How to Check Pan card status: Is your PAN active or has it become inactive? Check your PAN status online in just 2 minutes before filing ITR, know the easy way and avoid heavy penalty and ITR rejection.
How to Check Pan card status: The season of ITR filing has arrived and everyone’s mind is revolving around tax, deduction and refund. But wait, just wait! Have you checked your most important thing? Yes, your PAN card. Is it so that your PAN card has gone into ‘silent mode’, that is, it has become inactive? If this happens, then all your hard work of filing ITR can go waste, refund can get stuck and on top of that a huge fine can also be imposed. Do not worry. Today we will tell you so that you can check whether your PAN is active or inactive from home in just 2 minutes. Let’s check quickly.
Why is it so important for PAN to be ‘active’?
PAN card is not just a small card, it is the ‘Aadhaar’ of your financial horoscope. It is needed everywhere, from filing income tax return (ITR), opening a bank account, making a big transaction, buying and selling property, or making any big investment.
If your PAN card has become inactive for some reason, then understand that your vehicle can get stuck in the middle of the road.
1. You will not be able to file ITR
The biggest problem! ITR will not be processed with inactive PAN.
2. More TDS will be deducted
If the PAN is not active or you have given the wrong PAN, then banks and other institutions can deduct a hefty TDS of up to 20% on your income.
3. Refund will get stuck
Even if any tax refund is made, it can get stuck due to inactive PAN.
4. You can be fined
Under the Income Tax Act, a fine of up to ₹10,000 can be imposed for using an inactive PAN or providing incorrect information.
5. Interruption in large financial transactions
There can be problems with banks, mutual fund companies or during property registration.
Why does PAN become inactive?
Your PAN card can become inactive due to many reasons. Some common reasons are as follows.
1. Not linking PAN with Aadhaar (The Big One!)
The government had made it mandatory to link PAN with Aadhaar. If you have not done this ‘auspicious work’ yet, then there is a high chance that your PAN has become inactive. This is the biggest reason nowadays.
2. Having more than one PAN
If more than one PAN card has been issued in the name of a person by mistake or intentionally, then the Income Tax Department makes the duplicate PAN inactive. One person, one PAN, this is the rule.
3. Fake PAN
If a PAN is made on the basis of fake documents, then the department cancels it too.
4. PAN of a deceased person
After the death of a person, his PAN is also made inactive (although its process is slightly different).
How to check whether your PAN is active or not?
Don’t panic! Checking your PAN status is very easy. Just follow these steps.
1. Open the official website of Income Tax
Open the official e-filing website of the Income Tax Department on your mobile or computer. If you search “Income Tax e-filing portal” on Google, you will find it. (The correct URL is: https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/)
2. Go to the option of ‘Verify Your PAN’
If you scroll down a little on the homepage, you will see a section like ‘Quick Links’ or ‘Instant E-Services’. There you will find a link like “Verify Your PAN” or “Know Your PAN Details”. Click on it.
3. Fill in PAN details
- Now a new page will open. Here some basic information will be asked.
- PAN number: Enter your 10 digit PAN number carefully.
- Full Name: Same as written on the PAN card.
- Date of Birth: Enter your correct date of birth in DD/MM/YYYY format.
- Mobile number: You can enter any mobile number on which OTP can be received (this is to verify that it is not a robot).
4. OTP game
After entering the mobile number, click on ‘Continue’. A 6 digit OTP will be sent to the entered mobile number. Quickly look at it, enter it in the correct place and click on ‘Validate’ or ‘Submit’.
5. And here is the result! (PAN Status)
- If everything goes well, the status of PAN will be displayed on the screen.
- If it says “PAN is Active and details are as per PAN database” or something similar, then congratulations, your PAN is completely active, be ready to file ITR.
- But, if some other message comes, like “PAN is Deactivated” or “No record found” or “PAN Aadhaar linking pending”, then the alarm bell has rung.
What to do if PAN is inactive?
If on checking it is found that your PAN is inactive, then instead of panicking, take action immediately.
1. Link PAN-Aadhaar (if not)
In most of the cases, the reason for PAN being inactive is due to lack of PAN-Aadhaar linking. Link your PAN to Aadhaar immediately by visiting the income tax portal or through SMS. A little late fee may be charged for this, but it is very important to do this.
2. Surrender duplicate PAN
If you have more than one PAN, immediately start the process of surrendering the additional PAN to the Income Tax Department.
3. Contact the Income Tax Department
If you feel that your PAN has been inactivated due to the wrong reason or you are unable to understand the reason, visit your nearest Income Tax Office or call their helpline number and ask for help.
Avoid last minute rush
ITR filing is an important task and should not be taken lightly. Your PAN card is the foundation of this entire process. If the foundation is weak, how will the entire building stand? So, stop being lazy and check your PAN status today, right now. This 2-minute task can save you from many problems and penalties worth thousands of rupees.
If PAN is active, then tax life is chill
I hope you have now understood how important it is to check your PAN status before filing ITR and how easy it is to do it. Just follow the steps mentioned above and make your tax life ‘chill’. Remember, information is protection. So check your PAN quickly and then file your ITR comfortably.
