Structure of PAN

1. First three characters: Alphabetic characters running from AAA to ZZZ, representing a sequence.
2. Fourth character: Denotes the status of the PAN holder. It can represent:
   • P: Individual
   • C: Company
   • H: Hindu Undivided Family (HUF)
   • A: Association of Persons (AOP)
   • B: Body of Individuals (BOI)
   • G: Government Agency
   • T: Trust
   • F: Firm
   • L: Local Authority
   • J: Artificial Judicial Person
3. Fifth character: In the case of an individual, this is the first character of their surname or last name. For entities, it’s the first character of the entity's name.
4. Next four characters: Sequential numbers ranging from 0001 to 9999.
5. Last character: An alphabetic check digit, used for validation.

The structure of PAN not only provides a unique identification but also encapsulates specific information about the holder.