If you want to file your Income-Tax returns by July 31, you better get going. The Income-Tax department has made it mandatory for people to link their Aadhaar card with their Permanent Account Number in order to file I-T returns. However, several people are facing trouble linking the two due to discrepancies in names and other details. If you are one of them, you will be compelled to change details in either one of the documents. This process is likely to take at least a fortnight. While the I-T department has launched a facility to link Aadhar and PAN, people are still facing trouble.
Karavi (27), a chartered accountant, says, “My name is spelt Karavi Kusumanshu Roy Pota in my PAN card but in my Aadhar, the middle name is written as ‘KusumanshuRoy’, without any space. This prevented the documents from being linked.” Karavi adds that she had applied for a change in her Aadhar card online 15 days ago and received a URN (Update Request Number) for the same on her cellphone but the process is not complete yet.
“The I-T department issued a statement on Thursday that it has simplified the process, but I am still facing problems. People are supposed to file their returns by July 31. Getting names changed in Aadhar or PAN may take 15-20 days. Hence, it is best for them to apply for the change now itself instead of facing last-minute hassle,” she says. Lokesh (30), a digital consultant says, “My name according to my PAN is Lokesh Mandowara and according to Aadhar it is Lokeshkumar Mandowara. I will change my name in the PAN card soon as I have been told that the process will take over two weeks.”
Vijay (34), a CA, says, “In my PAN card, my name is Vijay Kumar Manjibhai Valiya, while in Aadhar, it is Valiya Vijaykumar Manjibhai. The government had said that in cases of minor changes, the system will accept the difference. But the linking has failed and I will now change my name in the PAN card. Since the issue of making this procedure mandatory is going on in the Supreme Court, the government may extend the July 31 deadline.”
Businessman Pooran Das (35) said, “My name in the PAN card is Poorandas while in Aadhar it is Pooran Das. I will soon be applying for a change in my PAN card. If the government is making the procedure mandatory, it should have also ensured that the process should have been smoother and quicker. Just because of a difference in spacing I will now have to wait for weeks.”
Chintan Patel, Chairman of the Ahmedabad branch of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) said, “I-T did make the name acceptance system simpler but if such cases are occurring then it is best for people to apply for the change as early as possible. July 31 is the deadline and changes in either of the documents are likely to take around 10-15 days. People should not rely on the hope that the deadline may get extended because of the Aadhar issue being in the Supreme Court. Apart from this, the birthdate issue has been resolved. All those who only have their birth year and not day and month on their Aadhar card can simply enter just the year and the linking will take place.”
How to link your PAN with your Aadhar card?
One needs to go to the website https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/ then click on the option ‘Link Aadhar’ under the column ‘Services’. The link requires a person to fill in his PAN number, Aadhaar number and the “exact name as given in the Aadhaar card”. After verification from the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India), the linking will be confirmed.
How to apply for a change in the PAN card?
Go to the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) website – https:// www.tin-nsdl.com/ then select the option “Changes/Correction in existing PAN data” in application type. Fill the required details, submit online, and send the valid documents. The fee for processing a PAN application is 107.
How to apply for a change in the Aadhar card?
For those who choose the online mode it is mandatory that their mobile number is linked to Aadhaar card database otherwise they will have to go to the nearest Aadhar centre. One needs to go to the website https:// uidai.gov.in/ and select the ‘update Aadhar details’ option under the ‘Aadhar update’ column. Fill the required details and submit online. The service is free of cost.