Income tax e-filing: Inoperative PAN? Still possible to file an income tax return without Aadhaar OTP verification
Income tax e-filing: If you missed linking your PAN with Aadhaar by the June 2023 deadline and your PAN is inactive, don’t worry, you can still file your income tax return. The income tax department had previously clarified that an inoperative PAN remains active. The deadline for individuals not requiring an audit for the Financial Year 2023-24 (Assessment Year 2024-25) to file their Income Tax Returns (ITR) is July 31, 2024.
Abhishek Soni, CEO and Co-founder of Tax2win, explains that if you fail to link your PAN with your Aadhaar by the deadline in June 2023 and your PAN is inoperative, you can still file your income tax return.
However, Soni clarifies that the verification process won’t involve Aadhaar OTP. Instead, you can utilise alternative methods such as generating an Electronic Verification Code (EVC) through net banking, ATM, or other approved means.
The PAN is said to be inoperative when it is not linked with the taxpayer’s Aadhaar number.
“One may pay the income taxes due and file the Income Tax Return (ITR) irrespective of PAN becoming inoperative,” said Vijay Bharech, Director, Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP.
It’s essential to note that the process of filing income tax returns remains the same even if your PAN is inoperative.
“You can simply log in to your account on the income tax e-filing portal and follow the steps outlined for filing income tax returns. This typically involves navigating to the e-file section, selecting the option for income tax return filing, and proceeding with the necessary details and documentation,” explained Abhishek Soni.
Nonetheless, an inactive PAN will lead to various repercussions. If you file an Income Tax Return (ITR) with an inactive PAN, you won’t be able to claim a refund or interest on any refunds. Linking Aadhaar and PAN is compulsory for refund claims.
“The refund, if any is due, will not be issued to the taxpayer, and the interest on the refund shall be paid only from the date the PAN becomes operative,” stated Vijay Bharech.
If you failed to submit your original income tax return (ITR), you still have the opportunity to file an updated return before March 31, 2024. Taxpayers have the option to file updated returns for any of the assessment years 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24.
However, it is important to emphasise that any additional tax owed must be paid along with the updated return.
Source: https://www.livemint.com/money/personal-finance/income-tax-e-filing-you-can-file-your-itr-even-if-your-permanent-account-number-pan-card-is-inoperative-here-is-how-11711093055167.html
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