PAN Card for Business in 2026: How Companies, LLPs and Firms Apply

Almost every step of setting up a business in India asks for a PAN: the current account, GST registration, Udyam, the TAN application, vendor onboarding forms and the first invoice a big customer pays. If the business is a company, LLP, firm or trust, that PAN has to be in the entity's own name — not the founder's. This guide is for founders, partners and accountants getting a business PAN in 2026. It covers which businesses need their own PAN, the new Form 94 that replaced Form 49A on 1 April 2026, the SPICe+ and FiLLiP shortcut for companies and LLPs, fees, documents, e-PAN, corrections, and where the "PAN as common business identifier" plan actually stands. It was checked against Protean, the Income Tax Department and the PAN 2.0 FAQs in October 2026.

Quick answer

A business PAN is the Permanent Account Number issued in the name of a company, LLP, partnership firm, trust, society, HUF or AOP. Companies and LLPs get it automatically through SPICe+ or FiLLiP at incorporation. Firms, trusts and other entities apply on Form 94 (which replaced Form 49A on 1 April 2026) through Protean or UTIITSL. A proprietorship uses the owner's personal PAN.

• Fee via Protean: ₹107 (card + e-PAN) or ₹72 (e-PAN only); ₹66 inside SPICe+

• Compulsory once business turnover is likely to exceed ₹5 lakh in a tax year

• Every non-individual application now needs a representative assessee

• e-PAN is valid proof; a physical card is optional

• Penalty for not obtaining or quoting PAN: ₹10,000 per default

What a business PAN is and why it matters

PAN is a 10-character alphanumeric identifier — five letters, four digits and a letter — issued by the Income Tax Department. The fourth character tells you the type of holder: C for a company, F for a firm or LLP, T for a trust, H for a Hindu undivided family, A for an association of persons, B for a body of individuals, G for a government body, L for a local authority, J for an artificial juridical person and P for an individual. So a glance at a vendor's PAN tells you whether you're dealing with a company or a person, which decides the TDS rate on many payments.

For a business the PAN does far more than tax returns. Your GSTIN is built around it: characters 3 to 12 of a GSTIN are the PAN, which is why GST registration cannot start without one. Udyam registration asks for the PAN of the enterprise. The TAN application on Form 135 now makes the applicant's PAN mandatory. Banks need it to open a current account, and customers need it to deduct TDS correctly — section 397(2) of the Income-tax Act 2025 says a payee must give their PAN to the deductor and both sides must show it on bills, vouchers and correspondence. If a supplier doesn't furnish a valid PAN, the customer deducts TDS at the higher of the normal rate and 20%, which hits your cash flow directly.

Where a business PAN gets used

Step 1

PAN

entity's own

Step 2

Bank account

current account KYC

Step 3

GSTIN

PAN is characters 3–12

Step 4

Udyam

PAN of enterprise

Step 5

TAN

PAN mandatory on Form 135

Step 6

Invoices & TDS

customers deduct against it

Which businesses need their own PAN

The legal duty to apply is in section 262 of the Income-tax Act 2025, which replaced section 139A of the 1961 Act from 1 April 2026. A person who doesn't already have a PAN must apply if any of these applies:

• the business or profession's total sales, turnover or gross receipts are, or are likely to be, more than ₹5 lakh in a tax year;
• total income exceeds the amount not chargeable to tax;
• the person must file a return of income;
• the person is a resident non-individual entering into financial transactions of ₹2.5 lakh or more in a tax year; or
• the person is the managing director, director, partner, trustee, karta, principal officer or office-bearer of such a non-individual.

In practice nearly every company, LLP and firm needs one from day one, because companies and LLPs must file returns regardless of income and a firm opening a bank account will cross the transaction trigger quickly.

