Independent guide · Not the Income Tax Department, Protean or UTIITSL · We never ask for your PAN, Aadhaar number or OTP.
What Is the Password to Open Your e-PAN PDF?
For a person, the e-PAN PDF opens with your date of birth as 8 digits: DDMMYYYY, with no slashes or spaces. Born on 15 March 1990? Type 15031990. A company, firm or trust usually uses its date of incorporation or formation in the same way. Use the date shown on your PAN record, even if it is wrong.
Find your e-PAN PDF password
Nothing you type leaves your phone. The helper runs only in your browser and never asks for your PAN. Your date stays in this browser for this visit only, unless you tick "Remember on this device". It can't open the PDF for you.
JavaScript is off, so the helper can't run. Use the table in how this helper works: write your date as DDMMYYYY.
How does this helper work, and what rules does it use?
It takes the date you enter and writes it as day (2 digits), month (2 digits) and year (4 digits), with nothing in between. It checks that the date is real (for example, 29 February only in leap years) and not in the future. It accepts years from 1900 for people and from 1800 for entities.
Only Protean states the format on its own website, and only for individuals. For the other cases, the official pages we checked are silent, so we show the widely reported format and say so. If JavaScript is off, use this table. All dates below are dummy examples.
| Where the PDF came from | Password format | Dummy example | How sure are we? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protean (NSDL), person | Date of birth as DDMMYYYY | 15 March 1990 → 15031990 | Stated in Protean's e-PAN guide |
| Protean (NSDL), company, firm or trust | Date of incorporation or formation as DDMMYYYY | 1 April 2015 → 01042015 | Widely reported; not stated on the Protean page we checked |
| UTIITSL, person | Date of birth as DDMMYYYY | 5 January 1987 → 05011987 | Widely reported; UTIITSL's page doesn't state it |
| UTIITSL, company, firm or trust | Date on the PAN record (incorporation, agreement or deed) as DDMMYYYY | 20 November 2008 → 20112008 | Widely reported; UTIITSL's page doesn't state it |
| Instant e-PAN (e-Filing portal), person only | Date of birth (taken from Aadhaar) as DDMMYYYY | 29 February 2000 → 29022000 | Widely reported; not stated in the manual or FAQs we checked |
| Not sure | The same DDMMYYYY rule | 9 September 1975 → 09091975 | Same format reported for all three |
"The e-PAN password is your PAN number, or PAN plus date of birth." Protean's e-PAN guide says the password is your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format. Your PAN number is not part of it.
What should you do next?
- Don't have the PDF yet: see how to download e-PAN from Protean, UTIITSL or the e-Filing portal. It's free for about a month after allotment or a change, then ₹8.26 on Protean and UTIITSL.
- Got PAN through Aadhaar: read Instant e-PAN. Its download is always free.
- Date of birth on PAN is wrong: the password still uses the wrong date until you correct date of birth in PAN.
- Want a plastic card: order a PAN reprint.
- Forgot your PAN number: see how to find your PAN.
- File still won't open, or it's an AIS, Form 26AS or ITR-V file: use our tool to unlock e-PAN and income tax files. It builds the right password and saves an unlocked copy inside your browser.
- It's an e-Aadhaar PDF, not e-PAN: that password is different. Use our e-Aadhaar PDF password helper.
Why won't the PDF open, and how do you fix it?
| What you see | Likely reason | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Wrong password" or "Incorrect password" | Slashes, spaces or a missing leading zero | Type exactly 8 digits, like 05011987. Use the Copy button above. |
| Still "wrong password" with the right format | The date on your PAN record differs from your real date | Check an old PAN card or a letter from Protean or UTIITSL. If the PAN date is wrong, correct it. |
| Company or firm PDF won't open | You used a different date, such as a GST registration date | Use the date of incorporation or formation shown on your PAN record. See company PAN. |
| "File is damaged" or a blank page | The download stopped part-way | Download again on a steady connection. Within the free period it costs nothing. |
| No password box appears, or the file won't open at all | A gallery or file app can't open protected PDFs | Open it in Chrome or a PDF reader app, or make an unlocked copy with our unlock tool. |
| It opens, but the details are wrong | The error is in the PAN record itself | File a PAN correction. |
Don't upload your e-PAN to "PDF password remover" websites. Our unlock tool is different: the file is opened on your own phone and is never uploaded. The file has your photo, signature and date of birth. If you print at a cyber café, delete the PDF and empty the Downloads folder afterwards.
e-PAN download scams
- Treat any call or message asking for an OTP as a red flag. The download OTP is only for you to type on the official site.
- Don't open "e-PAN.pdf" or APK files sent by unknown numbers on WhatsApp or SMS.
- Nobody needs to "unlock" your e-PAN for a fee. The password is just your date.
- Lost money? Call the cybercrime helpline 1930 quickly. PAN fraud guide →
Frequently asked questions
What is the password for the e-PAN PDF?
For a person, it is the date of birth as DDMMYYYY, with no slashes or spaces. For example, 15 March 1990 becomes 15031990. Companies, firms and trusts use the date of incorporation or formation.
Is the password the same for Protean, UTIITSL and Instant e-PAN?
Protean states the DDMMYYYY date-of-birth format on its website. UTIITSL and the e-Filing portal don't state it on the pages we checked, but the same format is widely reported for them.
Is the password my PAN number?
No. Protean's e-PAN guide says the password is your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format. Your PAN number is not used.
My real date of birth is different from the one on PAN. Which do I use?
Use the date on your PAN record, because the PDF is made from that record. To change it, apply for a date of birth correction in PAN.
What is the password for a company or firm e-PAN?
The date of incorporation or formation in DDMMYYYY, as recorded on the PAN. For a firm or trust, this is usually the date of the partnership deed or trust deed.
Can I change or remove the e-PAN password?
None of the portals we checked lets you set your own password. You can print the opened e-PAN, or save an unlocked copy with our unlock tool, which works inside your browser. Avoid websites that ask you to upload the file.
Does this helper see or save my date of birth?
No. It runs only in your browser, and nothing you type leaves your phone. The date is kept in this browser for this visit only, or for 30 days if you tick "Remember on this device". "Forget my details" wipes it.
Bottom line
Type the date from your PAN record as 8 digits, DDMMYYYY: date of birth for a person, date of incorporation or formation for an entity. If it still fails, check that date and download the file again. For help, call Protean on 020-27218080, UTIITSL on 033-40802999, or e-Filing on 1800 103 0025 for Instant e-PAN.
Sources
- Protean – Download your e-PAN card online using PAN number (password: date of birth in DDMMYYYY) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
- Protean – Request and Download e-PAN (date of birth / incorporation / formation field; ₹8.26) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
- UTIITSL – Download e-PAN (date of birth / incorporation / agreement / deed field; no password stated) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
- Income Tax Department – Instant e-PAN user manual (no password stated) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
- Income Tax Department – Instant e-PAN FAQs (no password stated) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
- Our fact-checked guides: download e-PAN, Instant e-PAN (16 Oct 2026)
Page history: 16 Oct 2026, first version. 16 Oct 2026, final review: privacy text now explains the "Remember on this device" option; links to the unlock tool and e-Aadhaar password helper added.