Enter a deductor's name or TAN to find and verify Tax Deduction and Collection Account details.
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What is TAN?
TAN, or Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number, is a 10-character alphanumeric identifier issued by the Income Tax Department to every person responsible for deducting or collecting tax at source.
Under Section 397 of the Income Tax Act, 2025, any person who deducts TDS or collects TCS is required to apply for a TAN and quote it in all TDS/TCS returns, payment challans, and certificates issued to deductees. Failure to obtain or quote a TAN attracts a penalty of ₹10,000 under Section 468 of the Income Tax Act, 2025.
A TAN follows a fixed format. The first three characters are a jurisdiction code, the fourth is the initial of the deductor's name, followed by five digits, and a check letter.
For example, BLRM12345A.
TAN is separate from PAN. PAN identifies a taxpayer; TAN identifies a tax deductor or collector.
Who needs a TAN?
A TAN is required by every person who deducts tax at source (TDS) or collects tax at source (TCS) as mandated under Section 397 of the Income Tax Act, 2025. This includes:
Companies deducting TDS on salary, professional fees, rent, interest, and other payments.
Firms and LLPs making payments subject to TDS.
Individuals and HUFs whose accounts are subject to audit and who make payments attracting TDS.
Government offices responsible for TDS deduction on payments made to vendors or employees.
Banks and financial institutions deducting TDS on interest payments.
What details does a TAN search return?
A TAN search returns the following details:
TAN: The 10-character alphanumeric number.
Name of deductor: The registered name of the entity or individual to whom the TAN is allotted.
Category of deductor: Such as Company, Individual/HUF, Government, or Firm.
Address: The registered address as on record with the Income Tax Department.
AO details: The tax office and officer with jurisdiction over the deductor's TDS filings.
Searching by name returns a list of all matching records. Searching by TAN returns a single result.
When would you look up TAN?
There are two situations where a TAN search is useful.
You are the deductor and need your own TAN. You may need it to quote on a TDS challan, file a TDS return, or issue a TDS certificate to a deductee. If the original allotment letter is not available, the portal search is the fastest way to retrieve it.
You are the deductee and need to verify your deductor's TAN. It is good practice to verify the TAN of anyone deducting tax on your behalf, an employer, a tenant, or a client, before reconciling TDS credits in your Annual Information Statement (AIS). A misquoted or invalid TAN on a TDS certificate means the credit will not appear against your PAN, and you will not be able to claim it when filing your return.
