TAN Verification: Verify TAN Details and Check TAN Status Online
By the LegalDev India Business Compliance Team
TAN verification is done on the Income Tax e-Filing portal at incometax.gov.in using the free Know TAN Details service. Search by deductor name or TAN, add the category, state and a mobile number, enter the 6-digit OTP, and the portal shows the deductor's basic and Assessing Officer details. No login is needed.
Your Form 16 shows a TAN you have never seen, and you want to be sure the tax cut from your pay is landing under the right deductor. Or you have just applied for a TAN and the number has not reached you. Both problems are solved below, in this order: verify a TAN, search by name, search by number, track an application, then fix what goes wrong.
The government OTP is entered only on incometax.gov.in. LegalDev India never asks for it. We are a private consultancy and are not affiliated with any government body.
What Is TAN Verification?
TAN verification means confirming that a Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number exists in Income Tax Department records and belongs to the deductor you think it does. Anyone who deducts or collects tax at source must hold one. The requirement sat in Section 203A of the Income-tax Act, 1961. From 1 April 2026 the matching provision is Section 397 of the Income-tax Act, 2025 (Income Tax Department forms FAQ, 2026).
A TAN is 10 characters long, not 10 digits: four letters, five digits and one final letter, for example DELA12345B. The first three letters are a city code, and the fourth is the initial of the deductor's name.
Why Is TAN Verification Important?
The TAN is the label under which a deductor's tax deposits and returns are filed, so it decides where your TDS credit lands. If your employer quotes a wrong or someone else's TAN, the credit can show up under the wrong deductor or fail to show for you at all. That is our reasoning from how TDS returns are structured, not a quote from a rule, and it is why a two-minute check against the portal is worth doing.
The search also works the other way round. If you only know a company's name, Know TAN Details helps you find its TAN.
Who Should Verify a TAN?
Salaried employees checking the employer TAN on their Form 16
Freelancers and vendors who receive TDS certificates from clients and banks
Deductors checking a newly allotted TAN before quoting it in a TDS return (the Income Tax Department's own status page advises this)
Accountants and payroll teams onboarding a new client or a new branch
How to Verify TAN Details Online
Open incometax.gov.in, choose Know TAN Details from Quick Links, search by name or TAN, add a mobile number, and validate the OTP. Both registered and unregistered users can use the service without logging in (Income Tax e-Filing user manual, 2025).
Step 1: Visit the Income Tax e-Filing Portal
Type https://www.incometax.gov.in into your browser. Some older guides still point to incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in, the retired portal address. Use incometax.gov.in only, and be wary of lookalike sites and paid "TAN services" in search ads.
Step 2: Click on "Know TAN Details"
You will find it under Quick Links on the home page. Menu labels get updated now and then, so if you do not see it, look for the words Know TAN.
Step 3: Choose Search Method: Name or TAN
Pick TAN if you have the number and want to confirm whose it is. Pick Name if you know the deductor but not the TAN.
Step 4: Enter Deductor Details and Mobile Number
Select the category of deductor and the state where applicable, then type the name or TAN. Enter a mobile number you can reach right now, because the OTP goes to it.
Step 5: Verify OTP and View TAN Details
Click Continue, and a 6-digit OTP arrives by SMS. It stays valid for 15 minutes; Resend OTP issues a fresh one (user manual, 2025). Enter it, click Validate, and the details load.
TAN Search by Name
Search by name when you know the deductor but not the TAN. It returns a list, so accuracy depends on how well you pick the category, state and spelling.
Select Deductor Category and State
The category describes the deductor's kind: company, firm, individual, government body and so on. The state is the deductor's state, which may differ from where you live or work. A wrong pick is the most common reason a name search returns nothing.
Enter Deductor Name and Mobile Number
Use the legal name as printed on the Form 16 or invoice rather than a shop or brand name. A company that changed its name may sit under the old one, so try both.
Verify OTP and Select the Correct Deductor
After the OTP you get a table of matches. Click the right row to open that deductor's Basic Details and Assessing Officer details. Two firms with similar names in one state are common; match the state and category before you click.
TAN Search by TAN Number
Search by TAN when you already hold the number and want to confirm who it belongs to. The service searches only by deductor name or TAN; it does not take a PAN.
Enter TAN and Mobile Number
Type the 10 characters exactly, in capitals, with category, state and mobile number as in the name search.
Verify OTP and View TAN Details
Validate the OTP and the matching record opens straight away, without a list.
What Details Are Shown After Verification
The result has two parts: Basic Details and Assessing Officer (AO) details (user manual, 2025). The table below compares the two search methods.
| Search by Name | Search by TAN |
|---|
| Use when | You know the deductor, not the TAN | You hold a TAN and want to confirm the owner |
| You enter | Name, category, state, mobile | TAN, category, state, mobile |
| Result | List of matches to pick from | One matching record |
| Main risk | Similar names, old names, wrong state | A typo that gives a different valid-looking TAN |
How to Check TAN Application Status
Track a TAN application with the 14-digit acknowledgement number, or the transaction number from the payment screen, on the Protean (TIN) site linked from the Income Tax Department's Status of TAN page. The e-Filing portal's Know TAN Details does not track applications.
Check Status Using Acknowledgement Number
Go to tinpan.proteantech.in/services/tan/tan-downloads, enter the acknowledgement number and click Submit (Income Tax Department, Status of TAN page, 2026). Protean advises asking after three days from the application date.
Check Status Using Transaction Number
Go to tin.tin.proteantech.in/tan/changemode.html, enter the transaction number and click Show Status. The transaction number is the one displayed on the payment screen (Income Tax Department, Status of TAN page, 2026).