Who uses which PAN

Business type	Whose PAN	How it is obtained	PAN 4th letter
Sole proprietorship	Proprietor's personal PAN	Already held; else Form 93 or instant e-PAN	P
Private/public limited company, OPC	Company's own PAN	SPICe+ at incorporation	C
LLP	LLP's own PAN	FiLLiP at incorporation	F
Partnership firm	Firm's own PAN	Form 94 via Protean/UTIITSL	F
Trust, society, AOP, BOI	Entity's own PAN	Form 94 via Protean/UTIITSL	T / A / B
HUF business	HUF's PAN	Form 94 via Protean/UTIITSL	H
Foreign company or entity	Entity's own PAN	Form 96	C / F / others

Sole proprietorship

Whose PAN

Proprietor's personal PAN

How it is obtained

Already held; else Form 93 or instant e-PAN

PAN 4th letter

P

Private/public limited company, OPC

Whose PAN

Company's own PAN

How it is obtained

SPICe+ at incorporation

PAN 4th letter

C

LLP

Whose PAN

LLP's own PAN

How it is obtained

FiLLiP at incorporation

PAN 4th letter

F

Partnership firm

Whose PAN

Firm's own PAN

How it is obtained

Form 94 via Protean/UTIITSL

PAN 4th letter

F

Trust, society, AOP, BOI

Whose PAN

Entity's own PAN

How it is obtained

Form 94 via Protean/UTIITSL

PAN 4th letter

T / A / B

HUF business

Whose PAN

HUF's PAN

How it is obtained

Form 94 via Protean/UTIITSL

PAN 4th letter

H

Foreign company or entity

Whose PAN

Entity's own PAN

How it is obtained

Form 96

PAN 4th letter

C / F / others

A sole proprietorship is the exception people get wrong most often. It has no legal existence apart from its owner, so there is no "shop PAN". The proprietor's personal PAN goes on the GST registration, the Udyam certificate and the current account, and the trade name appears alongside it. Applying for a second PAN in the shop's name is not allowed — one person may hold only one PAN.

The new PAN forms from 1 April 2026

With the Income-tax Rules 2026, Forms 49A and 49AA were withdrawn and four forms took their place under Rule 158. Protean's application page now lists them as:

• Form 93 — Indian citizens (individuals), including proprietors without a PAN.
• Form 94 — Indian entities: companies, firms, LLPs, trusts, AOPs, BOIs, HUFs, local authorities and artificial juridical persons.
• Form 95 — foreign citizens.
• Form 96 — foreign entities.

Protean says the old forms are not accepted for new applications or changes made on or after 1 April 2026. If an agent hands you a Form 49A to sign, the paperwork is out of date.

The new forms change a few details that matter for businesses. Non-individuals must give an office address, and there is now a separate communication address field if letters should go elsewhere. A mobile number is mandatory. The abbreviation and title fields — "M/s" and so on — are gone, so enter the name exactly as on the incorporation certificate or deed. Most importantly, Protean says a representative assessee (RA) or authorised representative is now mandatory for every non-individual applicant, with contact details for both the entity and the RA.

How companies and LLPs get PAN through MCA

If you are incorporating a company, don't apply for PAN separately. The SPICe+ form on the MCA portal has PAN and TAN fields built into Part B, and the certificate of incorporation is issued with the CIN, PAN and TAN on it. The PAN fee of ₹66 is added to the single MCA challan along with the TAN fee. The same logic applies to LLPs: FiLLiP captures the details needed for PAN and TAN, and they are allotted through CBDT once the Registrar approves incorporation.

This route has two practical advantages. The PAN is allotted against the exact name and date of incorporation on record, so there are no mismatches, and the e-PAN arrives together with the incorporation documents so the bank account and GST registration can start the same week. Our guides to private limited company registration and LLP registration show where these fields sit.

Existing companies or LLPs that somehow don't have a PAN — for instance older entities whose PAN was never applied for — use Form 94 like any other Indian entity.

