PAN Card is a very important and essential document that is used primarily for filing the Income tax returns. It can also be used as a proof of identification whenever registering for any other forms or applications. PAN stands of the Personal Account number which remains the same for the person throughout his/her life. It consists of 10-digit alphanumeric numbers that are specifically designed for the individual.
Format of PAN Card
PAN Card is issued by the Income Tax Department under Section 139A of the Income Tax Act and is the supervision of the Central Board for Direct Taxes (CBDT). PAN Card is ten character long codes consist of letter and number. The combination of the code is programmed in such a manner that every character has some meaning.
The structure of the PAN Card is explained below-
- The first three characters are the letter which ranges from “AAA” to “ZZZ”
- The Fourth Character is the type of PAN Card- “P” means an individual, “F” stands for the firm, “C” stands for company, “H” stands for HUF, “A” stands for AOP, “T” stands for trust, etc.
- The fifth character is the first character of the surname
- The next four characters are the serial number which ranges from 0001 to 9999
- The last character is an alphabetic check digit
Documents Required for PAN Card
Proof of Identity
- Copy of voter’s identity card
- Ration card with the applicant’s photograph
- Copy of passport
- Copy of driving license
- Arm’s license
- Copy of Aadhar card issued by Unique Identification Authority of India
- Photo identity card issued by the central government or state government or any other public sector undertaking
- Central government health scheme card
- Bank certificate containing an attested photograph of the applicant along with bank account number of the applicant
- Copy of pensioner card having a photograph of the applicant
- Certificate of identity in original signed by a Member of Parliament or Member of Legislative Assembly or Municipal Councilor
Address Proof
- Copy of electricity bills
- Copy of landline bills
- Copy of broadband connection bill
- Bank account statements
- Credit card statement
- Post office passbook featuring address of the applicant
- Passport
- Passport of spouse
- Voter identity card with photograph
- Latest order for property tax assessment
- Driving license
- Domicile certificate issued by government
- Aadhar card issued by Unique Identification Authority of India
- Allotment letter
- If submitting a copy of one of the first five documents, the documents should not be more than three months old
Apply for PAN Card
You can apply for PAN Card for both online and offline method. The easiest method of PAN application is online as you can apply for PAN Card from home using the online portals. To apply for PAN Card you can follow these steps-
- Visit the online portal of NSDL Website or UTIITSL website which is authorized by the and Income Tax Department
- For a new application, Form-49A has to be filled
- Provide all the details that are necessary for the application like name, email, phone number, etc. and click submit
- Now a new window appears that shows the Token Number. Copy the token number and keep safe for tracking the PAN Card
- Now click on Continue
- Now you will be provided with three options
- Submit using e-KYC and e-Sign
- Submit scanned images using e-sign
- Forward application document physically
- Choose as per the availability, the recommended one is the e-KYC Method which is the easiest
- Fill other details that will be asked in the application details
- Now select the AO using the AO selector provided below
- Now you have to pay for the PAN Card application using the debit/ Credit Card, Net Banking or Demand Draft
- After the payment process is done the PAN Application is in the process. You can track the PAN Application status using the Token Number generated earlier.
