What is a PAN Card?
PAN is an abbreviation of Permanent Account Number. It is an alphanumeric, 10-digit unique number issued to every taxpayer by the Income Tax Department of India. Each PAN number is different and unique for every individual.
- The PAN number keeps the record of the financial activities of a person and is an integral part of all forms of payments
- By appearance, a PAN card is a physical plastic card that has one’s PAN number written on it along with his/her name, DOB and a photograph
- The PAN number remains valid for a lifetime as it remains unaffected by any change in address or job profile and thus can be used as proof of identity
Structure of a PAN Card
A PAN card is not merely a card with the user’s basic details, but so much more. It is designed in a way that each special character, alphabet, etc. define various different things written on it. Given below is how a PAN card structure can be defined-
- The first five characters in the Permanent Account Number are written in uppercase letters by default and are followed by four numerals whereas the 10th or the last character is a letter. ‘Example- AAA XX123 4B‘
- The very first three characters in the PAN number form an alphabetic sequence
- The 4th character identifies the cardholder type, denoting an individual or a person. For example- BBBPZ123XA
Each cardholder type is defined by the letter given 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 or Person
- T- Trust (AOP)
- The Fifth character in the PAN Card number is the first character of either of these-
- Surname or last name of the person (in case of “Personal” PAN card)
- Name of the trust, society, entity, organisation (in case the fourth character is from any of the letters- “C”, “H”, “F”, “A”, “T”, “L”, “J”, “G”, “A”
- The 10th or the last character is an alphabetic digit which is meant to verify the current code validity
What are the Types of PAN Cards?
There are various types of PAN cards available, each meant for a different purpose as explained below-
- PAN card for organizations and companies
- PAN card for Cooperative Societies and Trusts
- PAN card for Individual taxpayers
- PAN card for business units or partnership firms
What are the Documents Required to Apply for a PAN Card?
| Individuals | Copy of Passport, Voter ID card, POI/POA, Aadhar card, Driving license |
| Trust | Copy of Trust deed copy or certificate of registration number |
| Companies | Copy of Certificate of Registration issued by Registrar of Companies |
| Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) | Copy of HUF affidavit issued by Head of HUF and POI/POA details, Date of Birth Proof |
| Partnership/Firms | Copy of Certificate of Registration issued by the Registrar of Firms/Limited Liability Partnership and Partnership Deed |
| Society | Copy of Certificate of Registration number from Registrar of Co-operative Society or Charity Commissioner |
| Foreigners | Passport PIO/OCI card issued by Indian Government, Bank Statement of the residential country, Copy of NRE bank statement in India |