PAN Card: Understand Your Permanent Account Number; What's Hidden In Its 10 Digits

Pan Card: There are 10 digits written at the bottom of PAN card, in which your details are hidden. Let us decipher this for your understanding.
PAN Card, cardholders, Income Tax Department
PAN Card, cardholders, Income Tax Department

Permanent Account Number: PAN Card is one of the most important documents for Indians. From job to bank, post office to education, PAN card is useful at all places. This is also called your permanent account number. PAN card is a unique 10 digit alphanumeric number issued by the Income Tax Department. PAN is issued in the form of a laminated plastic card, commonly known as PAN card. There are 10 digits written at the bottom of the PAN, in which your details are hidden. But many people do not know this. Let us know what is the meaning of the 10 numbers written in the PAN card and what kind of information can be obtained through the PAN card.

Permanent account number means that PAN cannot be made twice for any person. Actually, the number printed on the PAN card can be only one, it cannot be changed. Actually, the Income Tax Department which issues PAN card adopts a special procedure for giving PAN number. Under which you are given a 10 digit number. These 10 digit PAN contains a mixture of alphabets and numbers. The first 5 characters of PAN card are always alphabet. The next 4 characters are numbers and finally an alphabet comes back. Therefore, it becomes important what information is hidden in these 10 numbers.

What is the meaning of the 10 characters written on PAN?


If you have ever looked at your PAN card carefully, you would know that the first three characters of the PAN card are in alphabetical series. The fourth alphabet of PAN card tells what you are in the eyes of the Income Tax Department. If you are an individual then the fourth alphabet of your PAN card will be P. So let us tell you what meaning is hidden behind which character of PAN card.

First 3 characters on PAN

The first 3 characters on the PAN are given in the form of an alphabetical series, which can be in the form of AAA to ZZZ.

Fourth character

The fourth character on PAN is very important.

P- Single Individual

F- Firm

C- Company

A- AOP (Association of Persons)

T- Trust

H- HUF (Hindu Undivided Family)

B- BOI (Body of Individual)

L- Local

J- Artificial Judicial Person

G- For Govt.

5th character on PAN

The fifth character of the PAN card number is alphabet. This digit is the first letter of the surname of the PAN cardholder. It depends only on the PAN card holder. It is noteworthy that only the last name of the holder is seen in this.

Last 4 characters


After this there are 4 numbers in the PAN card. These numbers can be anything from 0001 to 9999. These numbers of your PAN card represent the series which is currently running in the Income Tax Department.

Last number

Its last digit of PAN is an alphabet check digit, which can be any letter.

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
Outlook Business & Money
business.outlookindia.com