Last day for linking Aadhaar with PAN card today; follow these steps to link documents

It's 31 March, not just the last day of the financial year but also the deadline for linking your Aadhaar with your PAN number. Once the deadline ends and if the government decides not to extend it, any PAN card not linked with Aadhaar will be 'inoperative'.Not just that, an unlinked PAN with Aadhaar will also not allow you to do any financial transaction.The Central government has introduced an amendment in the Finance Bill, 2021, which was passed on Tuesday. According to the amendment, a person who has not linked his/her PAN with Aadhaar may have to pay a late fee of up to Rs 1000. This is beside the fact that the card becomes defunct once the deadline gets over, Times Now reported.How do I link Aadhaar with my PAN Card?There are various easy ways through which you can link your PAN with Aadhaar.Online:Visit the official website of PAN service which is www.tin-nsdl.com or www.utiitsl.com. You will find a 'Link Aadhaar to PAN' tab. Click on the link and it will take you to the income tax website. You can follow the remaining procedure there. Alternatively, you can also link the two documents by directly visiting the income tax website.SMS:If you are not comfortable with going online and linking the two documents, the easiest could be linking them using SMS service on your mobile phone. A simple SMS can solve the problem for you once and for all. Send an SMS from your registered number to 567678 or 56161. The format is UIDPAN. Neither NSDL nor UTI charges for using this service but SMS charges will be applicable.Checking the status of your PAN card:Just in case you are not sure if your PAN and Aadhaar are already linked, there's a way to check that as well. Follow these steps:Step 1: Go to www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.inStep 2: Click on the 'Link Aadhaar' option under "Quick Links" on the leftStep 3: A fresh page opens. Click on 'Click here to view the status if you have already submitted Link Aadhaar request'Step 4: Before clicking on 'View Link Aadhaar Status' on the next page, please ensure you have filled in all the details correctlyStep 5: You are there now. If the two documents are linked, it will display on the screen.