India TAN registration (Form 49B, Protean/NSDL portal)
You are helping the user apply for a new TAN on the Protean (formerly NSDL e-Gov) TIN portal at tin.tin.proteantech.in (also reachable via tin-nsdl.com). This is a standalone online form — there is no login beforehand. You fill the form from the user's documents and answers; the user reviews, pays, and (in most cases) still has to post a signed paper acknowledgement.
TAN is separate from PAN and separate from GST. Do not confuse this with:
- PAN application (Form 49A / 49AA) — a different number, different form.
- GST registration — a different portal (gst.gov.in) entirely.
- Company incorporation (SPICe+ on the MCA portal) — new companies often get a TAN automatically as part of that process; if the user is incorporating a brand-new company, check whether they already have one before starting a fresh Form 49B.
- The income tax e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in) — that's for people who already have a TAN to log in and file TDS returns, not for getting a new one.
Read this first: what you must and must not do
- You are not a tax advisor. Do not advise on whether the user is legally required to deduct TDS/TCS, which category of deductor they are in a borderline case, or tax positions generally. If asked, say you cannot advise and point them to a chartered accountant or tax practitioner. You only enter data the user gives you.
- Never guess the AO (Assessing Officer) Code. The form asks for Area Code, AO Type, Range Code, and AO Number. The portal auto-suggests these from the address, but the suggestion is not always right. Show the user what the portal suggested and have them confirm it, or point them to the AO code search tool on incometaxindia.gov.in, rather than accepting the first suggestion silently.
- Never pay or click final Submit yourself. Fill the form, show the user everything for review, and let them enter payment details and submit. This is a paid government filing on their PAN/business identity.
- Verify, do not assume. Read every value — legal name, PAN, address, category — off the user's actual documents. A name or address that doesn't match PAN records is a common rejection reason; flag mismatches instead of "fixing" them yourself.
- Stop and ask on any validation error you didn't expect. Don't guess around it.
Prerequisites
Before starting, make sure the user has the items in references/before-you-start.md. The essentials:
- PAN of the entity (company/LLP/firm PAN, or the individual's PAN for a sole proprietor) — TAN application requires this for most categories.
- Category of deductor: company, individual/HUF, firm, association of persons, branch of a company, central/state government office, statutory body, etc. Get this right; it drives which fields appear.
- Registered address, and ID + address proof of the person signing (Aadhaar/passport/voter ID/driving licence, plus a utility bill, rent agreement, or incorporation certificate for the business address).
- A working email and mobile number (used for OTP and to receive the acknowledgement/TAN).
- A payment method: netbanking, debit card, or UPI for the online fee (~₹77, i.e. ₹65.50 + 18% GST — confirm the current fee on the portal, as it can change).
- Optional but useful: a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) for the signatory. Without one, the process needs an extra offline step (see below).
If a document is missing, ask the user to provide it before you reach the step that needs it.
The flow
Full field-by-field detail is in references/form49b-walkthrough.md. The shape of it:
Open the form. Go to the Protean TIN portal and select "Services → TAN → Apply Online (New TAN)" / "Online Application for TAN (Form 49B)". No login is required — this is a fresh form each time.
Category of deductor. Choose the correct category (company, individual/HUF, firm, etc.) from the user's answer above — this changes which fields the rest of the form shows.
Deductor details. Name of the deductor (matching PAN records exactly), PAN, registered address, and existing TAN if this is actually a correction rather than a new application (if the user mentions they already have a TAN, stop and clarify — this form path is for a fresh TAN only; corrections use a different form).
AO Code. Let the portal suggest Area Code / AO Type / Range Code / AO Number from the address, then show the suggestion to the user and have them confirm it rather than accepting it silently (see the caution above).
Contact and responsible person. Email, mobile number (for OTP), and the details of the person responsible for deduction/collection (usually a director, partner, proprietor, or authorised signatory) — name, designation, PAN if requested.
Review. Walk the user through every field before payment. Point out anything that doesn't match their documents.
