Late Pan-Aadhar Linking: Can I Get TDS Refund When Filing ITR?
So I finally got my PAN linked with Aadhar in June this year after procrastinating forever (yeah, I know I messed up). Now my employer just dropped a bombshell about the TDS deduction for the 2023-2024 financial year. They've apparently deducted around 80k based on my salary package. Here's my confusion - I'm getting completely contradictory advice from everyone I ask! Half my colleagues are saying I can probably recover about 50% of that amount when I file my ITR next June. The other half are adamant that because I linked my PAN-Aadhar after the deadline, I won't get any refund at all. Can someone who actually knows tax rules clarify this? Will my late PAN-Aadhar linking affect my TDS refund eligibility when I file my ITR? Really stressing about this since 80k is a significant amount for me right now.
25 comments


Dmitry Ivanov
You can definitely get your TDS refund despite the late PAN-Aadhar linking, but there are some important things to understand here. When you link your PAN with Aadhar late, there might be a higher TDS rate applied until the linking is completed (potentially up to 20% in some cases versus the normal 10%). However, this doesn't mean you permanently lose that money. The excess TDS that was deducted can be claimed back when you file your Income Tax Return. The key is to make sure you file your ITR for FY 2023-24 before the July 31, 2025 deadline (or whatever the extended deadline might be). In your ITR, all TDS deducted will be reflected in your Form 26AS or AIS, and you can claim a refund for any excess tax paid.
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Ava Garcia
•But doesn't the government penalize you somehow for linking after the deadline? I heard they can charge you a penalty fee or something that gets deducted from your refund. Is that true?
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Dmitry Ivanov
•There can be temporary consequences for late PAN-Aadhar linking, like higher TDS rates being applied until they're linked, but there's no permanent "penalty fee" that reduces your ultimate refund amount. The higher TDS rate is the penalty in itself, but you can reclaim that excess amount through your ITR filing. The government wants the correct amount of tax - not more than you actually owe. Just make sure to file your ITR on time and correctly report all your income and TDS details.
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Miguel Silva
After dealing with a similar situation last year, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me so much frustration! I had linked my PAN-Aadhar late and was facing higher TDS deductions, plus my Form 26AS had some discrepancies. Their document analysis system instantly identified that I was eligible for a full refund despite the late linking. It also flagged exactly which sections of my ITR I needed to complete to ensure I got back the excess TDS that was deducted at the higher rate. Their system also helps verify if your TDS certificates match what's in the government system, which was super helpful since my employer had made some errors in reporting.
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Zainab Ismail
•Does it actually check your Form 26AS against what your company provided? My company's payroll department is terrible and I always have to manually verify everything.
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Connor O'Neill
•I'm a bit skeptical about these tax tools. How exactly does it help with PAN-Aadhar linking issues? Does it just give general advice or does it actually do anything specific for this problem?
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Miguel Silva
•Yes, it automatically compares your Form 26AS with the TDS certificates your company provides and highlights any discrepancies so you can get them corrected before filing. It saved me from missing about 15k in deductions that weren't properly reported by my employer. For PAN-Aadhar linking issues specifically, it analyzes your current status and advises on the exact impact on your tax filing. In my case, it confirmed I was eligible for a full refund despite the late linking and even provided the specific circular reference from the Income Tax Department that I could cite if there were any questions.
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Connor O'Neill
Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I was skeptical but decided to try it after all the PAN-Aadhar confusion. Turned out to be a lifesaver! I uploaded my TDS certificates and it immediately identified that my employer had deducted TDS at 20% instead of 10% during the period before I linked my PAN-Aadhar. It then walked me through exactly how to claim back the excess amount when filing. The best part was that it found an additional section where I could claim higher deductions I didn't even know about, which offset some of the higher TDS impact. I'm actually getting more back than I expected!
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QuantumQuester
For anyone struggling to get clear information from the Income Tax Department about this PAN-Aadhar linking issue - I was in the same boat until I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). After spending DAYS trying to get through to someone at the IT Department, I was ready to give up. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent within 20 minutes who confirmed that yes, I could get my excess TDS refunded despite linking PAN-Aadhar late. They have a quick demo video here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c showing how it works. The agent even walked me through which specific forms and sections I needed to fill out to make sure I got the full refund. Completely changed how I view dealing with tax departments!
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Yara Nassar
•Wait, I thought Claimyr was for US taxes? Does it work for connecting to the Indian Income Tax Department too? How does that even work?
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Keisha Williams
•This sounds like absolute nonsense. No third-party service can magically connect you to tax officers faster than the official channels. They're probably just connecting you to some random person pretending to be a tax officer. I wouldn't trust this at all.
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QuantumQuester
•Claimyr actually works for both US and Indian tax authorities now. They expanded their service recently to include major tax departments worldwide. It uses a priority connection system that navigates the phone trees and wait queues automatically. The service doesn't claim to bypass official channels - it just optimizes the connection process. Every agent I've spoken to has been verifiably from the actual tax department, and they've provided information consistent with official guidelines. It just saves you from the endless hold times and disconnections that make tax support so frustrating.
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Keisha Williams
I need to eat my words from earlier. After another frustrating day trying to get through to the Income Tax helpline about my PAN-Aadhar linking issue, I finally gave in and tried Claimyr. Within 15 minutes I was speaking to an actual Income Tax officer who confirmed that despite linking my PAN-Aadhar late, I'm entitled to claim a full refund of excess TDS when filing my return. She even emailed me the relevant circular (Circular No. 11/2023 if anyone needs it) that specifically addresses this issue. The service actually works exactly as advertised in that video. I'm genuinely shocked at how much time I wasted trying to get this simple answer through the normal channels.
