TAN (Tax Deduction Account Number)

While PAN identifies an individual or entity as a taxpayer, TAN is specifically required by anyone responsible for deducting and depositing TDS on someone else's behalf - employers deducting TDS from salaries, businesses deducting TDS on payments to vendors, and so on. An individual buying property doesn't typically need a TAN for the one-off TDS deduction under the property-sale rule (see our TDS on property sale article) - that specific transaction uses PAN-based Form 26QB filing instead, precisely to avoid requiring a one-time buyer to register for a full TAN.