How to Check a PAN Number Format and Read the Holder Type (Single or Bulk)

How to Check a PAN Number Format and Read the Holder Type

A Permanent Account Number, or PAN, is the ten-character identifier used for tax matters in India. When it is mistyped, forms are rejected, TDS statements are mismatched and payments are held up. The PAN Number Format Validator catches format errors in seconds, one number at a time or for a whole list, and explains each part of a valid number.

How a PAN is built

A PAN looks like ABCPD1234E. It has three parts.

• Five letters (ABCPD). The first three are a series of letters. The fourth says what kind of holder it is. The fifth is the first letter of the holder's surname for an individual, or of the entity's name for other holders.
• Four digits (1234). A running sequence number.
• One letter (E). A check character. The rule that produces it is not published, so it cannot be recomputed by a public tool.

The fourth letter: holder type

P is an individual, C a company, H a Hindu undivided family, F a firm, A an association of persons, T a trust, B a body of individuals, L a local authority, J an artificial juridical person and G a government agency. A number whose fourth letter is none of these cannot be a valid PAN.

Checking one number

Type or paste the PAN in the box. Spaces and lower case are ignored. The result appears immediately: a tick when the pattern is correct, together with the holder type and the meaning of the fifth letter, or a cross with the exact rule that failed. The messages are specific: "A PAN has exactly 10 characters", "The first five characters must be letters", "Characters 6 to 9 must be digits", "The tenth character must be a letter" or "The fourth letter is not a known holder type".

Checking a whole list

Paste many numbers, one per line. The table shows each number, a tick or cross and the details. A summary line gives the count of valid numbers, for example "3 of 4 valid". Download the table as a CSV file, or copy only the valid numbers back to your spreadsheet.

A worked example

Take four lines: ABCPD1234E, AAACS1234F, abcde12345 and BNZAA2318J. The first passes as an individual; the fifth letter D should be the first letter of the person's surname. The second passes as a company because the fourth letter is C. The third fails: the last character is a digit, but it must be a letter. The fourth passes as an association of persons. Result: 3 of 4 valid.

What a pass does not prove

The tool checks the format only. A PAN can look right and still never have been issued, and it cannot tell you whose it is. To confirm that a number is real and belongs to a particular person or business, use the verification service provided by the Income Tax Department. This page never contacts a government system.

Common typing errors

• Letter O and digit 0, or letter I and digit 1.
• A digit typed where the fourth or fifth letter belongs, often caused by a keyboard shift.
• Copying a PAN from a scan with extra spaces or hyphens. Spaces are ignored; remove hyphens.
• Mixing up an individual's PAN with a company's. If the fourth letter is P, the PAN should belong to a person.

Good practice with PAN data

Treat PAN lists as personal data. Do not post them in public sheets, and delete exported files you no longer need. Everything here runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded, and the box is saved only in your own browser until you press Reset.

Quick answers

What does the fourth letter of a PAN mean? It shows the holder type: P individual, C company, H Hindu undivided family, F firm, A association of persons, T trust, B body of individuals, L local authority, J artificial juridical person, G government.

What does the fifth letter mean? For an individual it is the first letter of the surname, for other holders the first letter of the name.

Can this tool tell me if a PAN is real? No. It checks the shape only. Use the official verification service of the Income Tax Department to confirm that a PAN exists.

Can I check many numbers at once? Yes. Paste one PAN per line and the table lists every result. You can download it as a CSV file.

Is the number sent to a server? No. The check runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.

Why does a number with the right length still fail? The pattern must be five letters, four digits and one letter. A digit in place of a letter, or the reverse, is the usual cause.