Think Before Linking PAN with Aadhaar

The government has issued instructions to resident and non-resident Indians to link their PAN Cards with Aadhaar and those who do not link their PAN Cards with Aadhaar will not be able to file or e-file their IT Returns for the AY 2017-18 and onwards. Keeping in view the general difficulties being faced by the public the government, in consultation with webmasters of UIDAI and Income Tax E-filing websites, has simplified the procedures to Link the Pan Card with Aadhar.

Which ID Proof is Most Reliable in India

No doubt it is just a less than one minute job and anybody holding valid PAN Card and Aadhaar Card can do it within a fraction of a minute. But, beware - you should not use the above Link provided by the IncomeTax E-filing website in haste lest you may land yourself into trouble. However, if you are already e-filing your IT Return and there are no issues with 26AS or IT Returns filed by you so far then you can use the above link fearlessly. But the individuals, who have never filed their IT Returns in the past must do the following tests:

• Register on the e-filing website of Income Tax
• If registration process says that "This PAN is already registered. If you have not registered, please contact 180042500025 (Not Working) as I tried it.
• Your Problems starts here.
• Now you have no alternative but to use the forgot password facility and generate the OTP through your new email ID and Mobile Number.
• After the generation and filling of OTP through email and mobile - the system will ask you to verify your TDS details through TAN details of deductor. If there is no Tax Deduction in your case, I fear you may not be able to take control of IT Profile associated with your PAN Number which might be being used by some other namesake as that of yours.
• In case you are able to reset the password - there is every possibility that the other person, who is using your PAN Number - wrongly allotted to two different individuals, may cancel the password reset request as the Income Tax website sends emails to both the email IDs - that is email ID of person already using the PAN Card profile and fresh email ID provided by you.
• In one such case, one of my friends submitted the password reset which is activated by Income Tax website after 12 hours and the email goes to the previous email ID using the profile and the fresh email ID, who wants to take control of the profile.
• It is just like two twins with same DOB and same names fighting for one wife. Only the parents of the wife can tell who is the original husband of their daughter. Here the parents are NSDL, UTIISL and the Income Tax People - who will decide as to whom the PAN Card belongs.
• In the above case of my friend, the other twin cancelled the password reset request 5 times and my friend was deprived of his right to view his 26AS and enjoy filing my IT Return.
• Then my friend played a trick. He sent the Password Reset Request at about 11 PM on the night when the other twin might be sleeping. My friend woke up early in the morning to catch hold of his legitimate wife that is same PAN Number allotted to two different persons. Lo, the parents allowed the wife (PAN Number being used by Other Twin) to go with my friend and now he had full access to the IT Profile.
• Immediately without checking any other details - the friend linked the PAN with his Aadhaar which got completed successfully. Now legally speaking my friend became the true husband of the wife (PAN Card Associated Profile) who was living with his twin for the last more than 10 years and his twin was left helpless.
• But during the last 10 years, the twin of the friend had e-filed so many IT Returns which could be seen in the profile along with Income Tax Notices. Now it was my friend's turn to face the problem to bear the burn of bringing up the children born out of the live-in relationship of my twin and my wife.
• Now my friend was left with no alternative but to re-handover the wife to his twin so that they could live in happily and my friend is now in search of new wife (Fresh Different PAN Number and not Shared PAN Number)

What Happens when Same PAN Card is issued to two Different Persons:

There is every likelihood that you might be sharing your PAN Number with some other Person. You will have to pass through the above dilemma - and I am still searching for the solution. However, if you decide to apply for a fresh PAN through your Aadhaar authentication then you will have to loose are your Tax Credits so far and you will have to go through submission of New PAN Number to your Employer, Banker or Tax Deductor.

What happens to Multiple PAN Cards:

I have seen people having multiple PAN Cards either out of ignorance or to cheat the Income Tax Authorities and Bankers as CIBIL Reports are generated through PAN Numbers. Now the Government has taken a step in the right direction to get rid of multiple PAN Cards issued to same Persons as after linking one of your PAN Card with Aadhaar, the other PAN Cards will get automatically cancelled and the multiple PAN Cardholder will not be able to get Tax Credits, if any, associated with the other PAN Cards in addition to penalties.

Still, have any doubts, meet this Expert with Prior Appointment.