The ten-character number issued by the Income Tax Department to identify a taxpayer.

PAN full form: Permanent Account Number

Q: What is the full form of PAN?

PAN stands for Permanent Account Number.

How to say it: as a word, not letter by letter.

PAN stands for Permanent Account Number. It is the ten-character number that the Income Tax Department of India gives to a taxpayer. The plastic or digital card that shows it is called a PAN card.

Why "permanent"

The number stays the same for life. It does not change when you move to another city, change your job or change your name. A person may hold only one PAN.

How to read a PAN

A PAN looks like ABCPK1234L: five letters, four digits and a final letter.

The fourth character shows the kind of holder. P is an individual person, C a company, H a Hindu undivided family, F a firm, T a trust.
The fifth character is the first letter of the holder's surname or name.
The four digits run from 0001 to 9999.
The last letter is a check letter worked out from the others.

Where it is needed

PAN is quoted on income tax returns and is asked for when opening a bank account, buying mutual funds or shares, and in many high-value transactions. It lets the department link a person's financial dealings to one record.

PAN and Aadhaar

PAN is a tax number issued by the Income Tax Department. Aadhaar is an identity number issued by UIDAI. They are different, though the two are required to be linked. PAN is also different from TAN, which is held by those who deduct tax at source.

Related full forms

TAN: Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number.
ITR: Income Tax Return.
TDS: Tax Deducted at Source.
e-PAN: the digitally signed PAN card in PDF form.

More banking full forms

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Check what matters. These pages explain names and terms in general. Rules, dates, fees and limits change: take them from the official body. Read on 12 November 2026.