TAN Validator
Check a TAN number format and decode its location code and name initial privately
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type or upload is sent to us or stored. How we handle privacy
| Code | TDS office |
|---|---|
| DEL | Delhi * |
| MUM | Mumbai * |
| MRT | Meerut * |
| KNP | Kanpur * |
| AHM | Ahmedabad |
| BLR | Bengaluru |
| BPL | Bhopal |
| BBN | Bhubaneswar |
| BRD | Vadodara (Baroda) |
| CAL | Kolkata (Calcutta) |
| CHE | Chennai |
| CMB | Coimbatore |
| HYD | Hyderabad |
| JDH | Jodhpur |
| JPR | Jaipur |
| LKN | Lucknow |
| NGP | Nagpur |
| PNE | Pune |
| PTL | Patiala (Punjab region) |
| PTN | Patna |
| RCH | Ranchi |
| RKT | Rajkot |
| RTK | Rohtak (Haryana region) |
| SHL | Shillong (North East region) |
| SRT | Surat |
| VPN | Visakhapatnam |
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type or upload is sent to us or stored.
Results are for general guidance. Please check anything important before relying on it. Terms of use
How to Use
- Type or paste the TAN in the box. Lower-case letters and spaces are fine; the tool tidies them up.
- The result updates as you type: Valid TAN format, or a list of what's wrong (wrong length, a digit where a letter should be, or a PAN typed by mistake). When the format is right, the copy button copies the TAN without spaces.
- Read the breakdown table to see what each part means, including the TDS office from the first three letters when it's a code we know.
- To find out whose TAN it is, use Know TAN Details on the Income Tax e-filing portal. This tool only checks the format.
- Press Clear when you're done. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.
What this TAN checker does
A TAN (Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number) is the 10-character number the Income Tax Department gives to anyone who has to deduct or collect tax at source: employers paying salaries, businesses paying contractors or rent, banks paying interest. The TAN has to be quoted on TDS and TCS returns, challans and the TDS certificates (like Form 16) given to the people whose tax was deducted. A wrong TAN on a return or challan means the tax credit may not reach the right person, so it's worth checking for typos.
This TAN validator checks the pattern and explains each part. It only checks the format. It doesn't connect to the Income Tax Department, so it can't tell whether a TAN was issued, whose it is, or whether it is active. The check runs in your browser and the TAN isn't sent or saved.
How a TAN is built
| Position | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | DEL | Location code of the TDS office (RCC or CIT(TDS) charge) that issued it |
| 4 | M | First letter of the deductor's name |
| 5–9 | 12345 | Running number |
| 10 | L | Check letter |
So a valid TAN is always four letters, five digits, one letter. The department's own example is DELM12345L, a TAN issued in Delhi to a deductor whose name starts with M. Its Instruction No. 56 of January 2020 describes the first three letters as the location code of the TDS charge, "for instance, MRT for Meerut, DEL for Delhi, KNP for Kanpur". The department hasn't published a full list of these codes, so the tool shows a city only for codes commonly seen on issued TANs and never rejects a code it doesn't know.
TAN and PAN are different
| TAN | PAN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern | 4 letters, 5 digits, 1 letter | 5 letters, 4 digits, 1 letter |
| Who needs it | Anyone deducting or collecting tax at source | Every taxpayer |
| Used on | TDS/TCS returns, challans, Form 16 and 16A | Income tax returns, bank and investment KYC |
A business needs both: the PAN for its own taxes and the TAN for the tax it deducts from others. Putting the PAN in a TAN field is a common slip, so the checker flags a PAN-shaped number straight away.
Worked example
Type DELM12345L. The tool shows a valid format: DEL is the Delhi location code, M is the name initial, 12345 the running number and L the check letter. Type DELM1234OL (letter O in place of a zero) and it tells you character 9 should be a digit. Type a PAN such as AAAPZ1234C and it tells you that's a PAN, not a TAN.
What this tool can't check
- The check letter. The last character is issued by the department and its formula isn't public, so a TAN with a wrong last letter can still pass a format check.
- Whether the TAN exists and whose it is. Use Know TAN Details under Quick Links on the e-filing portal. You search by name or TAN, choose the category and state, and confirm with an OTP on your mobile.
- Whether TDS was deposited against your PAN. Check your Form 26AS or Annual Information Statement on the e-filing portal.
Tips
- Take the TAN from the deductor's Form 16 or 16A, not from memory. Positions 5 to 9 are always digits and the rest are always letters, so 0 and O or 1 and I mix-ups are easy to spot.
- Deductors apply for a TAN with Form 49B, online or at a TIN facilitation centre. One TAN is enough for all kinds of TDS a deductor makes.