Is It Normal for New Employers to Ask for Previous Company Tax Details Before Hiring?

I faced a problem where the new employer is asking for my previous company's TAN and PAN details in order to check if the company is paying taxes or not before releasing the offer letter. Is it common for employers to request such information from employees? Can I ask my previous HR to provide these details? Will they be willing to share this information?

Dear Anji Gudditi,

Why is your future employer interested in knowing the PAN/TAN details of your past employer? What is the reasoning behind requesting this information? Even if they are not fulfilling tax obligations, how could you be held accountable for their non-compliance? The actions or decisions of employers are typically beyond the control of employees.

Have you submitted Form-16? If so, inform them that the details provided in the form should be adequate. It is not standard practice to disclose information about current employers and, in some cases, refusing to do so could potentially result in missing out on a job opportunity. Are you prepared for that possibility?

The request from your potential future employer seems unjustified. At most, they could access information about your past employer via www.zaubacorp.com.

Alternatively, could their concerns be related to Form-16 or the experience letter you have submitted?

Thank you,

Dinesh Divekar

Hi, The TAN and PAN of the past employer are not always required for the new employer. Even if you ask your previous HR, they may not share it easily. You can simply inform them that you don't have access to those details and that the past HR is not providing the information.

Hello, in reference to the above, you can communicate with your previous employer/HR as they will be able to easily share the information with you. If you encounter any difficulties or challenges, you can also communicate with the Accounts Department.

Thank you.