Learn How to Get Free e-PAN Card

PAN Card is an essential ID card for Indians as it is used for various financial transactions like paying income tax, filing ITR (income tax returns), opening Demat or bank accounts, applying for a credit or debit card, etc. It is an essential proof of identity, and getting a PAN card used to be a tedious process. Before 2020, people had to submit detailed application forms and wait for days for their PAN card to arrive.

The launch of ePAN card facility was done in 2020 by the finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman. With this launch, anyone with a valid Aadhar card can instantly get an e-PAN within 10 minutes. You get your PAN card in a soft copy format which you can download. 

If you wonder if a soft copy of e-PAN will work just like the hard copy, then the answer is yes. The traditional PAN card you get after filling a long application form is equivalent to the instant e-PAN card and can be used for all practical purposes.

This article will give you detailed information on how to get free ePAN card instantly and other necessary information around obtaining an e-PAN card.

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What is a PAN card?

PAN card comprises a ten-digit number issued by the Department of Income Tax and issued to all taxpayers. It is an electronic system through which all tax-related information of an individual or a company is recorded via a single PAN number. PAN acts as the primary key for storing this information which is shared across the country. It is a unique number, and no two tax-paying entities can have the same PAN number.

The inception of the PAN card happened in 1972, and it is valid through the lifetime of an entity. The PAN is issued to Indian citizens, companies, or non-resident Indians who are paying tax in India. Here are the different types of PAN numbers that the Income-tax Department issues, Government of India:

• Individual

• HUF - Hindu Undivided Family

• Company

• Firms or partnerships

• Trusts

• Society

• Foreigners

Launch of ePAN Card Facility

During the COVID-19 pandemic, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in a pursuit to make the PAN card process smooth and easy for Indian citizens, launched the e-PAN card facility.

In her 2020-21 budget speech (May 28th, 2020), she announced that allotment of PAN numbers would be started immediately, which is now in place. If you want to get an e-PAN card instantly, you would need to go to the official website of the Ministry of Finance and apply there. The facility is available on a real-time basis, i.e., as soon as you apply, you will be allotted a PAN number within a few minutes.

This process of allotting a PAN card is paperless, and applicants get this facility free of any cost.

Use of Aadhaar for Instant PAN Allotment

This new facility of instant PAN cards applies to those individuals who already possess a valid Aadhaar card and a valid mobile number linked with your Aadhar card. There is no need for the applicant to fill out lengthy forms as required in the traditional PAN card process. The instant PAN card is received in PDF format without any fees. 

• The PAN card PDF will have a QR code that has demographic details of the applicant such as name, date of birth, photograph, etc.

• Once you have applied for the PAN card online, you will get a 15 digit acknowledgement number on your registered mobile. You can use this number to download the e-PAN from the income tax e-filing website.

• You will get a soft copy of your e-PAN at your registered email address.

• You could also apply for e-PAN on NSDL (National Securities Depository Limited) and UTIITSL (UTI Infrastructure Technology And Services Limited) portals. Still, you would need to pay some fees on these websites. Both NSDL and UTIITSL work under the Income Tax Department of India and provide PAN card services.

• Once you have applied for a PAN card through this process, both your Aadhar and PAN details get linked automatically.

• The soft copy of e-PAN is as good as a physical copy, but if you still want to get a laminated PAN card, then you could order a reprint at the cost of just INR 50.

What all you Require for Availing Instant PAN Card Facility

For an Aadhar card-based instant PAN card facility, the core requisites are outlined below:

• The applicant must have a valid Aadhar card number, and that number should not be linked to any other PAN card before.

• The Aadhar card of the applicant and his/her registered mobile number must be linked to each other.

• There is no need for uploading any KYC documents for the instant PAN card facility through Aadhar card since it is a paperless process.

• The applicant should have only one PAN card and not more than one.

• If an applicant possesses more than one PAN card, then he is deemed to be penalised under the Income Tax Act of 1961 (by the provisions of section 272B(1))

How To Apply For An Instant e-PAN Card Using Your Aadhar Details

Here are the easy steps for applying for an instant e-PAN card with your Aadhar details:

• You would first need to go to the official e-filing home page of the income tax department portal. The link is incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/home.

• On the main page, click on the link “Instant PAN through Aadhar”, which you can find under the “Quick Links” section. This will redirect you to the webpage for instant PAN allotment.

• Next, click on the “Get New PAN” button to go to the page for an instant PAN request.

• The next page will ask you for your Aadhar card number for PAN allotment, along with a captcha code. Enter all mandatory details and cross-check the key requisites before you confirm your request for a new e-PAN card.

• You will find a button with the label “Generate Aadhar OTP” at the bottom; click on that. You will then receive an OTP (One time password) on your registered mobile number.

• Enter the OTP received on your registered mobile number on the next page and then select the “Validate Aadhar OTP and Continue” button. You also need to check the box which confirms that you agree to validate your Aadhar card details with the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India).

• Now you will come to the PAN request submission page, where you need to verify all the details you have entered and then agree to the terms and conditions. Once you have verified your Aadhar details click on the “Submit PAN request” at the bottom of the page.

• You will receive a 15 digit acknowledgement number after submission of your PAN request for validation. To view the PAN allotment status, you can enter your Aadhar number.

How can you Find the Status of your Instant PAN Card and Download it?

To know where your application for an instant PAN card stands, you need to follow the steps described below:

• Enter the URL of the e-filing home page of the income tax department, which is https://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/home.

• Now select the option “Instant PAN through Aadhar” that is there under the “Quick Links” section.

• On the next page, which is the instant PAN allotment page, click on the button that says “Check Status/Download PAN” which will take you to the request submission page.

• Here you need to enter your valid Aadhar card number and the given captcha code and then click on the “Submit” button. You will then receive an OTP (One time password) on your registered mobile number.

• On the next page, enter the valid OTP you received on your registered mobile number. This should be done in the specified time given, and then submit the page.

• You will come to a new page where your PAN allotment request status is displayed.

• If your PAN allotment is successful, you will get a PDF link within 10 minutes which will allow you to download your PAN card in PDF format on your device.

• The PDF file of the PAN card is protected by a password. To open the PDF, use your date of birth in “DDMMYYYY” format as the password.

The article has covered all the information on how to get a free epan card.