Payment. Hand off to the user to enter payment details and pay the fee themselves.
Acknowledgement. After payment, the portal generates a 14-digit acknowledgement number and a printable acknowledgement form.
- If the user has a DSC, they can sign digitally on the portal and the process is fully paperless — nothing further to post.
- If not, the user must print the acknowledgement, sign it, and post it (with any required documents) to Protean's office in Pune, at the address printed on the acknowledgement, so it arrives within 15 days of the online application. Tell them this clearly — it's easy to submit online and think it's done.
Gotchas
The recurring ones, with detail, are in references/gotchas.md. The big ones:
- Wrong AO code is the most common rejection reason. Don't let the auto-suggested code pass without the user's confirmation.
- Name mismatches with PAN records cause rejection. Enter the legal name exactly as it appears on the PAN card/certificate of incorporation, not an abbreviation or trade name.
- The 15-day physical acknowledgement window is easy to miss if there's no DSC — the application only completes once the signed slip reaches Protean and payment is realised.
- This is not the same portal as PAN or GST. Don't let the user (or yourself) drift onto a PAN application flow (Form 49A) by mistake — the categories and forms look superficially similar.
After submission
Once posted (or digitally signed via DSC) and payment is realised, TAN is typically allotted within 3–7 working days online (longer for physical/offline submissions) and sent by email to the address given on the form. The user can check status with the acknowledgement number on the Protean portal's "Status Track" page. Remind the user, without advising, that having a TAN is separate from actually filing TDS/TCS returns — those are a recurring compliance obligation, and if they're unsure of their filing schedule they should confirm it with a tax practitioner.
1---2name: india-tan-registration3description: Help a user apply for a new India TAN (Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number) by filling and submitting Form 49B on the Protean (formerly NSDL) TIN portal. Use when the user wants to register for TAN, get a TAN for TDS/TCS deduction, or complete Form 49B for a company, LLP, firm, or individual deductor. Not for tax advice, PAN application, GST registration, company incorporation, or deciding whether TDS applies to a payment.4---56# India TAN registration (Form 49B, Protean/NSDL portal)78You are helping the user apply for a new TAN on the Protean (formerly NSDL e-Gov) TIN portal at `tin.tin.proteantech.in` (also reachable via tin-nsdl.com). This is a standalone online form — there is no login beforehand. You fill the form from the user's documents and answers; the user reviews, pays, and (in most cases) still has to post a signed paper acknowledgement.910TAN is separate from PAN and separate from GST. Do not confuse this with:11- **PAN application** (Form 49A / 49AA) — a different number, different form.12- **GST registration** — a different portal (gst.gov.in) entirely.13- **Company incorporation** (SPICe+ on the MCA portal) — new companies often get a TAN automatically as part of that process; if the user is incorporating a brand-new company, check whether they already have one before starting a fresh Form 49B.14- **The income tax e-filing portal** (incometax.gov.in) — that's for people who already have a TAN to log in and file TDS returns, not for getting a new one.1516## Read this first: what you must and must not do1718- **You are not a tax advisor.** Do not advise on whether the user is legally required to deduct TDS/TCS, which category of deductor they are in a borderline case, or tax positions generally. If asked, say you cannot advise and point them to a chartered accountant or tax practitioner. You only enter data the user gives you.19- **Never guess the AO (Assessing Officer) Code.** The form asks for Area Code, AO Type, Range Code, and AO Number. The portal auto-suggests these from the address, but the suggestion is not always right. Show the user what the portal suggested and have them confirm it, or point them to the AO code search tool on incometaxindia.gov.in, rather than accepting the first suggestion silently.20- **Never pay or click final Submit yourself.** Fill the form, show the user everything for review, and let them enter payment details and submit. This is a paid government filing on their PAN/business identity.21- **Verify, do not assume.** Read every value — legal name, PAN, address, category — off the user's actual documents. A name or address that doesn't match PAN records is a common rejection reason; flag mismatches instead of "fixing" them yourself.22- **Stop and ask on any validation error you didn't expect.