🪪 PAN Card Decoder + Validator

A PAN encodes whether you are an Individual, Company, Firm, HUF, Trust, etc. — plus the first letter of your surname. Validate the format and get a ready RTI to the Income-Tax PIO for refund delay, PAN correction, or any IT dispute.

Quick answer: A PAN is 5 letters + 4 digits + 1 letter. The 4th letter is the entity type (P=Individual, C=Company, F=Firm, H=HUF, T=Trust, etc.). The 5th letter is the first letter of your surname (or entity name). Our tool decodes everything in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere.

Enter 10-character PAN

Try a sample (these are well-known test PANs):

FAQ

Is the Income Tax Department covered by RTI?

Yes. CBDT and every Income Tax Office is a public authority under §2(h). Each Range / Circle has a designated PIO.

Where do I send an RTI for a stuck IT refund?

Address it to the PIO of CPC Bengaluru (for online-filed refunds) AND the PIO of your jurisdictional Assessing Officer's office. The auto-generated RTI below covers both.

Can this tool tell me if a PAN is real / belongs to someone?

No — by design. Verifying ownership requires a TIN-NSDL or Income Tax authentication API (with consent), which we do not implement. We only validate the FORMAT.

What does the 5th character tell me?

It is the first letter of your surname (for individuals) or the first letter of the entity name (for non-individuals). E.g., for Pathak it would be 'P'.

Does this tool store my PAN?

No. Pure client-side decode. Nothing leaves your browser, no logs, no analytics.