Decoded! 5 exciting details of your PAN number

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a ten-digit alphanumeric number code issued by the Income Tax Department that acts as an identification for Indian nationals, especially those who pay Income Tax.

It is issued by the Indian Income Tax Department under the supervision of the Central Board for Direct Taxes (CBDT).

Here are some exciting details about PAN card that we bet you didn't know.

1. A PAN card is usually a combination of your details. A typical PAN is BFDPS8169K. The First three characters i.e. “BFD” in this mentioned PAN are
alphabetic series running from AAA to ZZZ

2. Fourth character of PAN i.e. P in the above PAN represents the status of the PAN holder. P stands for Individual, F stands for Firm, C stands for Company, H stands for Hindu Undivided Family, A
stands for  association of persons, T stands for TRUST, B body of individuals, L for local authority, J for artificial juridical person and G stands for government.

3. Fifth character i.e. “S” in the above PAN represents first character of the PAN holder’s last name/surname. For example if your name is Tikam Singh, the 5th character in your PAN number will be S.

4. Next four characters i.e. “8169” in the above PAN are sequential number running from 0001 to 9999.

5. Last character i.e. “K” in the above PAN is an alphabetic check digit which is based on a formula which takes into account the first nine digits.