# code402 PAN Format Check

> code402 PAN Format Check is a paid API for AI agents from hcrb.in, paid per call via x402, $0.005/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-10-12).

Validates an Indian Permanent Account Number (PAN) offline using deterministic format rules, returning validity, reason, and entity type without ML or external lookups.

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://hcrb.in/v1/tools/pan-format-check/call?utm_source=zero.xyz
- Price: $0.005/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-10-12
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/code402-pan-format-check-b4bf79c5
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_WJFFdF-0oDIhxOm3rrmDF

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability code402-pan-format-check-b4bf79c5 -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Can you check whether the PAN 'ABCDE1234F' is a valid Indian Permanent Account Number and tell me what type of entity it belongs to?

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need a fast, cheap, privacy-preserving offline check of Indian PAN numbers without sending data to a third-party registry or KYC service. Ideal for pre-flight validation before expensive KYC pipelines, bulk onboarding deduplication, or any workflow where deterministic format correctness (not live registry lookup) is sufficient. At $0.005 USDC per call with 3 free calls/day, it is cost-effective for low-to-medium volume checks. Prefer over ML-based or scraping-based validators when auditability and determinism matter.

## Known failure modes

- Invalid or malformed PAN input returns valid:false with a reason string
- Missing required PAN field in request body returns an error
- Payment not attached or insufficient USDC balance causes 402 Payment Required response
- Non-PAN identifiers passed to this endpoint return format mismatch errors
- Rate limiting beyond free tier without payment fails with 402

## How this service works

Offline deterministic checks (no ML, no scraping) for business identifiers and rental due-diligence, paid per call via x402 (gasless EIP-3009 USDC on Base). Checksum-verifiable (IBAN, LEI, VAT, ABA, ISBN, SEDOL…) vs format-only (EIN, IFSC, SWIFT/BIC…) — every response returns a scope field. Non-custodial, signed receipts. First 3 calls/day free.

## Output

Returns a JSON object with: 'valid' (boolean indicating format correctness), 'scope' (whether check is checksum or format-only), 'reason' (human-readable explanation of result), 'entity_type' (individual, company, etc. as encoded in PAN), 'entity_code' (the encoded character), 'normalized' (cleaned PAN string), and 'tool' (identifier of the check performed). Response is deterministic and offline — no external database lookup is performed.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "input": {
   "type": "object",
   "required": [
    "pan"
   ],
   "properties": {
    "pan": {
     "type": "string",
     "description": "10-character PAN string (e.g. 'AAACP1234M')"
    }
   }
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "schema": {
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
   "tool",
   "valid"
  ],
  "properties": {
   "tool": {
    "type": "string"
   },
   "scope": {
    "type": "string"
   },
   "valid": {
    "type": "boolean"
   },
   "reason": {
    "type": "string"
   },
   "country": {
    "type": "string"
   },
   "normalized": {
    "type": "string"
   },
   "entity_code": {
    "type": "string"
   },
   "entity_type": {
    "type": "string"
   }
  }
 },
 "example": {
  "valid": true,
  "reason": "checksum valid"
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/code402-pan-format-check-b4bf79c5/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from hcrb.in](https://www.zero.xyz/host/hcrb.in/llms.txt)