PAN, TAN, EPFO and ESIC after Company Registration

When a Private Limited Company is incorporated through SPICe+, it receives its own PAN and TAN, and is registered with the EPFO and ESIC through the linked form AGILE-PRO-S. These numbers arrive with, or soon after, the Certificate of Incorporation. Each one brings its own responsibilities.

Founders often treat these numbers as paperwork that comes with Registration. This lesson explains what each one is for, and what the Company has to do with it. For the form itself, read The SPICe+ form (INC-32), step by step.

PAN: Permanent Account Number

PAN is the Company's identity for income tax. It is allotted through SPICe+ and is printed on the Certificate of Incorporation.

• The Company uses it for its bank account, invoices, GST Registration and every income tax return.
• A Company files an income tax return every year, even with no income.
• The Company's PAN is separate from the directors' personal PANs. Keep the two apart in every document.

TAN: Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number

TAN is needed by anyone who deducts or collects tax at source (TDS or TCS). It is also allotted through SPICe+.

• The Company quotes it when it deducts TDS, for example on salaries, rent or professional fees above the prescribed limits.
• TDS deducted must be deposited with the government, and quarterly TDS returns filed. Read What falls due every quarter.
• A Company that has not deducted any tax in a quarter should still check with its accountant what applies.

EPFO Registration: Employees' Provident Fund

Through AGILE-PRO-S, a new Company is registered with the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and receives an establishment code.

• The Employees' Provident Funds Act generally applies to an establishment with 20 or more employees; smaller establishments can join voluntarily.
• Once the Act applies, the Company deducts the employee's share, adds its own, deposits both every month and files the monthly return.
• Check with your accountant whether contributions apply from the start, so that the code does not sit unused while obligations build up.

ESIC Registration: Employees' State Insurance

AGILE-PRO-S also registers the Company with the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC).

• ESI generally applies to establishments with 10 or more employees in notified areas, for employees earning up to the prescribed wage limit.
• Once it applies, contributions are deposited monthly and returns are filed as prescribed.
• Covered employees and their families get medical and cash benefits through ESIC.

Other Registrations through AGILE-PRO-S

The same linked form can also open the Company's bank account, apply for GST Registration if you choose, and, in some states such as Maharashtra, register for professional tax. GST is optional at incorporation and depends on turnover and the nature of supply. Read Company Registration vs GST Registration.

At a glance

Number	Used for	What follows
PAN	Income tax identity	Yearly income tax return
TAN	Deducting tax at source	Deposit TDS and file quarterly returns
EPFO code	Provident fund	Monthly contributions and returns once the Act applies
ESIC code	Employees' state insurance	Monthly contributions and returns once ESI applies

Key takeaways

• PAN and TAN are allotted with incorporation through SPICe+.
• EPFO and ESIC Registration come through AGILE-PRO-S; contributions follow once each law applies.
• Each number brings returns or deposits, so plan them with your accountant from the first month.

PAN, TAN, EPFO and ESIC are four of the 18 documents and Registrations explained in Private Limited Company Registration: the 18 documents and Registrations explained.