How to get a PAN card number online

With the advancement of technology, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has launched the facility to generate instant Permanent Account Number (PAN) in a few minutes with the use of Aadhar Card. Before actually heading to that, let us first take a quick glance at the basic necessary information about PAN.

What is a PAN?

A PAN (Permanent Account Number) card consists of a unique 10 digit alphanumeric number: the first five digits being alphabetical followed by four numerical digits and ending with an alphabet again, as issued by the Income Tax Department.

Uses of PAN

A PAN card is used to keep a track of all the business activities of the PAN holder, and grants access to the Income Tax Department to link all the transactions done by the PAN holder, with the department. Moreover, it can also be used for identification purposes across various government offices.

Condition to get PAN online using Aadhar Card

The applicant should not have an existing PAN
The applicant must have a complete and verified date of birth in Aadhar Card
The applicant must have attained the minimum age, i.e should not be minor
The applicant’s phone number should be linked with the Aadhar Card

How to generate a PAN card number online?

Visit the Income Tax Filing Website. You may visit the Income Tax e-filing Website here

Next, click on the “Instant PAN through Aadhar” tab on the left side of the window

After this, you are directed to a new window that leaves us with two options: a) To get a new PAN; b) Check the Status or Download the PAN

Click on the “To get new PAN” tab. The same page provides us with a lot of guidelines and FAQs. You may go through it in case of any queries.

Next, you need to undergo 5 simple steps to get your PAN

The first step includes filling up the Aadhar Card number along with the captcha code, and a confirmation that the provided information is true to its subject.

The second step is to provide a One-Time Password (OTP) on the applicant’s linked phone number

Then comes the third step that involves validation of the Aadhar Card details provided.

The fourth step is optional and not compulsory and is completely the applicant’s choice. It includes validation of the provided email id.

The PAN is generated in the fifth and the last step. You may click on the “Check Status/Download PAN” tab and check the status of your application by using a generated acknowledgment number. Once you are done with the complete process, you can download your e-certificate for PAN. After successfully downloading, you can open it by typing your Aadhar Card Number and a Captcha code.

Benefits of generating PAN instantly

The whole process is free of cost and the applicant doesn’t have to spend a single rupee for the PAN generation

The process is hassle-free and paperless. In case of applying for a PAN online, you are required to send some papers through post to the specified address for validation. Whereas, while applying through Aadhar, no such complications arise.

The whole process takes just 5-10 minutes and you have your e-PAN already.

The value of e-PAN is the same as the physical PAN card.

No heavy documentation is required, just an Aadhar card, with a linked phone number.

Possessing more than one PAN card is a criminal offense and it may result in heavy fines by the Income Tax Department. However, if someone wishes to link PAN along with Aadhar, he/she can do so via both online as well as offline modes. Linking your documents with Aadhar is a good practice as fetching all your linked documents with Aadhar makes it convenient for future purposes.