How firms, trusts and other entities apply on Form 94

Partnership firms, trusts, societies, AOPs and HUFs apply through either of the two PAN service providers, Protean or UTIITSL. Both are authorised by the Income Tax Department and charge the same official fees.

Applying for a firm or trust PAN online

1. 1

   Choose Form 94 and the category

   On the Protean or UTIITSL PAN portal, choose New PAN – Form No. 94 (Indian Entity) and the applicant category: firm, trust, AOP, BOI, HUF and so on.

   Open Protean PAN services
2. 2

   Enter entity and representative details

   Fill in the name exactly as on the deed or certificate, date of formation, office address, mobile and email, and the details of the representative assessee — usually a partner, trustee or karta.

3. 3

   Pick the PAN card type and pay

   Choose physical card plus e-PAN (₹107) or e-PAN only (₹72) and pay online.

   Tip: e-PAN alone is enough for banks and GST; you can order a card later.

4. 4

   Submit documents

   Upload or post the proof of registration (deed, certificate) and the representative's identity and address proofs as the portal instructs; sign with DSC or e-sign where offered.

5. 5

   Receive the e-PAN

   Once processed, the e-PAN PDF is emailed and the physical card, if ordered, is dispatched by post.

The entity applies once. Branches, units and divisions don't get separate PANs — they use the entity's PAN and, if they deduct TDS separately, can get their own TAN. A partnership firm doesn't have to be registered with the Registrar of Firms to get a PAN; the signed and stamped deed is accepted as proof of formation.

Documents needed for a business PAN

The proof depends on the type of entity. Prepare clear scans before you start.

Business PAN document checklist

0/7

• Company/LLP outside SPICe+/FiLLiP: certificate of incorporation or registration issued by the Registrar
• Partnership firm: partnership deed (stamped and signed) or certificate of registration from the Registrar of Firms
• Trust: trust deed or certificate of registration from the Charity Commissioner or registering authority
• Society or AOP: certificate of registration or agreement of formation
• HUF: affidavit by the karta giving the names, fathers' names and addresses of all coparceners
• Representative assessee's proof of identity and proof of address (Aadhaar is accepted for both)
• Office address and a mobile number and email the business controls

Share Print

For a proprietor who doesn't yet have a PAN, the quickest route is the free instant e-PAN on the Income Tax e-filing portal, available to individuals with an Aadhaar-linked mobile number. Paid applications on Form 93 need separate proof of birth; Protean notes that Aadhaar is no longer accepted as proof of date of birth on the new forms.

Fees, e-PAN and timelines

Protean's published fees for a PAN with an Indian communication address are ₹107 including GST for a physical card plus e-PAN, and ₹72 for e-PAN only. A reprint, or a physical card after a correction, costs ₹50 for dispatch in India. Applications with a foreign communication address cost more because of international courier.

Business PAN at a glance (2026)

₹107

Card + e-PAN

Protean/UTIITSL, Indian address

₹72

e-PAN only

emailed PDF

₹66

PAN via SPICe+

in the MCA challan

₹5 lakh

Turnover trigger

section 262(1)(b)

An e-PAN is a digitally signed PDF of the PAN card with a QR code. It carries the same legal weight as the plastic card, and banks, GST officers and customers accept it. For most businesses the e-PAN-only option is sensible: it's cheaper, it arrives first, and nobody needs to wait for the post.

Neither Protean nor UTIITSL publishes a fixed service standard for entity PANs. When documents are complete, e-PANs are commonly emailed within about a week to two weeks, while the physical card takes longer through India Post; treat that as an observed range, not an official promise. Mismatched names between the application and the deed are the most common cause of delay.

PAN as the common business identifier and PAN 2.0

In the Union Budget of February 2023, the government announced that for business establishments required to have a PAN, the PAN would be used as the common identifier for all digital systems of specified government agencies. The idea is that one number should be enough to identify a business to the GST network, MCA, EPFO, ESIC, DGFT and state departments, instead of a dozen separate registration numbers.

