A Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a ten-digit alphanumeric number, issued in the form of a laminated card, by the Indian Income Tax Department, to any “person” who applies for it or to whom the department allots the number without an application.
It is a unique, 10-character alpha-numeric identifier, issued to all judicial entities identifiable under the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961. The Income Tax PAN code and its linked card are issued under Section 139A of the Income Tax Act. It is issued by the Indian Income Tax Department under the supervision of the Central Board for Direct Taxes (CBDT) and it also serves as an important proof of identification.
Structure
- Income Tax PAN card is issued under Section 139A of the Income Tax Act.
- The PAN structure is as follows: AAAPL1234C: The five (5) first characters are letters, followed by four (4) numerals, and the last (10th) character is a letter.
- The three (3) first characters of the code are 3 letters forming a sequence of alphabets letters from AAA to ZZZ
- The fourth (4th) character informs about the holder of the card. Each holder is uniquely defined by a type of holder defined by a letter from the list below:
A — Association of Persons (AOP)
B — Body of Individuals (BOI)
C — Company
F — Firm
G — Government
H — HUF (Hindu Undivided Family)
L — Local Authority
J — Artificial Juridical Person
P — Individual (PROPRIETOR)
T — Trust (AOP)
E – LLP (Limited Liability Partnership)