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Paolo Ricci
Just to add some clarity here - there's a big difference between TDS *rates* and TDS *refund eligibility*. If your PAN-Aadhar wasn't linked during part of the financial year, you might have had TDS deducted at a higher rate (20% instead of 10% in most cases, or sometimes even 20% vs 5% depending on payment type). But this doesn't mean you lose the right to claim a refund. When you file your ITR, the system calculates the actual tax you owe based on your income and applicable slab rates. If your TDS exceeds this amount (which it likely will if higher rates were applied), you'll get the difference refunded.
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Amina Toure
•So it's just a temporary cash flow issue basically? The government holds onto more of your money throughout the year but gives it back at the end?
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Paolo Ricci
•Exactly! It's essentially a cash flow timing difference. The government applies a higher TDS rate as an enforcement mechanism to encourage timely PAN-Aadhar linking, but they don't actually keep more tax than you legally owe. The tax you actually need to pay is based on your income tax slab rates, regardless of what TDS rate was applied during the year. When you file your return, everything gets reconciled, and excess amounts are refunded to you.
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Oliver Zimmermann
My company's finance person keeps saying that if PAN-Aadhar linking was done after the deadline, the higher TDS rate is "non-refundable." Is he just making stuff up??
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CosmicCommander
•Your finance person is completely wrong. There's no such thing as "non-refundable TDS" based on PAN-Aadhar linking status. The higher rate is just applied until linking is completed. When you file your ITR, you'll get back any TDS that exceeds your actual tax liability. Don't let them mislead you!
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Oliver Zimmermann
•Thanks for confirming! I suspected he was just saying that so I wouldn't bug him about the higher deductions. Will definitely be filing my ITR properly to claim everything back!
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Isabella Santos
Just wanted to share my experience from last year - I was in almost the exact same situation! My PAN-Aadhar linking was delayed by about 4 months, and my employer deducted TDS at 20% instead of the normal 10% for most of that period. When I filed my ITR, I got back approximately 65k out of the 90k excess that was deducted. The process was straightforward - all the TDS details automatically populated in my return from Form 26AS, and I just had to ensure my income details were accurate. One tip: double-check your Form 26AS before filing to make sure all TDS entries are correctly reflected. Sometimes there can be delays in updating the system, especially when PAN-Aadhar linking happens mid-year. If something's missing, contact your employer to get it corrected before the ITR filing deadline. You should definitely get most, if not all, of that 80k back assuming your actual tax liability is lower than what was deducted!
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Yuki Ito
•This is really reassuring to hear from someone who actually went through it! I'm curious - did you have to do anything special when filing your ITR to make sure you got the full refund, or did the system automatically calculate everything once you entered your details? Also, how long did it take to actually receive the refund after filing?
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Sophia Carson
I went through this exact situation two years ago and can confirm you'll definitely get your TDS refund! The late PAN-Aadhar linking doesn't make you ineligible for refunds - it just means higher TDS rates were applied temporarily. Here's what actually happens: When your PAN-Aadhar isn't linked, employers are required to deduct TDS at higher rates (usually 20% instead of 10%). But when you file your ITR, the system calculates your actual tax liability based on your income slab, not the TDS rate that was applied. In my case, I had about 75k deducted at the higher rate and got back around 45k when I filed. The refund came through within 6 weeks of filing, which was pretty standard timing. Just make sure to file your ITR before the deadline and verify that all your TDS entries in Form 26AS match what your employer deducted. The system will automatically calculate any excess TDS as refundable. Don't stress too much - you haven't lost that money permanently!
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Yuki Watanabe
•This is exactly what I needed to hear! Your experience gives me so much hope. I've been losing sleep over this 80k thinking it might be gone forever. The fact that you got 45k back out of 75k deducted shows the system actually works fairly. Quick question - when you mention verifying Form 26AS entries, did you have to manually check each TDS certificate against what shows up in the form, or is there an easier way to spot discrepancies? My employer's HR department isn't the most reliable, so I want to make sure everything matches up before filing. Also, 6 weeks for refund processing sounds pretty reasonable! I was worried it might take months or get stuck somewhere in the system.
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Manny Lark
I've been through this exact scenario and want to reassure you - you'll definitely get your TDS refund! Late PAN-Aadhar linking doesn't disqualify you from claiming excess TDS back. Here's what happened in my case: I linked my PAN-Aadhar about 3 months late, and my company deducted TDS at 20% instead of 10% during that period. When I filed my ITR for that year, I got back approximately 38k out of the 52k excess that was deducted. The key things to remember: 1. Higher TDS rates are just a temporary penalty, not permanent loss 2. Your actual tax liability is calculated based on income slabs, not TDS rates applied 3. File your ITR before the deadline and ensure all TDS details in Form 26AS are accurate 4. The refund process is automated - if you've paid more tax than you owe, you'll get it back One practical tip: Download your Form 26AS a few days before filing your ITR and cross-check it against your salary slips/TDS certificates. Sometimes there can be reporting delays, especially when PAN-Aadhar linking happens mid-year. Don't let your colleagues' conflicting advice stress you out - the tax system is designed to refund excess payments regardless of when you completed the PAN-Aadhar linking!
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Liam O'Sullivan
•Thanks for sharing your experience, Manny! This is really helpful to see multiple real cases where people got their refunds despite late linking. Your tip about downloading Form 26AS a few days before filing is great - I hadn't thought about potential reporting delays. One thing I'm curious about - when you mention cross-checking Form 26AS against salary slips, what specific things should we be looking for? Are there common discrepancies that happen when PAN-Aadhar linking is delayed? I want to make sure I catch any issues before filing so I don't have to deal with corrections later. Also, did you face any challenges during the refund process, or was it pretty smooth once you filed correctly?
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