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What is a PAN Card?
A PAN (Permanent Account Number) card is a unique 10-character alphanumeric identifier issued by the Income Tax Department of India. It serves as an essential identification document for financial transactions and income tax-related purposes.
Introduced under Section 139A of the Income Tax Act, PAN is mandatory for filing taxes, opening bank accounts, buying property, and many high-value financial activities. It helps link and track all financial information related to a person or entity.
Structure of a PAN Card
The PAN number is made up of 10 characters in the format: AAAAA9999A, where:
- The first 5 characters are letters.
- The next 4 characters are numbers.
- The last character is a letter.
The fourth character denotes the type of PAN holder (e.g., ‘P’ for individuals, ‘C’ for companies, ‘F’ for firms, etc.), and the fifth character is the first letter of the holder’s surname or entity name.
PAN Card vs Aadhaar Card: What’s the Difference?
While both PAN and Aadhaar are government-issued identity documents, they serve different purposes:
| PAN Card | Aadhaar Card |
|---|---|
| For tax and financial purposes | For identity and address proof |
| Issued by Income Tax Dept. | Issued by UIDAI |
| 10-character alphanumeric | 12-digit numeric |
| Used in banking, investments, ITR | Used in KYC, subsidies, and authentication |
Linking Aadhaar with PAN has been made mandatory to avoid penalties and ensure seamless verification for tax filing.