resident Indians, people who are not Indian citizens, anyone aged 80 or above during the year, and residents of Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu & Kashmir are exempt. If you are an NRI, keep your residential status updated in your e-Filing profile, since that is how the system knows to treat you as exempt.
What Happens If PAN Is Not Linked with Aadhaar?
An unlinked PAN is inoperative, which means the department treats it as unusable for tax purposes until it is reactivated.
PAN Becomes Inoperative
The PAN is not deleted or cancelled. It is switched off for use, from 1 July 2023 for most holders and from 1 January 2026 for PANs allotted on an Aadhaar enrolment ID that were not linked by 31 December 2025.
Impact on ITR Filing and Refunds
You cannot file or process a return with an inoperative PAN, and refunds are held back. Interest on a refund is also not paid for the period the PAN stays inoperative, according to the department's FAQ.
Example (illustrative): a ₹21,500 refund stays on hold until the PAN becomes operative, and no interest is added for the months it waited.
Our ITR filing and individual ITR teams can file once the PAN is back.
Impact on Financial Transactions
Tax deducted at source is charged at a higher rate under Section 206AA while the PAN is inoperative. Banks, brokers and registrars may also refuse KYC or new accounts on an unusable PAN; that is our reasoning from how KYC works, not a rule we can cite.
Worked example: on ₹1,00,000 of fixed-deposit interest, 20% means ₹20,000 is withheld instead of ₹10,000 at 10%, an extra ₹10,000 held back until you claim it in a return the department can process.
Use our TDS calculator to see what a deduction should be, and see how to verify a deductor's TAN if the numbers look wrong.
Next step: check your status on incometax.gov.in today. If it says not linked, or your request keeps failing,
talk to a tax expert. Checking is free on the official portal; our help is optional. LegalDev Tax India Private Limited (CIN U69202UT2023PTC016183) is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with any government authority.
FAQs About Aadhaar PAN Link Status
Go to incometax.gov.in, click Link Aadhaar Status under Quick Links, enter your PAN and Aadhaar number and select View Link Aadhaar Status. The result appears on screen.
Yes. Send UIDPAN, then your 12-digit Aadhaar and your 10-digit PAN, separated by spaces, to 567678 or 56161.
Yes. As of 2026 the free window has closed, and linking an unlinked PAN needs the ₹1,000 fee under Section 234H, paid through e-Pay Tax before the request.
Up to 30 days after the link request is validated and the fee is paid.
No. Pending means UIDAI has not yet confirmed the request. An inoperative PAN stays inoperative until it is reactivated.
NRIs, non-citizens, people aged 80 or above and residents of Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu & Kashmir are reported as exempt. Confirm your own case on the official portal.
Correct the wrong record first, in Aadhaar through UIDAI or in PAN through the PAN service provider, then submit the link request again.
No. It is inoperative, not cancelled, and works again after linking, paying the fee and reactivation.