Current portal: Taxpayer registration is available through the official Income Tax Department e-Filing portal at incometax.gov.in. The older incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in address should not be used as the primary registration link.

Who can register? A taxpayer holding a valid and active PAN.

What do you need? Active PAN, valid mobile number and valid email ID.

Registration cost The Income Tax Department does not prescribe a separate fee merely for creating an e-Filing taxpayer account.

Verification Separate OTPs are normally sent to the primary mobile number and email ID.

Why register your PAN on the Income Tax e-Filing portal?

Registration creates your taxpayer account on the Income Tax Department's e-Filing portal. After successful registration and login, you can use the online services available for your PAN, subject to eligibility and the status of your account.

Common services include filing income-tax returns and forms, checking filed returns, responding to pending actions, viewing tax-related information available through the portal, e-verifying returns, managing profile details and accessing other online tax services.

Open Income Tax e-Filing Portal Official Registration User Manual

Prerequisites for taxpayer registration

Keep the following ready before starting:

Valid and active PAN.
Valid mobile number that you can access for OTP verification.
Valid email ID that you can access for OTP verification.
Basic personal information matching your PAN records, such as name, date of birth / incorporation and residential status where applicable.
Current contact and address details.

No document upload for normal taxpayer registration: The Income Tax Department's current taxpayer-registration guidance states that documents are not required for normal taxpayer registration, except that companies follow a separate registration process with additional requirements.

How to register PAN on the Income Tax e-Filing portal

Open the official e-Filing portal.
Visit www.incometax.gov.in and click Register.
Enter PAN as a taxpayer.
Under the taxpayer-registration option, enter your PAN and click Validate. If the PAN is invalid or already registered, the portal may display an appropriate message.
Complete PAN / Aadhaar validation where prompted.
If the portal displays an Aadhaar-linked PAN validation prompt, follow the on-screen instructions and confirm validation with the UIDAI database where applicable.
Enter your basic details.
Fill in the mandatory information requested by the portal, such as name, date of birth / incorporation, gender where applicable and residential status. The details should correspond with your PAN records.
Provide contact details.
Enter the primary mobile number, email ID and address details requested by the portal and continue.
Verify mobile and email OTPs.
The portal sends separate OTPs to the primary mobile number and email ID. Enter the OTPs within the validity period displayed by the portal.
Review and confirm your details.
Check the information shown on screen. Correct any editable information if necessary and click Confirm.
Create your password.
Enter the desired password in the Set Password and Confirm Password fields. Also enter the personalized message requested by the portal.
Complete registration.
Submit the registration. After successful registration, select Proceed to Login and sign in to your e-Filing account.

Current e-Filing password requirements

The Income Tax Department's current registration manual states that the password should:

Contain at least 8 characters and not exceed 14 characters.
Contain uppercase and lowercase letters.
Contain at least one number.
Contain a special character such as @, #, $ or %.

OTP security: Never share your e-Filing password or OTP with an unknown person. Use only the official Income Tax Department portal and verify the domain before entering PAN, password or OTP information.

OTP validity during registration

The current Income Tax Department registration manual states that registration OTPs are valid for the period shown by the portal. The official manual currently describes a 15-minute validity period and a limited number of attempts. If an OTP expires, use the portal's resend option and follow the current on-screen instructions.

Registration for non-resident taxpayers

The Income Tax Department states that a non-resident taxpayer without an Indian mobile number can provide a foreign mobile number during registration. In such cases, communications and OTPs may be sent through the registered email ID as specified by the Department's current process.

PAN already registered?

If your PAN is already registered, you do not need to create another taxpayer account. Use the Login option. If you do not remember the password, use the official Forgot Password facility rather than attempting a new registration.

PAN is inoperative because it is not linked with Aadhaar

The e-Filing portal may allow login with an inoperative PAN but restrict some services. If the portal states that your PAN is inoperative due to non-linking with Aadhaar, follow the official PAN-Aadhaar linking process and applicable statutory requirements before relying on full portal access.

What can you do after successful registration?

Log in to your Income Tax e-Filing account.
File eligible Income Tax Returns and statutory forms online.
View filed returns and forms.
Use e-Verification services.
View tax-related information and pending actions available for your PAN.
Manage profile and registered contact details.
Access AIS and other linked services where available and applicable.
Respond to notices, proceedings or compliance actions made available electronically.

Difference between PAN allotment and e-Filing registration

PAN allotment and e-Filing account registration are different processes. If you already have a PAN but have never used the e-Filing portal, you need to register that PAN as a taxpayer account. If you do not yet have a PAN, first obtain PAN through an authorised PAN service or an applicable Income Tax Department facility such as Instant e-PAN, where eligible.

Instant e-PAN and e-Filing account

Eligible individual taxpayers may use the Income Tax Department's Instant e-PAN service. After a PAN has been allotted, the taxpayer still needs an e-Filing account before using authenticated post-login services. The Instant e-PAN workflow may provide a direct option to create the e-Filing account after PAN generation.

Official Instant e-PAN Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PAN mandatory for Income Tax e-Filing registration?

For normal taxpayer registration, you need a valid and active PAN.

Are documents required to register a taxpayer PAN?

The Income Tax Department currently states that no documents are required for normal taxpayer registration, except that companies follow a separate registration process.

Do I need both mobile number and email ID?

For ordinary taxpayer registration, the current official prerequisites include a valid mobile number and valid email ID, and the portal normally verifies them through separate OTPs.

Can every family member use one PAN registration?

No. Taxpayer registration is PAN-based and each PAN has to be registered individually.

Can an NRI register without an Indian mobile number?

Yes. The Income Tax Department states that a non-resident can provide a foreign mobile number; the Department's current process sends relevant communications and OTPs to the registered email ID where applicable.

Official Income Tax Department links

This article is for general information and guidance. Income Tax Department portal labels, procedures and eligibility rules may change. Always verify the current instructions displayed on the official e-Filing portal before submitting personal or tax information.