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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsCheck your PAN–Aadhaar status before starting your income-tax return. On the Income Tax Department’s e-Filing portal, a request that is submitted or awaiting UIDAI validation is not the same as a completed link. Then confirm that your PAN is active, review the logged-in dashboard for pending actions and tax records, select the correct return form and deadline category, and complete verification after submission.
This India-specific guide reflects Department and Gazette instructions available in October 2026. Portal screens, notifications and taxpayer-specific deadlines can change, so your current e-Filing account and the latest official tax calendar control the final answer.
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Start with a PAN–Aadhaar status check
You do not need to begin by submitting a new request. First find out whether the two numbers are already linked, whether a request is still being processed, or whether the portal requires another action. The Department says both registered and unregistered users can link Aadhaar and PAN on the income-tax e-Filing portal without logging in.
Check without logging in
- Open the Income Tax Department e-Filing homepage.
- Under Quick Links, select Link Aadhaar/View Status.
- Continue to the View Status tile.
- Enter your PAN and Aadhaar number and request the displayed status.
This route is useful when you cannot sign in or want to check the result before attempting a return.
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Check after signing in
From the logged-in dashboard, open Link Aadhaar, or go to My Profile → Link Aadhaar Status. The account view can show a different state from an earlier request if validation or payment information has not yet reached the portal.
Do not treat “pending” as linked
If UIDAI validation is still pending, the Department’s manual says: “If your request to link PAN and Aadhaar is pending with UIDAI for validation, you will need to check the status later.” Wait for the status to change and check again rather than assuming the linkage is complete. A request in progress does not by itself prove that the PAN is ready for every e-Filing function.
Find out whether the linking requirement applies to you
General rule
An individual allotted a PAN on or before 1 July 2017 and eligible to obtain Aadhaar is generally required to intimate the Aadhaar number to the Department. The requirement is not a substitute for checking your own account: the portal status and the facts of your case determine whether any action remains.
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The Department’s help material lists these categories as exempt:
- Residents of Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, or Meghalaya.
- Non-residents under the Income-tax Act.
- A person who was aged 80 years or more during the previous year.
- A person who is not an Indian citizen.
The Department also cautions that exemptions can be modified by later notifications. If your circumstances changed, check the current rule rather than relying on an older exemption list.
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Special rule for PANs issued with an Aadhaar Enrolment ID
A separate rule applies to individuals whose PAN was issued using an Aadhaar Enrolment ID. They were required to complete linkage using their actual Aadhaar number by 31 December 2025. For that specific cohort, an absent link makes the PAN inoperative from 1 January 2026. This deadline should not be generalized to every PAN holder; determine whether your PAN was issued under that process.
What an inoperative PAN can affect
The Department lists several consequences when a PAN is inoperative: a tax refund may not be made, interest on that refund may not accrue during the specified period, and tax deduction or collection can apply at higher rates where the law provides. The dashboard also warns that some portal access may be limited. These are account-specific consequences, so confirm the status shown for your PAN instead of assuming that any one consequence applies in your case.
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Verify that your PAN record is usable
Use Verify PAN before preparing the return
The Department’s Verify PAN service checks whether the name and date of birth recorded against the PAN match its database and whether the PAN is active. Run this check after reviewing your Aadhaar status and before you enter return data. A mismatch in the identity record can prevent a link request or create problems when you try to verify a return.
OTP limits to plan around
The Verify PAN FAQ says an accessible, valid mobile number can receive an OTP that remains valid for 15 minutes. You have at most three attempts for that OTP, and one mobile number can verify up to five different PANs per day. Enter the details carefully and avoid repeatedly requesting codes if the first one has not expired.
If the identity details do not match
Do not proceed as though the PAN is ready when the service reports a wrong name, date of birth or other identity detail. Compare the records you supplied with the Department’s PAN record and the Aadhaar record, then use the current official correction or update channel applicable to the discrepant record. The link workflow cannot resolve every underlying identity-record error.
Submit a PAN–Aadhaar link request
The Department’s current manual divides the process into two parts: pay the applicable fee when the portal requires it, then submit the link request. The amount is not stated in the workflow passage used for this guide; the portal pre-fills the applicable amount in the payment flow. Read the amount and payment instructions displayed by the official portal before authorising payment.
Pay first when the portal requires payment
Payment information must be visible to the portal before a request can be submitted. If you have already paid but the portal says it cannot find the payment details, allow four to five working days for those details to appear, then retry. Do not pay again simply because the payment record is not immediately visible.
Pre-login request path
- On the e-Filing homepage, open Quick Links → Link Aadhaar.
- Enter your PAN and Aadhaar number and validate the entries.
- Provide the additional details requested by the portal.
- Enter and verify the six-digit OTP sent during the process.
- Save the acknowledgement or on-screen result and later check the status tile.
This is the route to use when you are not signed in. It does not bypass any payment, identity-match or UIDAI-validation requirement.
Logged-in request path
- Sign in to the e-Filing portal.
- Start Link Aadhaar from the dashboard, or open My Profile → Link Aadhaar.
- Complete any payment step shown as outstanding.
- Enter or confirm the requested PAN, Aadhaar and personal details.
- Complete the six-digit OTP verification and submit the request.
- Return to Dashboard → Link Aadhaar or My Profile → Link Aadhaar Status to confirm the eventual result.
