Linking Aadhaar to PAN is not necessary for filing AY 2017-18 Income Tax Returns

Published: March 28, 2017 at 9:58 am

Last Updated on October 8, 2023 at 1:40 pm

Finance Bill 2017 was passed in the Lok Sabha on 22nd March 2017. Several amendments were introduced just before it was passed. Some of the key amendments involve the Aadhar card. In this post, I discuss why linking Aadhaar to PAN is not necessary for filing AY 2017-18 Income Tax Returns.

The amendments: (1) After 1st July 2017, all income tax returns and all PAN applications will require the Aadhar card number to be mentioned. (2) The govt will soon require PAN cards to be linked to Aadhaar card, failing which PAN cards will be invalidated.

It is important to recognise that no details are available about the last date to link Aadhaar with Pan. The government is yet to announce the authority, form and manner and date before which linkage should be accomplished (page 28 of the finance bill).  This means that all we need to do right away is to

1: mention the Aadhaar number (apply for one if we don’t have one yet) or the enrollment number (if Aadhar not yet issued) in the ITR. There should not be any problem in processing the ITR for AY 2017-18 or FY 2016-17.

2:  Take steps to link Aadhaar with PAN.  If we do not link them, then we may not be able to file the next ITR (ie a year from now) – AY 2018-19 or FY 2017-18.

On the face of it, the linkage is easy.  If the name of the assessee as per income tax records matches the name on the Aadhaar card, the linkage can be instantly done via the e-filing website. If there is a mismatch, then Aadhar details can be updated online in a day or so if your mobile is linked to Aadhaar. After that one can link the two. Theoretically sounds perfect. However, there are some problems.

How to link Aadhaar to Pan

Step 0: Check Assessee name as mentioned in the e-filing website (not Pan card). If this name is “correct”, then proceed to steps A1,A2 and A3.

If the assessee name is listed incorrectly, the proceed to step B1, B2.

Step A1: If the assessee name is the same as on Aadhaar then linking is can be done easily via the e-filing website. The name on the Pan card is irrelevant!

Step A2: If the assessee name matches the name on the Pan Card but not Aadhaar, then the Pan card can be used to change the name on Aadhaar if your mobile is registered at UIDAI. Once the Aadhar name is modified, you can link with Pan via the e-filing website.

Step A3: if the assessee name does not match the name on the Pan card, then the Aadhar card can be modified online with on of the following ID proofs. After this the linking is easy.

Passport
PAN Card (not relevant in this case)
Ration/ PDS Photo Card
Voter ID
Driving License
Government Photo ID Cards/ service photo identity card issued by PSU
NREGS Job Card
Photo ID issued by Recognized Educational Institution
Arms License
Photo Bank ATM Card
Photo Credit Card
Pensioner Photo Card
Freedom Fighter Photo Card
Kissan Photo Passbook
CGHS / ECHS Photo Card
Address Card having Name and Photo issued by Department of Posts
Certificate of Identify having photo issued by Gazetted Officer or Tehsildar on letterhead
Disability ID Card/handicapped medical certificate issued by the respective State/UT
Affidavit executed on non-judicial stamp paper to be submitted by a woman applicant for name change after marriage (Joint Affidavit to be submitted along with her husband with joint photo)
Marriage Certificate
Proof of Marriage document issued by the Registrar
Gazette Notification
Legal Name Change Certificate
(For above documents, where original document does not have photo, the photocopy/scan of the documents must be taken along with the Resident’s photo)

Step B1: If the assessee name is incorrect, but the Aadhaar name is correct, the one can follow the instructions on this page to update PAN details.

Other ID documents can also be used instead of Aadhaar. Notice that they do not want initials to be used.

Make sure the assessee name and the name on the  Pan card are the same!!

Step B2: After the assessee name is changed and is the same on Aadhar, one can link the two.

There are serious problems with the way NSDL wants names to be entered. In the above example, Kandaswamy is the given name and not the surname!  Madurai and Somasundrm represent the city and fathers name.

I think the government should allow linking Aadhaar with Pan if the associated mobile’s number is the same. After all, I have to authenticate via the mobile to change Aadhar details. Why can’t I link Pan to Aadhar via the same device? If this is allowed (and I hope that it would be), the problems of many would be solved.

For people who have a family name or surname, this is no problem at all. For example, Ashal Jauhari. Ashal is the given name or the name of the person and Jauhari is the family name.

For people who use initials, there is a big problem.

Pattabiraman is my given name. We do not have a family name. My father’s name is Murari and hence I am known as M. Pattabiraman.

My passport says my given name is Pattabiraman and my family name is Murari. Well, the second bit is not correct, but that is how it is.

My pan card says, M. Pattabiraman. I recently realised this is actually a short form of Murari Pattabiraman!

