Govt collects Rs 600 crore penalty for delay in PAN-Aadhaar linking

The government has collected over Rs 600 crore as penalty for delay in linking PAN with Aadhaar, and about 11.48 crore Permanent Account Numbers are still not linked with biometric identity, Parliament was informed on Monday.

"Number of PANs not linked with Aadhaar, excluding exempted categories, is 11.48 crore as on January 29, 2024," Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

To a question regarding the details of government earning through late penalty of Rs 1,000 from the persons who have not linked their PAN and Aadhaar after the last date of June 30, 2023, Chaudhary said "the total collection of fee from persons who have not linked their PAN with Aadhaar is Rs 601.97 crore from July 1, 2023 to January 31,2024".

The last date for linking PAN with biometric Aadhaar was June 30, 2023.

The Income Tax department had said the PAN of taxpayers who have failed to intimate their Aadhaar shall become inoperative from July 1, 2023 and no refunds would be made against such PANs. Also, TDS and TCS shall be deducted/collected at higher rate.

The PAN can be made operative again by paying a late fee of Rs 1,000.