Explicit expressions of transfer functions for digital tan filters with low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and band-stop characteristics approximating given design specifications are advanced. The higher order transfer function satisfying the design specification is expressed as the product of first-order and second-order filter sections of identical forms but with different coefficient values. All coefficients of these low-order filter sections are expressed in explicit forms related simply to the specification values. Thus, the result developed can be easily applied for the cascade or time-sharing realization. The low-order filter section developed here can be implemented with the fewest multipliers. The design formulae for Butterworth, Chebyshev, inverse Chebyshev and elliptic approximations are included. The transfer functions for all these filters are expressed in the same form of low-order filter section with different coefficient values.