What to Do If TAN Status Is Pending
Wait for the three days to pass, then check again. For an online application, Protean's FAQ says the signed acknowledgement must be sent to it, so confirm you have done that. Protean lists the fee as ₹55 plus GST per application (Protean customer care page, 2026). Once a TAN is allotted, run it through Know TAN Details to confirm the record.
Note: since 1 April 2026, new TAN applications use Form 134 (Government) or Form 135 (others), replacing Form 49B (Income Tax Department forms FAQ, 2026).
Details You Can Verify Through TAN Verification
Four things matter, and each can be checked against a certificate you already hold.
| Field | Compare It With | Red Flag |
|---|
| Deductor name and category | Form 16 / certificate | A different legal entity, or LLP vs company mismatch |
| TAN | The number you typed | One character differs |
| State and AO details | Deductor's registered location | Another state, unrelated AO |
| Record exists | Search result | No record after checking category and state |
Deductor Name and Category
Example (fictional): a Form 16 shows Greenfield Foods Pvt Ltd. The portal returns Greenfield Foods Private Limited, category Company. That matches. If it returned Greenfield Foods LLP, you would be looking at a different entity.
TAN Number
A single wrong character gives a different number, which can belong to a stranger. Check all ten characters against the certificate.
State and AO Details
The Assessing Officer details tell you which tax office handles the deductor. They help you confirm the right entity, and also tell you where a correction request would go.
Registration Status
The service confirms that a TAN record exists. We found no official statement that it shows an active or inactive flag, so do not treat a result as proof of good standing. For that question, ask the deductor or your CA.
Why TAN Verification Matters for TDS
A correct TAN is what lets tax deducted from your pay or invoices show up against your PAN. Verifying it early lets you spot a mismatch while it is still cheap to fix.
Verify the Correct Deductor
If you have two employers in a year, or a vendor deducts tax on several invoices, each deductor has its own TAN. Check that the TAN on each certificate belongs to the party that paid you.
Cross-Check Form 16, Form 16A and Form 26AS
Compare the TAN and amounts on your TDS certificate with your annual tax statement. For FY 2025-26 the familiar names apply. From tax year 2026-27 the equivalents are Form 130, Form 131 and Form 168 (Income-tax Rules, 2026).
| Document | Up to FY 2025-26 | From Tax Year 2026-27 |
|---|
| Salary TDS certificate | Form 16 | Form 130 |
| Non-salary TDS certificate | Form 16A | Form 131 |
| Annual tax statement | Form 26AS | Form 168 |
Avoid TDS Credit Mismatch
Worked example: your employer deducted ₹48,000 across the year and your Form 16 shows TAN DELA12345B. Your annual tax statement shows only ₹36,000 under that TAN. That leaves ₹12,000 missing. Follow the steps below.
1Verify the TAN on the portal and confirm the name.
2Ask the employer's payroll team to compare the TAN in their TDS returns with the one on your certificate.
3If it was filed wrongly, the deductor files a correction statement.
4Check your statement again before filing your return, since credit you cannot see can lead to a notice or a refund delay.
A deductor who fails to obtain a TAN or quotes an invalid one can face a ₹10,000 penalty under Section 272BB of the 1961 Act, matched by Section 468 of the 2025 Act from tax year 2026-27. That penalty falls on the deductor, not on you.
Common TAN Verification Issues and Fixes
Most failures come from a wrong filter or a typo, not from a missing TAN.
TAN not found
Re-check the spelling or all 10 characters, then try the deductor's state rather than yours and a different category. Search once by name and once by TAN. If the TAN is newly allotted, confirm the status first.
OTP not received
Check the mobile number you typed, your signal and SMS-blocking settings, then use Resend OTP. Remember it lasts 15 minutes.
Wrong deductor category or state
A firm registered as a partnership will not show up under Company. Pick the deductor's own state. If a branch holds the TAN, the branch's state may apply.
TAN application still under process
Use the acknowledgement or transaction number route above. A TAN that has not been allotted cannot be found in Know TAN Details.
TAN Verification After 1 April 2026: What Changed
The Income-tax Act, 2025 came into force on 1 April 2026, and TAN rules were renumbered. FY 2025-26 continues under the 1961 Act.
| Item | Old | From 1 April 2026 |
|---|
| TAN provision | Section 203A | Section 397 |
| TAN application | Form 49B | Form 134 (Government) / Form 135 (others) |
| Salary TDS certificate | Form 16 | Form 130 |
| Annual tax statement | Form 26AS | Form 168 |
Next step: open incometax.gov.in now and run your deductor through Know TAN Details. If you need a new TAN, a corrected TDS return or payroll TDS support, our team can help with applying for a new TAN, payroll compliance and income tax return filing. You can also
talk to a compliance expert. Verifying a TAN costs nothing on the official portal; our help is optional. LegalDev Tax India Private Limited (CIN U69202UT2023PTC016183) is a private consultancy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Open incometax.gov.in, choose Know TAN Details, search by TAN or deductor name, select category and state, enter a mobile number, validate the 6-digit OTP and read the details.
Yes. Both registered and unregistered users can use Know TAN Details without logging in.
No. The official Know TAN Details service searches only by deductor name or TAN.
Ten: four letters, five digits and one letter. It is a 10-character code, not a 10-digit number.
The 6-digit OTP is valid for 15 minutes. Use Resend OTP to get a new one.
Use the 14-digit acknowledgement number, or the transaction number from the payment screen, on the Protean TIN status pages linked from the Income Tax Department's Status of TAN page.
No. From 1 April 2026, Form 134 (Government) and Form 135 (other applicants) replace it under the Income-tax Rules, 2026.
Re-check the spelling or number, try the deductor's state and a different category, and search by both name and TAN. If the TAN is new, track the application first.