The last day to link your Aadhaar and PAN (Personal Account Number) card was previously set for March 31, 2022 by the Indian government. Those who fail to meet the deadline may have to pay a fine to the Income Tax Department, media reports suggest.

A day before the deadline was set to expire, the central government announced the amount that an individual may need to pay after the March 31 deadline. 

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In the first three months after April 1, people will need to pay a penalty of Rs 500 for not interlinking their Aadhaar and PAN cards, according to media reports citing a notification from the Central Board of Direct Taxes.

The due amount would then be increased three months (June 30, 2022) after the deadline passes. Individuals will then need to pay Rs 1,000.

The PAN card may become “inoperative” if it has not been linked to the Aadhaar Card, the central government previously announced, according to reports from Times Now.

How to check if your PAN card is linked?

The fairly simple process of checking the status of your PAN and Aadhar link can be completed on the Indian Income Tax website under the “Aadhar Status” section.

The user will then have to enter the Aadhaar and PAN numbers on the website and then click on the  “check status” button.

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So what happens if your PAN is inoperative?

Your PAN card may still be used for purposes related to proving your identity for non-tax related matters like applying for a drivers licesnce or opening a bank account, according to reports from Times Now. No penalty should be connected to the process.

Your PAN card would again be considered valid after it has been linked to the Aadhaar card and no fines should be applicable after the linking process is complete.