PAN Card Validator

A Python package to validate and decode Indian PAN (Permanent Account Number) card numbers.

Features

• ✅ Validate PAN card numbers according to Indian Income Tax standards
• 🔍 Decode PAN structure and extract meaningful information
• 📝 Detailed breakdown of each character's meaning
• 🖥️ Command-line interface for quick validation
• 🐍 Simple Python API for integration
• 🚀 Zero dependencies
• 💯 Comprehensive validation with detailed error messages

Installation

pip install pancard

Quick Start

Command Line Usage

# Validate a PAN
pancard ABCDE1234F --validate

# Decode a PAN (default behavior)
pancard ABCDE1234F

# Get a summary
pancard ABCDE1234F --summary

# Output as JSON
pancard ABCDE1234F --json

Python API Usage

from pancard import validate_pan, decode_pan, PANValidator, PANDecoder

# Quick validation
is_valid = validate_pan("ABCDE1234F")
print(f"Valid: {is_valid}")

# Quick decode
info = decode_pan("ABCDE1234F")
print(info)

# Using validator class
validator = PANValidator()
is_valid = validator.validate("ABCDE1234F")

# Strict validation with exceptions
try:
    validator.validate_strict("ABCDE1234F")
    print("PAN is valid!")
except InvalidPANError as e:
    print(f"Invalid PAN: {e}")

# Using decoder class
decoder = PANDecoder()
decoded_info = decoder.decode("ABCDE1234F")
print(decoded_info)

# Get human-readable summary
summary = decoder.get_summary("ABCDE1234F")
print(summary)

PAN Structure Explanation

A PAN is a 10-character alphanumeric identifier with the format: AAAAA9999A

Character Breakdown:

1. First 3 characters (AAA): Alphabetic series running from AAA to ZZZ

2. 4th character: Type of PAN holder

   • P = Individual (Person)
   • C = Company
   • H = Hindu Undivided Family (HUF)
   • F = Firm/Partnership
   • A = Association of Persons (AOP)
   • T = Trust
   • B = Body of Individuals (BOI)
   • L = Local Authority
   • J = Artificial Juridical Person
   • G = Government

3. 5th character: First letter of PAN holder's last name/surname

4. Next 4 characters (6-9): Sequential numbers from 0001 to 9999

5. Last character: Alphabetic check digit

Example

For PAN ABCPE1234K:

• ABC - Alphabetic series
• P - Individual person
• E - Surname starts with 'E'
• 1234 - Unique sequential number
• K - Check digit

API Reference

Functions

validate_pan(pan_number: str) -> bool

Validates a PAN card number.

decode_pan(pan_number: str) -> dict

Decodes a PAN card number and returns detailed information.

Classes

PANValidator

• validate(pan_number: str) -> bool: Basic validation
• validate_strict(pan_number: str) -> bool: Strict validation with exceptions

PANDecoder

• decode(pan_number: str) -> dict: Decode PAN structure
• get_summary(pan_number: str) -> str: Get human-readable summary

Exceptions

InvalidPANError

Raised when PAN validation fails in strict mode.

Decoded Information Format

{
    'pan_number': 'ABCPE1234K',
    'is_valid': True,
    'structure': {
        'pattern': 'AAAAA9999A',
        'total_length': 10,
        'alphabets_count': 6,
        'digits_count': 4
    },
    'holder_type': {
        'code': 'P',
        'type': 'Individual (Person)',
        'description': 'Individual taxpayer (most common type)'
    },
    'components': {
        'first_three_letters': {...},
        'fourth_letter': {...},
        'fifth_letter': {...},
        'next_four_digits': {...},
        'last_letter': {...}
    },
    'detailed_breakdown': [...]
}

Development

Setting up development environment

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/pancard.git
cd pancard

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install in development mode
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest

# Run linting
flake8 pancard/
black pancard/ --check
mypy pancard/

Running Tests

pytest tests/ -v
pytest --cov=pancard tests/

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Disclaimer

This package is for educational and validation purposes only. Always verify PAN details with official Income Tax Department resources for critical applications.

Support

If you encounter any problems or have suggestions, please open an issue.

Acknowledgments

• Income Tax Department of India for PAN structure documentation
• Python community for inspiration and support