When I got my Aadhaar, they forgot the initial and said my name is Pattabiraman. Okay, no big deal.  I went UIDAI, uploaded a photo of self-attested PAN card photocopy and it was changed in a day or so to M. Pattabiraman. They accepted a B/W photo even though the site says a colour scan is necessary. Great! Mera Desh Badal Raha Hai.  My Aadhar photo looks like I am stoned (I was with prescription drugs) – no biggie. We will let that slide.

Delighted, I went to the e-filing site to link Aadhar with Pan. The system said, there is a details mismatch.  Then I realised that even though my Pan says M. Pattabiraman (which is why they agreed to update Aadhaar), the website says the assessee name corresponding to my Pan number is Murari Pattabiraman!  I have been filing returns under M. Pattabiraman for 11 years!

For me, there is an extra complication. I was named after my grandfather.

For me: given name –> Pattabiraman. Initials –> M or Murari

For my dad: given name —> Murari. Initials —> P or Pattabiraman!

So if change my Pan card to read Murari Pattabiraman, the second line would read (my fathers name): Pattabiraman Murari! oh dear!

 

source: meme generator. From “Finding Nemo”.

Now this what I would like to do: update my Pan Card to set my display name as Murari Pattabiraman. Then I need to use that to update my Aadhaar from M. Pattabiraman –> Murari Pattabiraman. After this, I can link Aadhar with Pan.

I hope the process is made easy when the actual announcement is made!

Update May 2nd, 2017: Now you can link Aadhaar to Pan via the e-filing site simply by using your registered mobile. Does not matter if the names are different! Thanks to Basu(nivesh.com) for pointing this out at Asan Ideas For Wealth.

I linked my Aadhaar and Pan cards in 30 seconds!

=+=+=+=+=

New Delhi DIY Investor Workshop April 23rd, 2017

Register for the New Delhi DIY Investor Workshop April 23rd, 2017

You Can Be Rich Too With Goal-Based Investing

Happy to announce that my book with PV Subramanyam has been selected as part of Amazon Best Reads Mar 2017. Thank you for your support and trust. If you have not yet got the book, check out the reviews below and use the links to buy.

Reader Quotes:

Gift it to your Friends and Relatives whom you care more. Already follower of Pattu and Subra’s forum. Ordered 4 more copies to give gift to my friends and eagerly waiting to read

The best book ever on Financial Freedom Planning. Go get it now!

Your first investment should be buying this book

The (nine online) calculators are really awesome and will give you all possible insights

Thank you, readers, for your generous support and patronage.

Amazon Hardcover Rs. 199. (50% off)

Kindle at Amazon.in (Rs. 307)

Google Play Store (Rs. 307) If you purchase the first book they give 75% discount to promote online e-book purchase. Subsequently, they provide 50% on next book. No code required.

Infibeam Now just Rs. 307 24% OFF.

If you use a mobikwik wallet, and purchase via infibeam, you can get up to 100% cashback!!

Bookadda Rs. 344. Flipkart Rs. 359

Amazon.com ($ 3.70 or Rs. 267)

Google Play Store (Rs. 244.30)

  • Ask the right questions about money
  • get simple solutions
  • Define your goals clearly with worksheets
  • Calculate the correct asset allocation for each goal.
  • Find out how much insurance cover you need, and how much you need to invest with nine online calculator modules
  • Learn to choose mutual funds qualitatively and quantitatively.

More information is available here: A Beginner’s Guide To Make Your Money Dreams Come True!

What Readers Say


Do share this article with your friends using the buttons below.

🔥Enjoy massive discounts on our courses, robo-advisory tool and exclusive investor circle! 🔥& join our community of 7000+ users!
Use our Robo-advisory Tool for a start-to-finish financial plan! More than 2,500 investors and advisors use this!
Track your mutual funds and stock investments with this Google Sheet!
We also publish monthly equity mutual funds, debt and hybrid mutual funds, index funds and ETF screeners and momentum, low-volatility stock screeners.
Follow Freefincal on Google News
Follow Freefincal on Google News
Subscribe to the freefincal Youtube Channel. Subscribe button courtesy: Vecteezy.
Subscribe to the freefincal Youtube Channel.
Follow freefincal on WhatsApp Channel
Follow freefincal on WhatsApp
Podcast: Let's Get RICH With PATTU! Every single Indian CAN grow their wealth! 
Listen to the Lets Get Rich with Pattu Podcast
Listen to the Let's Get Rich with Pattu Podcast
You can watch podcast episodes on the OfSpin Media Friends YouTube Channel.
Lets Get RICH With PATTU podcast on YouTube
Let's Get RICH With PATTU podcast on YouTube.
🔥Now Watch Let's Get Rich With Pattu தமிழில் (in Tamil)! 🔥
  • Do you have a comment about the above article? Reach out to us on Twitter: @freefincal or @pattufreefincal
  • Have a question? Subscribe to our newsletter using the form below.
  • Hit 'reply' to any email from us! We do not offer personalized investment advice. We can write a detailed article without mentioning your name if you have a generic question.

