Form 26AS is your tax passbook. It is a consolidated statement maintained by the Income Tax Department that records every tax credit against your PAN: TDS deducted by employers, banks, tenants and clients, tax collected at source (TCS), advance tax and self-assessment tax you paid, and certain high-value financial transactions reported by third parties.
What Form 26AS contains
| Part | Contents |
|---|---|
| Part A | TDS deducted by deductors (employers, banks, etc.) |
| Part A1 | TDS on sale of immovable property (Form 26QB) |
| Part A2 | TDS on rent (Form 26QC) |
| Part B | TCS collected by collectors |
| Part C | Tax paid: advance tax, self-assessment tax |
| Part D | Refunds paid during the financial year |
| Part F | Details of specified financial transactions (SFT) and AIR |
Why it matters
When you file your ITR, the Income Tax Department cross-verifies your claimed TDS and tax payments against Form 26AS. If the figures do not match, your return is flagged and you receive a demand notice. Reconciling your Form 26AS before filing is one of the most important pre-filing steps.
Form 26AS vs AIS vs TIS
The government has progressively expanded tax information disclosure: - Form 26AS: the original tax credit statement, focused on TDS, TCS and tax payments. - AIS (Annual Information Statement): introduced in 2021, it adds details of mutual fund transactions, share trading, interest received, dividends, property purchases, foreign remittances and more. - TIS (Taxpayer Information Summary): a simplified, aggregated version of AIS showing derived figures like total interest income, total dividend income, etc.
For ITR filing, check all three. Form 26AS ensures your tax credits are correct. AIS ensures you have not missed reporting any income the Department already knows about.
How to access Form 26AS
- Log in to the Income Tax e-filing portal at incometax.gov.in.
- Navigate to e-File > Income Tax Returns > View Form 26AS.
- You are redirected to the TRACES portal where you can view or download the statement.
Alternatively, many banks offer Form 26AS access through their net banking portals.
Common issues
- TDS not reflecting: if your employer or bank deducted TDS but it does not appear in 26AS, the deductor has not filed the TDS return. Follow up with them.
- Mismatch in amounts: could be due to a correction return by the deductor, or a timing difference. Wait for the deductor to file the revised return.
- Old entries: Form 26AS is available for multiple past years, useful when filing belated or revised returns.
Always download Form 26AS for the relevant financial year before you file. If there is a discrepancy between your Form 16 and Form 26AS, resolve it with your employer before submitting the return.