PAN and TAN Format Validator

The Permanent Account Number is the ten-character identifier that the Indian Income Tax Department gives to taxpayers. It appears on tax returns, bank forms, invoices and, embedded inside it, in every GSTIN. Because data entry errors are common, systems often check the pattern before accepting a PAN. This validator does that check, and also decodes the parts of the number that carry meaning, which is helpful for data cleaning and for training staff who handle KYC forms.

The layout

Positions 1 to 3 are letters from AAA to ZZZ, a series. Position 4 is a letter naming the type of holder: P for an individual, C for a company, H for a Hindu undivided family, F for a firm or LLP, A for an association of persons, T for a trust, B for a body of individuals, L for a local authority, J for an artificial juridical person and G for a government agency. Position 5 is the first letter of the holder’s surname (for a person) or name. Positions 6 to 9 are digits, a serial number from 0001 to 9999, and position 10 is a letter that acts as a check character.

A worked example

Press Sample to check five values; three pass. ABCPE1234F is a valid PAN: series ABC, holder type P (individual), surname initial E, serial 1234, last letter F. AAACG2115R is valid with holder type C, a company, whose name begins with G. DELA12345B is recognised as a TAN, with the deductor name initial A, serial 12345, last letter B and the first three letters DEL read as the jurisdiction code of the assessing office. ABCXE1234F has the right shape but its fourth character X is not an assigned holder type, so it fails. ABCDE12345 ends in a digit where a letter is required and does not match the PAN pattern.

TAN numbers

The Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number is for people who deduct or collect tax at source, such as employers. It is also ten characters, but the shape differs: four letters, five digits and a letter. The page tells the two apart by pattern, so you can paste a mixed list.

Why the last letter is not checked

The tenth character is a check character calculated by the department, and the method has never been published. Some websites claim to know it, but a tool that makes up a rule would reject good numbers or accept bad ones, so this page only checks what can be known: the pattern, the allowed holder types and the fifth-letter rule where applicable. A PAN that passes here can still be wrong; one that fails is definitely mistyped.

Using the check

Run lists from onboarding forms through the validator to catch lower-case letters, the digit 0 typed for the letter O, spaces and swapped fields. In spreadsheets, remember that a PAN begins with letters and has no leading zeros to lose, but copy-and-paste can add hidden characters. The zero-width character detector helps there.

Limits

The page cannot tell whether a PAN was issued, active or linked to a given name; only the department’s verification service can. It validates format only and sends nothing.

Related tools

• GSTIN Validator checks the GST number that contains a PAN.
• Verhoeff Algorithm Validator covers the Aadhaar number format.
• SWIFT/BIC and IFSC Decoder validates Indian bank codes.
• Zero-Width Character Detector finds hidden characters in pasted data.