PAN — Permanent Account Number
What it means
PAN is the ten-character alphanumeric identifier issued by the Income-tax Department to every taxpayer, linking all tax payments, TDS credits, returns and high-value transactions of a person into a single account.
Where you meet it in the CA course
Return-filing chapters at Intermediate, TDS provisions (higher deduction u/s 206AA without PAN), and quoting requirements for specified transactions across tax papers.
Worked example
The fourth character of a PAN encodes the holder type: P for individual, C for company, H for HUF, F for firm — AAAPZ1234C is an individual's PAN.
Related terms
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Talk to usWhat happens if TDS is deducted without the payee's PAN?
Section 206AA mandates deduction at the higher of the prescribed rate or 20%, and the payee cannot get credit until the PAN is furnished and the TDS return corrected.
Is PAN mandatory for GST registration?
Yes — GSTIN is PAN-based: characters 3 to 12 of a GSTIN are the holder's PAN.