PAN details are corrected through the "Request for New PAN Card or/and Changes or Correction in PAN Data" form, filed online on the Protean (NSDL) or UTIITSL portal. You can change name, date of birth, father's name, photograph, signature, address, gender and contact details. The PAN number itself never changes — only the data attached to it. The fee is about Rs 107 for an Indian communication address, and the updated card usually arrives in about 15 days.
PAN-Aadhaar linking is matched on name, date of birth and gender. If even one differs — an expanded middle name, a swapped day and month, a maiden name — the link fails silently and the PAN eventually goes inoperative. Once inoperative, TDS is deducted at the higher Section 206AA rate and refunds stop. Fix the mismatch on whichever record is actually wrong, then link.
What Can Be Corrected on a PAN
| Field | Can it change? | Typical reason |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | Marriage, spelling error, initials expanded |
| Date of birth | Yes | Day/month swapped, wrong year from the original form |
| Father's name | Yes | Spelling, or switching to mother's name where permitted |
| Photograph & signature | Yes | Poor original scan, outdated photo |
| Address & contact | Yes | Relocation, new email or mobile |
| Gender | Yes | Data-entry error at the time of allotment |
| The PAN number | No | A PAN is permanent — corrections never renumber it |
The same form is used to request a reprint of a lost or damaged card without changing any data — tick no correction boxes.
How to File a PAN Correction
Tick the box next to only the fields you actually want changed. A common and expensive mistake is ticking every box, which forces the department to re-verify data that was already correct and delays the whole request.
Where your Aadhaar has a linked mobile number, the correction can be completed with a paperless Aadhaar e-KYC — the photo and signature are pulled from the Aadhaar record and nothing needs to be posted. Otherwise the signed acknowledgement plus proofs must be couriered to the processing centre, which adds several days.
Proof required per change
| Change requested | Acceptable proof |
|---|---|
| Name (marriage) | Marriage certificate, or a gazette notification, plus Aadhaar showing the new name |
| Name (spelling) | Aadhaar, passport or any government ID carrying the correct spelling |
| Date of birth | Birth certificate, matriculation certificate, passport or Aadhaar |
| Father's name | Father's Aadhaar or passport, or the applicant's matriculation certificate |
| Address | Aadhaar, passport, utility bill or bank statement not older than three months |
| Company / LLP name | Fresh Certificate of Incorporation issued by the ROC after the name change |
Proofs must be in the name being applied for, not the name being replaced. A marriage certificate alone is often rejected without a supporting ID that already shows the new name.
Correction rejected once already, or unsure which proof will be accepted?
Ask our tax desk →Common Problems and How to Clear Them
- Aadhaar link keeps failing — the name or DOB differs. Decide which record is correct and change the other one; do not change both at once.
- Return will not e-verify — the date of birth on the PAN does not match what the portal holds. A DOB correction usually clears it.
- Refund failed — the name on the PAN does not match the bank account holder name, so pre-validation of the account fails.
- A second PAN turned up — surrender the newer one with the same correction form and keep the older number, which already carries your Form 26AS history.
- Correction rejected without explanation — nine times out of ten the proof did not carry the new name, or the signature fell outside the box on the acknowledgement.
When a correction is refused, the tempting shortcut is to apply for a new PAN with the right details. That creates a duplicate PAN, which is an offence under Section 139A carrying a Rs 10,000 penalty under Section 272B — and it splits your TDS credits across two numbers. Always re-file the correction on the existing PAN instead.