The new government amendment in the PAN Card Gender Category
The Government of India has amended Income Tax rules that would now allow transgender to be recognized as an independent category of applicants for getting a Permanent Account Number (PAN) for their tax-related transactions.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes or CBDT issued a notification in the year 2018 that provides a new tick box for the transgenders for applying the PAN.
The notification, issued under sections 139A and 295 of the Income Tax Act, specified the new application procedure for getting a PAN number by a person.
Till 2018, only male and female gender categories were available to choose on the PAN application form. People from the transgender community were going through hassles in getting a PAN card and this issue was further magnified as Aadhaar had the third gender category but not PAN. Hence, the transgenders were not able towards linking their PAN with their Aadhaar due to this anomaly.
The amendment would be reflected in Form 49A (PAN application form for Indian citizens) and 49AA (PAN application form for individuals not a citizen of India). PAN is a 10-digit unique alphanumeric number allotted through the Income Tax department to individuals and entities.
The government made quoting of Aadhaar compulsory for filing income tax returns as well as obtaining a new PAN. Section 139 AA (2) of the Income Tax Act stated that every individual having PAN as on 1st July 2017, and eligible for obtaining Aadhaar, should intimate his Aadhaar number to the tax authorities.
Why Transgender Option is needed in Pan Card Application
PAN is one of the most significant financial documents that are issued by the Government of India which could be utilized as an identity proof across the country. It is necessary to perform many important actions like opening a bank account, filing your tax returns, applying for important documents like passport, getting employment, or buying a property.
For applying a PAN in India, an applicant is required to enter his/her Aadhaar number. The Aadhaar system allows applicants towards applying as transgender but the PAN application doesn’t. As the government has made it compulsory to give Aadhaar details when applying for a PAN, transgenders who have a valid Aadhaar number find it hard to apply for PAN as the gender details do not match. Even if there is any minor difference in the information provided in the PAN application and the Aadhaar card, the PAN application gets rejected.
As transgenders were not able to link their PAN with Aadhaar, they faced issues in filing their Income Tax Returns as Aadhaar card is a compulsory document to file taxes. The tax department couldn’t process their ITR claim without a valid Aadhaar number.
Furthermore, having a PAN makes many things easy like applying for a gas connection, getting a loan, applying for a credit card, or opening a Public Provident Fund account.
Update PAN Card Gender to Transgender
In order to update the PAN card gender to Transgender, the PAN card application or PAN card data change application could be utilized. The steps that need to be completed for the PAN Card gender change are;
The application to update PAN Card gender could be submitted online or offline through the following modes:
Through any IT PAN Service Centres (managed by UTIITSL)
Through any TIN-Facilitation Centres (TIN-FCs)/PAN Centres (managed by NSDL e-Gov)
Income Tax Website – www.incometaxindia.gov.in
UTIITSL website – www.utiitsl.com
NSDL e-Gov website – www.tin-nsdl.com
Download or access the new PAN card application or changes form with the third gender.
The candidate must complete the application fully (each and every columns) and provide existing PAN at the beginning.
Fill in the application legibly in BLOCK LETTERS and preferably in BLACK INK.
The Form must be filled in English only. It’s illegal to possess more than one PAN at any time. Hence, when filling the application provide the existing PAN. Also, if a candidate has more than one PAN, fill the details in Item No. 11 of this form and surrender the same.
When it comes to gender, a candidate must select the box on the left-hand side of the application to indicate there is a change in gender. In the gender, select Transgender option.
Note: There is no document or evidence requires to be submitted with this application for change of gender on PAN to Transgender. Therefore, there is no requirement for additional document submission.
A candidate must submit the PAN card change application online or offline. The fee for processing PAN application is Rs.110/- (including GST).
In case, the PAN card is to be dispatched outside India then additional dispatch charge of Rs.910/- is required to be paid by the candidate.
PAN Change Request Tracking
On submission of the application, the candidate shall be provided an acknowledgment containing a unique number on acceptance of this form. This acknowledgment number could be utilized for tracking the status of the application through the following modes:
Website – www.incometaxindia.gov.in or www.tin-nsdl.com
Call Center – 1800-180-1961 or 020-27218080
Email – tininfo@nsdl.co.in
SMS – SMS NSDLPAN Acknowledgement No.
Send the SMS to 57575 to obtain application status.
Conclusion
Thus, in allowing the transgenders to apply for PAN is a move that is much welcomed and appreciated by many. This verdict has changed the lifestyle of transgenders across the country and made them feel heard and accepted. They can at present apply for other documents using their Aadhaar as well as PAN.
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