** Don't guess around it.2324## Prerequisites2526Before starting, make sure the user has the items in `references/before-you-start.md`. The essentials:2728- PAN of the entity (company/LLP/firm PAN, or the individual's PAN for a sole proprietor) — TAN application requires this for most categories.29- Category of deductor: company, individual/HUF, firm, association of persons, branch of a company, central/state government office, statutory body, etc. Get this right; it drives which fields appear.30- Registered address, and ID + address proof of the person signing (Aadhaar/passport/voter ID/driving licence, plus a utility bill, rent agreement, or incorporation certificate for the business address).31- A working email and mobile number (used for OTP and to receive the acknowledgement/TAN).32- A payment method: netbanking, debit card, or UPI for the online fee (~₹77, i.e. ₹65.50 + 18% GST — confirm the current fee on the portal, as it can change).33- Optional but useful: a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) for the signatory. Without one, the process needs an extra offline step (see below).3435If a document is missing, ask the user to provide it before you reach the step that needs it.3637## The flow3839Full field-by-field detail is in `references/form49b-walkthrough.md`. The shape of it:40411. **Open the form.** Go to the Protean TIN portal and select "Services → TAN → Apply Online (New TAN)" / "Online Application for TAN (Form 49B)". No login is required — this is a fresh form each time.42432. **Category of deductor.** Choose the correct category (company, individual/HUF, firm, etc.) from the user's answer above — this changes which fields the rest of the form shows.44453. **Deductor details.** Name of the deductor (matching PAN records exactly), PAN, registered address, and existing TAN if this is actually a correction rather than a new application (if the user mentions they already have a TAN, stop and clarify — this form path is for a fresh TAN only; corrections use a different form).46474. **AO Code.** Let the portal suggest Area Code / AO Type / Range Code / AO Number from the address, then show the suggestion to the user and have them confirm it rather than accepting it silently (see the caution above).48495. **Contact and responsible person.** Email, mobile number (for OTP), and the details of the person responsible for deduction/collection (usually a director, partner, proprietor, or authorised signatory) — name, designation, PAN if requested.50516. **Review.** Walk the user through every field before payment. Point out anything that doesn't match their documents.52537. **Payment.** Hand off to the user to enter payment details and pay the fee themselves.54558. **Acknowledgement.** After payment, the portal generates a 14-digit acknowledgement number and a printable acknowledgement form.56 - **If the user has a DSC**, they can sign digitally on the portal and the process is fully paperless — nothing further to post.57 - **If not**, the user must print the acknowledgement, sign it, and post it (with any required documents) to Protean's office in Pune, at the address printed on the acknowledgement, so it arrives within 15 days of the online application. Tell them this clearly — it's easy to submit online and think it's done.5859## Gotchas6061The recurring ones, with detail, are in `references/gotchas.md`. The big ones:6263- **Wrong AO code is the most common rejection reason.** Don't let the auto-suggested code pass without the user's confirmation.64- **Name mismatches with PAN records cause rejection.** Enter the legal name exactly as it appears on the PAN card/certificate of incorporation, not an abbreviation or trade name.65- **The 15-day physical acknowledgement window is easy to miss** if there's no DSC — the application only completes once the signed slip reaches Protean and payment is realised.66- **This is not the same portal as PAN or GST.** Don't let the user (or yourself) drift onto a PAN application flow (Form 49A) by mistake — the categories and forms look superficially similar.6768## After submission6970Once posted (or digitally signed via DSC) and payment is realised, TAN is typically allotted within 3–7 working days online (longer for physical/offline submissions) and sent by email to the address given on the form. The user can check status with the acknowledgement number on the Protean portal's "Status Track" page. Remind the user, without advising, that having a TAN is separate from actually filing TDS/TCS returns — those are a recurring compliance obligation, and if they're unsure of their filing schedule they should confirm it with a tax practitioner.
Manan0p