Aadhaar-PAN link deadline: Income Tax website crashes due to rush; users demand extension of date

New Delhi, Mar 31: Amid a mad rush, the Income Tax Department website crashed briefly as many are trying to meet the deadline and link their PAN with Aadhaar numberon the last day. March 31, 2021, is the last day to link PAN with Aadhaar number.

The Income Tax Department website https://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/ is not working and hence people are unable to go ahead with the PAN-Aadhaar linking process.

After several failed attempts, many users on twitter aired their grievances saying the Income Tax website is not loading or showing error. Many others have also complained that they are unable to login and link PAN card with Aadhaar number.

In case the PAN is not linked to the Aadhaar by March 31 2021, then the PAN will become inoperative on April 1 2021.

The government introduced an amendment to the Finance Bill, 2021, under which a person will be liable to pay a late fee of up to Rs 1,000 in case he/she does not link PAN card with Aadhaar card

Rs 1,000 penalty will be in addition to other consequences the person will face if PAN becomes inoperative. So, users are now requesting the Income Tax department to extend the date of Aadhaar-PAN linking or fix the website.

In case you fail to link your PAN with your Aadhaar, then as of April 1, 2021, your PAN will become inactive. It has also been mandatory from April 1, 2019 to cite and link the Aadhaar number while submitting income tax returns.

An individual can not file his/her ITR without linking Aadhaar with PAN respectively. If you were to miss the deadline to link the two, you will also be liable for all the consequences under the IT Act for not furnishing, intimating or quoting the PAN, which includes paying higher income tax.