How to Download, Read, and Use Form 26AS and AIS: Complete Guide to Your Tax Data

When I help people with their income tax returns, I always start with two documents: Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement (AIS). These are the tax department’s view of your income, TDS, and key transactions. If you learn to read and use them properly, you can file accurate returns with far less risk of notices or mismatches.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to download Form 26AS and AIS, how to understand the information they contain, and how to use them to cross-check your own records before filing your ITR.

What Are Form 26AS and AIS?

• Form 26AS is your tax credit statement – it shows TDS, TCS, advance tax, self-assessment tax, and certain other information linked to your PAN.
• AIS (Annual Information Statement) is a more detailed report that captures a wider range of financial transactions – interest income, securities transactions, high-value deposits, foreign remittances, and more.

Think of them as:

• Form 26AS: Summary of tax already paid on your behalf
• AIS: Broader picture of your income and financial footprint as reported to the department

How to Download Form 26AS

Step 1: Log In to the Income Tax Portal

1. Visit the official portal: `www.incometax.gov.in`
2. Click “Login”
3. Enter your PAN (as user ID), password, and captcha
4. Complete OTP, if prompted

Step 2: Navigate to Form 26AS

Once logged in:

1. Go to e-File → Income Tax Returns → View Form 26AS / AIS
2. You may be redirected to the TRACES/26AS interface
3. Select the Assessment Year you want (for income earned in FY 2024–25, AY will be 2025–26)

Step 3: Choose Format and Download

You can usually:

• View Form 26AS online in HTML
• Download as PDF or text file

Save a copy – we’ll use it to reconcile your TDS and tax payments.

How to Download AIS (Annual Information Statement)

Step 1: Access AIS from Portal

From the income tax portal:

1. Go to Services → Annual Information Statement (AIS) or use the quick link under your profile
2. Select the relevant Assessment Year

Step 2: View and Download

You can:

• View AIS online (interactive view)
• Download as PDF and/or JSON for detailed analysis

The AIS interface usually also shows a Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS) – a condensed view of key figures.

Understanding Form 26AS: Section-by-Section

Form 26AS typically includes:

• Part A: Details of TDS deducted by employers, banks, tenants, and others
• Part B: Details of TDS on sale of immovable property (if relevant)
• Part C: Details of tax collected at source (TCS)
• Part D: Details of refund paid
• Part E/F: High-value transactions reported (older style; much of this now appears in AIS)

Key things to look at:

• TDS from Salary: Does it match your Form 16 and salary slips?
• TDS from Bank Interest: Does it match bank interest certificates?
• Advance / Self-Assessment Tax: Does it show all challans you paid?

If it’s not in 26AS, the department may not easily see that tax as paid against your PAN – so reconciling is critical.

Understanding AIS: What It Shows

AIS is much more detailed. It may include:

• TDS/TCS information (similar to 26AS but more granular)
• Savings and fixed deposit interest
• Securities transactions (shares, mutual funds)
• Dividend income
• Purchase and sale of immovable property
• High-value cash deposits, credit card payments, and other SFT (Specified Financial Transactions)
• Foreign remittances / outward remittances under LRS, etc.

Each entry often shows:

• Information source (bank, mutual fund, registrar, etc.)
• Amount as reported by source
• Whether you have accepted, modified, or rejected it in the AIS feedback (if you use that feature)

How to Use 26AS and AIS Before Filing Your ITR

1. Reconcile TDS

From Form 26AS:

• Confirm TDS from salary matches Form 16
• Confirm TDS from interest matches bank/FDR statements
• Confirm any TDS on rent or professional income matches your books/bank statements

If there’s TDS in 26AS that you don’t recognize:

• Investigate source – sometimes employers/banks correct earlier errors or report late
• Don’t ignore it; make sure income corresponding to that TDS is also reported appropriately in your return

2. Reconcile Interest and Other Income

From AIS:

• Check interest income – many people under-report interest from savings and FDs
• Check dividends – ensure you declare dividend income correctly under “Income from Other Sources”
• Check capital gains information – cross-check with your own capital gains statements

Your ITR should reflect at least the income visible in AIS/26AS unless there’s a valid reason to correct or dispute entries.

3. Handle Mismatches

If AIS shows income you know is incorrect or duplicated:

• Use the “Feedback” option in AIS to mark an entry as:
• “Information is incorrect”
• “Information relates to other PAN”
• Or other relevant category
• Provide appropriate remarks

This does two things:

• Creates a record that you disagreed with that data
• Can lead to corrections by the reporting entity in future periods

Common Issues and How to Deal with Them

Issue 1: TDS in Form 26AS But No Income in Your Records

Possible reasons:

• Old FDs renewed automatically
• Employer corrections or arrears
• TDS credited for prior-year adjustments

What to do:

• Trace the source using deductor name and TAN
• If income genuinely belongs to you, include it in your return
• If it’s an error, take it up with deductor and, if needed, mention it with proper disclosure and documentation

Issue 2: Income in AIS Higher Than What You Calculated

Common with:

• Interest income (you calculated net of TDS or only looked at one account)
• Dividends or small capital gains you forgot about

Solution:

• Adjust your income computation to match AIS unless you have a strong reason not to
• Keep workings explaining how you reconciled differences

Issue 3: Duplicate or Wrong Entries in AIS

Use AIS feedback to:

• Mark entries as duplicate or incorrect
• Add remarks so that if your case is ever reviewed, there is a clear trail

Best Practices for Using 26AS and AIS Every Year

• Download both Form 26AS and AIS before starting your ITR
• Keep them side by side with:
• Form 16, Form 16A
• Bank interest certificates
• Capital gains statements
• Reconcile TDS and major income heads first, then move to finer details
• Save copies of reconciled versions and your workings

Using Our Calculators with 26AS and AIS

Once you’ve reconciled your tax data:

• Use the Income Tax Calculator to compute your final tax liability based on actual income and TDS/advance tax paid
• If you have significant capital gains, use the Capital Gains Tax Calculator to verify tax impact and exemptions

Final Thoughts

Form 26AS and AIS are no longer optional curiosities – they are central to how the income tax department views your financial life. Learning to use them is one of the best “skills” you can develop as a taxpayer.

Make it a habit each year to download these reports early, reconcile them with your own records, and then file your return. This reduces the chance of missed income, misclaimed TDS, and post-filing notices.

Disclaimer: The layout and features of Form 26AS and AIS may evolve as the department updates its systems. This guide is based on current interfaces and reporting standards. Always refer to the latest help sections on the income tax portal and consult a tax professional for complex cases or discrepancies you are unsure how to handle.