New Delhi:  The last date for the mandatory linking of the Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar has been extended till March next year, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said. The earlier deadline was Tuesday, Dec. 31 (today).

“The due date for linking of PAN with Aadhaar as specified under sub-Section 2 of Section 139AA of the Income-Tax Act, 1961 has been extended from December 31, 2019 to March 31, 2020,” the Department said. This is the eighth time that the CBDT has extended the deadline for individuals to link their PAN with Aadhaar.

The Supreme Court, in September last year, had declared the Centre’s flagship Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid and held that the biometric ID would remain mandatory for the filing of I-T returns and allotment of the PAN.

Section 139 AA (2) of the Income Tax Act says that every person having PAN as on July 1, 2017, and is eligible to obtain Aadhaar, must intimate his Aadhaar number to tax authorities. Aadhaar is issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to a resident of India and PAN is a 10-digit alphanumeric number allotted by the I-T Department to a person, firm or entity.