Evergreen concept
GuidePAN vs Aadhaar vs GSTIN — What Each ID Is For
India ID glossary: PAN for tax, Aadhaar for identity (format-only checks here), GSTIN for GST — never mix their jobs or claim government verification.
Indian forms ask for IDs that look similar and fail for different reasons. Use the right one — and treat Tools.Town validators as format helpers, not portal proof.
Never share full Aadhaar unnecessarily. Format checks stay in your browser; still minimise where you paste sensitive numbers.
At a glance
| ID | Job | Typical length | Tools.Town check |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAN | Tax identity (Income Tax) | 10 chars | PAN Validator — structure / entity letter |
| Aadhaar | Resident identity (UIDAI) | 12 digits | Aadhaar Format Validator — format + Verhoeff only |
| GSTIN | GST registration | 15 chars | GST Number Validator — structure + checksum |
When to use which
- Invoice / GST return → GSTIN (and often PAN of the entity)
- ITR / TDS / banking KYC tax fields → PAN
- KYC where Aadhaar is requested → Aadhaar (prefer masked / offline KYC flows your provider supports)
Related banking helpers
Phone numbers for CRM/SMS: Indian Phone Formatter. IFSC lookup is on the roadmap — don’t rely on a stub for live NEFT.
Hub: India Docs & ID Ops.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Tools.Town prove my Aadhaar is issued?
No. Aadhaar Format Validator checks length and Verhoeff checksum only — not UIDAI status.
Is GSTIN the same as PAN?
No. GSTIN embeds a PAN in the middle characters, but they are different identifiers with different jobs.