The delivery vehicle is PAN 2.0, approved by the Union Cabinet in November 2024. According to the official FAQs, it will move all PAN and TAN services — allotment, updates, corrections, Aadhaar-PAN linking, online PAN validation and e-PAN requests — from the three current portals (e-filing, UTIITSL and Protean) to a single Income Tax Department portal. Allotment, updates and corrections are to be free, the e-PAN emailed at no cost, and a physical card available for a fee of ₹50 in India. The FAQs also confirm that existing PANs stay valid and nobody has to apply again.

Where does that leave a business in 2026? PAN already does much of the identifier's job: it is embedded in the GSTIN, mandatory for Udyam and TAN, and pre-filled into MCA incorporation. But each department still issues its own registration number, and as of October 2026 we found no official announcement that the unified PAN 2.0 portal has gone live. Until it does, keep using Protean, UTIITSL or the e-filing portal, and keep your PAN details clean so the switch is painless.

Practically, that means two habits. First, quote the same PAN, in the same name format, on every registration — GST, Udyam, EPFO, ESIC, IEC and your bank — because the identifier project depends on matching records across departments. Second, keep the email and mobile on your PAN record current, since the unified portal is designed to send e-PANs and alerts electronically. A business whose PAN still carries a founder's old phone number will struggle with OTP-based services long before any new portal arrives.

From announcement to PAN 2.0

1 Feb 2023

Budget speech: PAN to be the common identifier for specified government digital systems

Nov 2024

Cabinet approves the PAN 2.0 project with a unified PAN/TAN portal

1 Apr 2026

Income-tax Act 2025 in force; Forms 93–96 replace 49A/49AA; PAN duty moves to section 262

October 2026

Unified portal not yet announced as live — Protean, UTIITSL and e-filing portal still in use

Correcting or updating a business PAN

Changes to a business PAN — a new name after a company name change, a new registered office, a different representative, or a corrected date of incorporation — are made through a change request, never by applying for a new PAN. From 1 April 2026, the Directorate of Income-tax (Systems) issued an order under Rule 158(12) specifying separate forms and procedure for PAN correction, so use the "change/correction in PAN data" option on Protean or UTIITSL and attach proof of the change (fresh incorporation certificate, amended deed, address proof). The PAN number itself never changes; only the details attached to it do.

Two mistakes cause real trouble. The first is holding two PANs — for example, an LLP that got a PAN through FiLLiP and then applied again on Form 94. Section 467 penalties can apply, and TDS credits get split. Surrender the extra PAN through the correction route. The second is a name mismatch between PAN, GST and the bank. If the PAN says "Shree Ganesh Traders" and the deed says "Shri Ganesh Traders", fix it before applying for GST.

For proprietors, remember that the personal PAN must be linked with Aadhaar. A PAN that is not linked becomes inoperative, and linking after the deadline costs ₹1,000. An inoperative PAN means customers deduct higher TDS and refunds stop.

Penalties and practical risks

Section 467 of the Income-tax Act 2025, which replaced section 272B of the 1961 Act, lets the Assessing Officer levy ₹10,000 for each default where a person fails to obtain or quote a PAN as required, or quotes a false one. The bigger costs are practical: higher TDS on your receipts, a blocked GST application, a frozen current-account opening and vendor onboarding that stalls because the customer's procurement system won't accept you without a PAN.

Here is a worked example. A Coimbatore partnership firm bills a manufacturer ₹4 lakh a month for job work. Without a PAN on record, the customer must deduct at 20% instead of the normal contract rate of 2% — ₹80,000 a month instead of ₹8,000. That ₹72,000 a month is eventually recoverable through the firm's return, but only after it gets a PAN, files and waits for the refund. Getting the PAN before the first invoice avoids the cash squeeze entirely.

