Procedure for TAN Verification

The Tax deduction and Collection Account Number (TAN) is required by all individuals who are liable to collect or deduct tax at the source. Therefore, it becomes important to know about TAN Verification and how its authenticity can be verified. In this article, we'll discuss how to verify TAN number,  TAN verification by TAN number, TAN number verification online, etc.

About TAN and Its Structure

The Tax deduction and collection Account Number (TAN) is a unique 10-digit alphanumeric number which is allotted by the Income Tax Department to individuals who are liable to collect (TCS) or deduct (TDS) tax at source.

Every digit of TAN holds different information about its holder. The first four digits of a TAN are letters whereas the next five digits are numbers and the last digit is again an alphabet. The structure of a TAN can be summarized as follows:

• First 3 digits represent the jurisdictional code;
• 4th digit is the initial letter of the TAN holder’s name (individual or entity);
• The next 5 digits are unique numbers allotted to the TAN;
• The last digit is a randomly allotted letter.

Therefore, for an individual named Jay who belongs to Bangalore, the TAN may look something like BLR J 23456 X.

As per the provision of the Income Tax Act, 1961 Section 203A, this TAN is to be mandatorily mentioned in all these documents: TCS statements, TDS statements, TDS/TCS certificates, Annual Information Return, TDS/TCS payment Challan, and other documents as prescribed. In case the individual responsible for deducting or collecting tax fails to mention the TAN, the TDS or TCS will be rejected by the banks. The refund for the same will also not be made.

If the said individual does not have a TAN allotted in his/her name or fails to comply with the specified rules, the Act will demand the individual to pay a penalty of Rs. 10,000.

How to verify TAN number online

You can know and verify your TAN online through the Income Tax Department E-filing website. In order to complete online TAN verification, you may follow the steps given below:

Step 1 –Go to the Income Tax E-filing Website.

Step 2 – Select “Know Your TAN” from the drop down menu of “Services”.

Step 3 – Choose the category, name, and state of the collector.

Step 4 – You can either verify your TAN details by your name or TAN while doing TAN verification online.

• To verify TAN through the name, select “Search by Name” as your search type before selecting the category and state of the tax collector. Enter the full name or first name of the tax collector. You will be shown a list matching your search; you may choose the right collector from the drop down list.
• To verify TAN via your TAN number, enter your unique TAN in the required field after selecting the category and state of the tax collector. Enter the captcha code shown on the page and click on “Search”. You will be shown TAN results as per your search; you may choose the right collector from the drop down list.

Thus, by following these simple steps you can complete TAN number verification and get its details such as the number, name, category, PAN, state, area code, range code, contact details, AO type, AO, description, AO number, address, etc. of the TAN holder.