PAN Validator & Decoder
Paste any 10-character PAN. We'll verify the format and decode the embedded entity type — all in your browser, nothing uploaded.
- Look at your physical PAN card — it's printed prominently on the front.
- Log in to incometax.gov.in — your PAN appears on the dashboard.
- Form 26AS / AIS / Form 16 / any ITR acknowledgment header.
- Format: ABCDE1234F — 3-letter series + entity code + surname initial + 4-digit sequence + check letter.
The validator runs entirely in your browser. Pulsyr never sees the PANs you check — verifiable in DevTools → Network (zero requests during validation).
What is a PAN?
PAN stands for Permanent Account Number. It's the 10-character alphanumeric tax identifier issued by India's Income Tax Department. Every taxpayer — individual, company, partnership, trust, government body — has exactly one. It's mandatory for filing income tax, opening bank accounts, large transactions (₹50,000+), salary disbursement, and most KYC processes.
The 10 characters break down like this:
The first 3 characters are an alphabetic series assigned at issuance — no decodable meaning. They just ensure uniqueness.
The 4th character is the entity-type code. This is the most useful position to know about: P=Individual, C=Company, F=Firm/LLP, H=HUF, A=AOP, T=Trust, B=BOI, L=Local Authority, J=Artificial Juridical Person, G=Government. So a PAN with C in position 4 belongs to a registered company; P belongs to an individual.
The 5th characterencodes the first letter of the surname (for individuals) or the first letter of the entity name. Soft self-check: if your name starts with R but the 5th char is K, something's probably off.
Positions 6-9 are a 4-digit sequential number from the IT department's allocation. Position 10is a check letter generated by an internal algorithm — useful for the IT department to detect tampering, but not publicly verifiable like GSTIN's checksum.
When you actually need to validate a PAN
Vendor onboarding (B2B)
Before adding a vendor to your accounting system, validate their PAN. Catches typos and fabricated PANs that would later fail TDS reporting or get the vendor flagged in Form 26AS.
Employee onboarding
Every new hire's payroll setup needs a PAN for TDS deduction and Form 16. A wrong PAN means the TDS goes to no one's account, and the employee scrambles for refunds.
KYC for B2B customers
Validating customer PANs at signup confirms they're at least in the IT register. Combined with GSTIN validation, you have basic structural KYC done in seconds.
TDS / TCS compliance
Before deducting and depositing TDS, you need a valid PAN of the recipient. Wrong PAN means higher 20% TDS rate (Section 206AA) and reconciliation pain at year-end.
Bulk-cleaning a vendor master
If you've inherited a vendor list, run every PAN through structural validation as a first-pass cleanup. Anything that fails the format is a known-bad row to fix before next ITR cycle.
Spotting fraudulent invoices
Fake invoices sometimes carry fabricated PANs that look real but fail the format. Validation flags them in seconds — long before they reach your bank for processing.
PAN entity codes (4th character)
| Letter | Entity type |
|---|---|
| A | Association of Persons (AOP) |
| B | Body of Individuals (BOI) |
| C | Company |
| F | Firm / LLP |
| G | Government |
| H | Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) |
| J | Artificial Juridical Person |
| L | Local Authority |
| P | Person / Proprietor (Individual) |
| T | Trust |
Frequently asked questions
What is a PAN?▼
PAN stands for Permanent Account Number. It's a 10-character alphanumeric code issued by India's Income Tax Department to every taxpayer — individual, company, partnership, trust, government body, anyone who pays tax in India. It's the universal tax identifier; one entity has exactly one PAN, for life.
What does each character of a PAN mean?▼
Positions 1-3: a random alphabetic series assigned at issuance (no decodable meaning). Position 4: entity type — P=Individual, C=Company, F=Firm/LLP, H=HUF, A=AOP, T=Trust, B=BOI, L=Local Authority, J=Artificial Juridical Person, G=Government. Position 5: first letter of the surname (for individuals) or first letter of the entity name. Positions 6-9: a 4-digit sequential number. Position 10: a check letter generated by an internal IT-department algorithm (not publicly verifiable).
Can the validator confirm a PAN is real?▼
No — only NSDL or the Income Tax Department can confirm a PAN is actually issued and active. The Income Tax 10th-character algorithm isn't published, so we can't verify it the way the GSTIN validator can. What this tool does is verify the format and decode the entity type — which catches typos, transposed characters, and made-up PANs immediately. For high-trust verification, use Income Tax e-filing's PAN verification API or NSDL's Know Your PAN service.
How is PAN different from Aadhaar?▼
Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identity for individuals only — issued by UIDAI for general identification and government services. PAN is a 10-character alphanumeric tax identifier issued by the Income Tax Department to anyone (people, companies, trusts) who pays tax. Both are mandatory for filing income tax returns; they were linked under Section 139AA in 2017.
How is PAN different from GSTIN?▼
PAN identifies a tax entity for income tax. GSTIN identifies a GST registration of that entity in a specific state. The PAN is embedded inside every GSTIN at positions 3-12 — so if you know an entity's GSTIN, you can extract its PAN immediately. One business has one PAN but can have multiple GSTINs (one per state of operation).
How do I find my PAN?▼
Four reliable places: (1) your physical PAN card; (2) the e-filing portal at incometax.gov.in — log in, dashboard shows it; (3) Form 26AS / AIS, where it's printed on the header; (4) any income-tax return acknowledgment slip. If you've lost the card, you can request a duplicate from NSDL or UTIITSL for ₹107.
Can two people have the same PAN?▼
No. Every PAN is globally unique within India. Two different entities holding the same PAN is grounds for prosecution under Section 272B; the second issuance is treated as fraudulent. The 10-character space is large enough (more than 17 billion combinations) that this isn't a real risk.
Why does my PAN's 5th character match my surname?▼
Position 5 encodes the first letter of the surname (for individuals) or the first letter of the entity name (for non-individuals). It's a soft self-check — if your name starts with R but your PAN's 5th character is K, something is probably wrong. Note: for individuals issued PANs before 2014, the 5th letter was sometimes the first letter of the first name instead.
Is this tool free? Do you store the PANs I check?▼
Free, no signup. The validator runs entirely in your browser — no PAN you paste here ever leaves your device. There's zero server call. Open DevTools → Network tab during validation: zero requests.
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