Match the problem to the correct remedy
| Portal situation | What it means | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Payment details are not found | The payment record has not yet become available for the request. | If payment was already made, wait four to five working days and retry. If it was not made, complete the payment shown in the official flow. |
| UIDAI validation is pending | The request has not yet completed external identity validation. | Check the status later; pending validation is not confirmation of a successful link. |
| PAN or Aadhaar is already linked to a different counterpart | The existing association may have to be separated before a new one can be made. | Contact your Jurisdictional Assessing Officer about the required delinking process. |
| PAN is shown as inoperative | The account is subject to the consequences associated with an inoperative PAN and some portal functions may be limited. | Confirm the reason and current remedy through the official account and Department instructions. |
Use the logged-in dashboard as your ITR readiness screen
Linkage alone does not tell you whether a return is ready. After signing in, inspect the personal dashboard before entering or submitting a return. It is the place to identify actions that are specific to your account rather than relying on a generic checklist.
Review these dashboard areas
- Return status: Look for the state of recent or current filings.
- Tax deposits: Check the tax payments or deposits displayed for the relevant period.
- Pending actions and filing to-dos: Open each item instead of assuming it is informational only.
- Notices and demands: Read any outstanding communication or demand that could affect the next action.
- Recent filings: Confirm whether a return was submitted, rejected, or left incomplete.
The dashboard identifies items such as pending e-verification or ITR-V, rejected returns and pending filing. A return that appears in a filing history is not necessarily a completed, verified return.
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Resolve account warnings before filing
If the dashboard reports an inoperative PAN, an identity mismatch, an unverified return or a rejected submission, open that item and follow the current official remedy before starting another submission. Creating a second filing without understanding the first status can leave you with overlapping or still-unverified records.
Choose the correct return form and deadline category
Forms listed for AY 2026–27
The portal lists ITR-1, ITR-2, ITR-3, ITR-4, ITR-5, ITR-6 and ITR-7 as available for Assessment Year 2026–27. Availability on the portal does not determine which form you are legally required to use. Select the form that matches your income, taxpayer type and other eligibility conditions under the current instructions; if those facts are not clear, obtain case-specific professional advice rather than choosing by form number alone.
Understand the 2026 deadline extension
An Income Tax Department update dated 29 September 2026, citing Circular No. 07/2026, says the AY 2026–27 filing date was extended from 31 October 2026 to 21 November 2026 for the persons specified in the table under section 139(1). The same update extended the audit-report deadline for that category from 30 September 2026 to 21 October 2026.
| Date | Applies to | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 31 October 2026 | The earlier AY 2026–27 filing date for the category covered by the circular. | It was replaced for that specified category by the extension. |
| 21 November 2026 | Persons specified in the section 139(1) table cited by Circular No. 07/2026. | Use only if your facts place you in that category; it is not a universal due date. |
| 30 September 2026 | The earlier audit-report date for the category covered by the circular. | It was extended for that category. |
| 21 October 2026 | Audit-report filers in the category specified by the circular. | Check that category and the current tax calendar before relying on this date. |
People outside the specified category may have a different statutory date. Determine your filing and audit status from the current section 139(1) rules, notices and tax calendar, not from the 21 November date alone.
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Before transmission, compare the income and tax-credit records shown in your official account with the documents and figures you intend to report. Pay particular attention to withholding or other tax credits, reported income and payments already reflected in the account. If a figure is missing or inconsistent, resolve the discrepancy using the Department’s current guidance before submitting the return.
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The exact screens and procedure for AIS or Form 26AS reconciliation can change. Use the Department’s current instructions for those services rather than relying on an old walkthrough or assuming that a displayed credit is automatically correct.
Submit the return and finish verification
Transmission is not the end of filing
After you transmit the return electronically, you must complete verification. The Gazette of India’s AY 2026–27 ITR-V instructions state: “This is not an evidence for having filed the return of income, as verification is pending.” In practical terms, a transmitted return that remains unverified should be treated as unfinished.
Electronic verification methods
The listed electronic methods include:
- Aadhaar OTP.
- e-Filing account login through net banking.
- Electronic Verification Code from a pre-validated bank or demat account.
- Bank ATM verification.
Choose a method available to your account and follow the current screen prompts. The availability of a method can depend on whether the relevant bank, demat account or mobile identity has been pre-validated.
Use signed ITR-V when electronic verification is not used
The Gazette instructions also describe signing the ITR-V and sending it by speed post to CPC. Follow the address, format and mailing instructions shown in the current acknowledgement rather than using an old copy or an address found elsewhere.
Know the 30-day filing-date rule
The notification says that when ITR-V is submitted within 30 days of electronic transmission, the transmission date remains the filing date. If ITR-V is submitted later, the ITR-V submission date becomes the filing date and late-filing consequences can follow under the Act. Keep proof of electronic transmission and of the verification submission so you can establish the relevant dates if the portal later asks for clarification.
When your ITR is genuinely ready
Your filing is in a stronger position when the portal confirms a completed PAN–Aadhaar status or shows that you are covered by a valid exemption, Verify PAN reports an active record with matching identity details, dashboard actions and notices have been reviewed, the form and deadline match your taxpayer category, the income and tax-credit figures have been reconciled, and verification has been completed after transmission. If any one of those checks is still pending, use the status-specific remedy before treating the return as filed.
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