Join 32,000+ readers and get free money management solutions delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to get posts via email! (Link takes you to our email sign-up form)


About The Author

Pattabiraman editor freefincalDr M. Pattabiraman(PhD) is the founder, managing editor and primary author of freefincal. He is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He has over ten years of experience publishing news analysis, research and financial product development. Connect with him via Twitter(X), Linkedin, or YouTube. Pattabiraman has co-authored three print books: (1) You can be rich too with goal-based investing (CNBC TV18) for DIY investors. (2) Gamechanger for young earners. (3) Chinchu Gets a Superpower! for kids. He has also written seven other free e-books on various money management topics. He is a patron and co-founder of “Fee-only India,” an organisation promoting unbiased, commission-free investment advice.
Our flagship course! Learn to manage your portfolio like a pro to achieve your goals regardless of market conditions! More than 3,000 investors and advisors are part of our exclusive community! Get clarity on how to plan for your goals and achieve the necessary corpus no matter the market condition is!! Watch the first lecture for free!  One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos! Reduce fear, uncertainty and doubt while investing! Learn how to plan for your goals before and after retirement with confidence.
Our new course!  Increase your income by getting people to pay for your skills! More than 700 salaried employees, entrepreneurs and financial advisors are part of our exclusive community! Learn how to get people to pay for your skills! Whether you are a professional or small business owner who wants more clients via online visibility or a salaried person wanting a side income or passive income, we will show you how to achieve this by showcasing your skills and building a community that trusts and pays you! (watch 1st lecture for free). One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos!   
Our new book for kids: “Chinchu Gets a Superpower!” is now available!
Both boy and girl version covers of Chinchu gets a superpower
Both the boy and girl-version covers of "Chinchu Gets a superpower".
Most investor problems can be traced to a lack of informed decision-making. We made bad decisions and money mistakes when we started earning and spent years undoing these mistakes. Why should our children go through the same pain? What is this book about? As parents, what would it be if we had to groom one ability in our children that is key not only to money management and investing but to any aspect of life? My answer: Sound Decision Making. So, in this book, we meet Chinchu, who is about to turn 10. What he wants for his birthday and how his parents plan for it, as well as teaching him several key ideas of decision-making and money management, is the narrative. What readers say!
Feedback from a young reader after reading Chinchu gets a Superpower (small version)
Feedback from a young reader after reading Chinchu gets a Superpower!
Must-read book even for adults! This is something that every parent should teach their kids right from their young age. The importance of money management and decision making based on their wants and needs. Very nicely written in simple terms. - Arun.
Buy the book: Chinchu gets a superpower for your child!
How to profit from content writing: Our new ebook is for those interested in getting side income via content writing. It is available at a 50% discount for Rs. 500 only!
Do you want to check if the market is overvalued or undervalued? Use our market valuation tool (it will work with any index!), or get the Tactical Buy/Sell timing tool!
We publish monthly mutual fund screeners and momentum, low-volatility stock screeners.
About freefincal & its content policy. Freefincal is a News Media Organization dedicated to providing original analysis, reports, reviews and insights on mutual funds, stocks, investing, retirement and personal finance developments. We do so without conflict of interest and bias. Follow us on Google News. Freefincal serves more than three million readers a year (5 million page views) with articles based only on factual information and detailed analysis by its authors. All statements made will be verified with credible and knowledgeable sources before publication. Freefincal does not publish paid articles, promotions, PR, satire or opinions without data. All opinions will be inferences backed by verifiable, reproducible evidence/data. Contact information: letters {at} freefincal {dot} com (sponsored posts or paid collaborations will not be entertained)
Connect with us on social media
Our publications

You Can Be Rich Too with Goal-Based Investing

You can be rich too with goal based investingPublished by CNBC TV18, this book is meant to help you ask the right questions and seek the correct answers, and since it comes with nine online calculators, you can also create custom solutions for your lifestyle! Get it now.
Gamechanger: Forget Startups, Join Corporate & Still Live the Rich Life You Want Gamechanger: Forget Start-ups, Join Corporate and Still Live the Rich Life you wantThis book is meant for young earners to get their basics right from day one! It will also help you travel to exotic places at a low cost! Get it or gift it to a young earner.

Your Ultimate Guide to Travel

Travel-Training-Kit-Cover-new This is an in-depth dive into vacation planning, finding cheap flights, budget accommodation, what to do when travelling, and how travelling slowly is better financially and psychologically, with links to the web pages and hand-holding at every step. Get the pdf for Rs 300 (instant download)