Official links

• Protean — online PAN application (Forms 93–96)New PAN, changes and reprints
• UTIITSL — PAN servicesAlternative PAN service provider
• Income Tax e-filing portalInstant e-PAN for individuals; Aadhaar-PAN link; verify PAN
• MCA — SPICe+ and FiLLiPPAN and TAN at incorporation for companies and LLPs
• PAN 2.0 FAQs (PIB)Unified portal and common business identifier

What to do next

If you're forming a company or LLP, let SPICe+ or FiLLiP handle the PAN and TAN. If you run a firm, trust or HUF business, apply on Form 94 with the e-PAN-only option and the deed ready, then move straight to GST registration and Udyam. Once you'll be deducting tax on salaries or contractor bills, follow our TAN registration guide.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice — confirm on the official source or with a professional.

Frequently asked questions

Does a proprietorship need a separate PAN?

No. A sole proprietorship is not a separate legal person, so the business uses the proprietor's personal PAN for income tax, GST registration, Udyam and the current account. Only entities with their own legal identity — companies, LLPs, partnership firms, trusts, societies, HUFs and AOPs — apply for a separate PAN in the entity's name.

Which form is used for a company or firm PAN in 2026?

From 1 April 2026, Indian entities such as companies, LLPs, firms, trusts and AOPs apply on Form 94, which replaced Form 49A for non-individuals. Indian citizens use Form 93, foreign individuals Form 95 and foreign entities Form 96. Companies and LLPs being incorporated get their PAN inside the SPICe+ or FiLLiP form instead.

How much does a business PAN cost?

Through Protean, a PAN with a physical card and e-PAN costs ₹107 including GST for an Indian address, or ₹72 if you want only the e-PAN. A company or LLP that applies through SPICe+ or FiLLiP pays the PAN fee of ₹66 in the MCA challan. Agents may charge their own service fee on top.

Is e-PAN valid for a company?

Yes. An e-PAN is a digitally signed PDF of the PAN card, sent to the registered email, and is valid proof of PAN for banks, GST registration and other purposes. Companies incorporated through SPICe+ receive the PAN on the certificate of incorporation and an e-PAN; a physical card can be ordered later for a small reprint fee.

Has PAN become the common business identifier?

Partly. The Budget 2023 speech announced that PAN would be the common identifier for all digital systems of specified government agencies, and the PAN 2.0 project approved in November 2024 is the vehicle for it. PAN already sits inside the GSTIN and is needed for Udyam, TAN and MCA filings, but a single PAN-only registration across all departments is not yet in place.

What is the penalty for not having a PAN?

If you are required to obtain or quote a PAN and fail to, or quote a false PAN, the Assessing Officer can levy ₹10,000 for each default under section 467 of the Income-tax Act 2025. Without a PAN, TDS on payments you receive is deducted at a higher rate, and you cannot register for GST, open a current account or file returns.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 8 October 2026. Each rate and limit is stored once with its own official source and review date, and official update channels are monitored daily so changes are picked up. How we verify

1. 1.FAQs on PAN 2.0 Project — Press Information Bureau, Government of India · accessed 8 October 2026
2. 2.Section 397 — Compliance and reporting (Income-tax Act, 2025) — Income Tax Department, Government of India · accessed 8 October 2026
3. 3.Order for specifying forms and procedures for PAN correction under Rule 158(12) (1 April 2026) — Income Tax Department (Directorate of Income-tax, Systems) · accessed 8 October 2026
4. 4.Major changes in PAN application forms (April 2026) — Protean eGov Technologies · accessed 8 October 2026
5. 5.Protean online PAN services — application type selection — Protean eGov Technologies · accessed 8 October 2026
6. 6.PAN card fees for new application in India — Protean eGov Technologies · accessed 8 October 2026
7. 7.Income-tax Act 2025 — section 262 (permanent account number) — AUBSP · accessed 8 October 2026
8. 8.New income-tax penalties under the Income-tax Act 2025 — TaxHeal · accessed 8 October 2026