PAN-Aadhaar Link: If you’re still unsure about whether it’s necessary to link your PAN and Aadhaar, this news is for you. The government has excluded certain individuals from this process. Find out if you’re included in this exemption list?

People in these categories have got great relief

As per the Income Tax Department rules, it is not mandatory to link PAN-Aadhaar for the following people-

Elderly people aged 80 years or older

People falling in the category of super senior citizens have been exempted from this.

NRI

According to the Income Tax Act, people who are not residents of India do not need linking.

Residents of specific states

Residents of Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir are currently excluded from this rule.

What about minors and joint holders?

Often people think that children or those with joint accounts are exempted, but there is a catch here. If a child under 18 years of age has a PAN card and is subject to tax, linking may also be necessary. However, in most cases, children’s PANs are linked to their parents.Just because the bank account is joint doesn’t mean it’s exempt. Each person linked to the account will need to individually link their PAN and Aadhaar unless they fall into the exemption categories above.

What if it is not linked?

If you don’t fall into the exempt category and still don’t link your PAN, your PAN will become inoperative. This can have significant consequences, such as:

Your pending tax refund will be stopped.

Interest on refund will not be available.

TDS will be deducted at a higher rate.

If you fall under any of the above exempted categories, but your status changes in the future (e.g., you become a resident from an NRI), you should get the linking done immediately.