Guidelines

Applicants for PAN are required to provide the AO code in their application. This information can be obtained from the Income Tax Office. The exact manner in which this code is to be provided in the application can be found out from the following search.

AO Code is a combination of Area Code, AO Type, Range Code and AO Number.

Applicants may search for their AO Code in the AO Code Search as per the following guidelines:

1. Applicant will search his AO Code by selecting the city where he files/intends to file his income tax return.
2. If the applicant knows his Ward/Circle/Range/Commissioner details, he will search for the particular Assessing Officer (AO) description in the column 'Ward/Circle/Range/Commissioner'. The Assessing Officer description can be obtained from the previous return filed by the applicant or it can be obtained from the local Income Tax Office.
3. An applicant who does not know his Ward/Circle/Range/Commissioner details, can mention the default AO Code of the city where he files/intends to file his income tax return. The default AO Code for each city is the highlighted record in that city. Some cities may have more than one default AO Code for new assessees based on PIN code, region, types of assessee etc.,.
4. If the Assessing Officer details are found, applicant will write the corresponding Area Code, AO Type, Range Code and AO Number in the AO details in the PAN application form.