Every year, thousands of taxpayers file their ITR, and within weeks, they receive a notice saying their income does not match what the Income Tax Department has on record.
Most of them had no idea the department already knew about that FD interest from XYZ Bank, the mutual fund redemption in January, or the dividend credited to their demat account. They simply did not check the Annual Information Statement before filing.
The Annual Information Statement AIS is the single document that shows you exactly what the Income Tax Department knows about your finances for the year. It pulls data from banks, employers, brokers, mutual fund registrars, property registrars, and over a dozen other sources. If you reconcile AIS before filing your ITR, most mismatches never happen. If you do not, they catch up with you after filing.
This guide explains what AIS is, how to download it, how to open the password-protected PDF, what the different sections mean, how it compares with Form 26AS and TIS, and what to do when AIS shows something wrong.
The Annual Information Statement is a comprehensive, PAN-linked record of a taxpayer's financial activity during a financial year. The Income Tax Department launched it in November 2021 under Section 285BB of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
Before AIS, Form 26AS was the main statement taxpayers checked. But Form 26AS only showed TDS and TCS data tax already deducted or collected at source. AIS goes much further. It captures income data from every reporting entity that has interacted with your finances during the year.
For FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27), AIS includes:
This is the complete financial picture the Income Tax Department has about you. Your ITR should match it or you need to explain why it does not.
A lot of articles are circulating right now saying "Form 26AS has been replaced by Form 168." That is true but the timing matters.
Under the Income Tax Act, 2025 (which came into force on April 1, 2026), Form 26AS is being renamed Form 168. The governing section shifts from Section 285BB to Section 606. The applicable rule changes from Section 114I to Rule 245.
However, for the current ITR filing season AY 2026-27, covering FY 2025-26 income, with a July 31, 2026 deadline Form 26AS and AIS still apply. Form 168 will be used for Tax Year 2026-27 (income earned from April 1, 2026 onwards, ITR filed in 2027). If you are filing your return right now, do not look for Form 168 it is not on the portal for this assessment year.
Income Tax Act, 1961
Income Tax Act, 2025
Statement Name
Form 26AS & AIS
Form 168
Governing Section
Section 285BB
Section 606
Applicable From
Up to FY 2025-26
From FY 2026-27
Filing Season
AY 2026-27 (July 2026)
AY 2027-28 (July 2027)
Step 1: Go to the official Income Tax e-filing portal at incometax.gov.in and log in using your PAN and password.
Step 2: On your dashboard, click on "Annual Information Statement (AIS)" you will find it under the Services menu, or directly on the dashboard for most users.
Step 3: Click "Proceed". This redirects you to the Compliance Portal, which is a separate window.
Step 4: On the Compliance Portal homepage, you will see two tiles AIS and TIS (Taxpayer Information Summary).
Step 5: Click on the AIS tile to view your Annual Information Statement. Select FY 2025-26 as the financial year.
Step 6: To download, click the Download icon on the AIS tile. You can download in PDF format (easy to read) or JSON format (for detailed reconciliation or software use). Category-wise transaction data is also available in CSV format.
When to download: AIS is updated periodically as banks and reporting entities submit quarterly and annual data. For FY 2025-26, complete bank interest and dividend data typically becomes available by June 2026. If you are filing early, download AIS again closer to the deadline to make sure no new entries have been added.
The AIS PDF is password-protected. Many people download it and then get stuck because they do not know the password format.
The AIS password is your PAN in lowercase followed by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format with no spaces.
Formula: pan_in_lowercase + DDMMYYYY
Example: If your PAN is AAAAA1234A and your date of birth is 28 July 1997, your AIS password is: aaaaa1234a28071997
For companies, trusts, and other non-individual entities, the date of incorporation is used instead of date of birth in the same DDMMYYYY format.
AIS is divided into two parts:
Part A: General Information
Basic identification details: your PAN, masked Aadhaar number, name, date of birth or date of incorporation, and contact details. This section is for verification only.
Part B: Financial Information
This is the main section. It has five categories:
TDS/TCS Information Every deduction or collection at source made against your PAN appears here. The information code, description, and value for each TDS or TCS entry are shown. This is where you verify salary TDS, bank FD TDS, rent TDS, and so on.
SFT Information (Statement of Financial Transactions) Data reported by banks, mutual funds, brokers, registrars, and other financial institutions under SFT rules. This includes high-value deposits, mutual fund purchases and redemptions, equity share transactions, property transactions, and more. Each entry shows the SFT code, description, and the value reported.
Payment of Taxes Advance tax and self-assessment tax payments made through challans are listed here, with dates and amounts.
Demand and Refund Any tax demand raised or refund issued against your PAN for any assessment year is shown here with the AY and the amount.
Other Information Miscellaneous data from sources like Annexure II salary, interest on income tax refunds, outward foreign remittances, and purchase of foreign currency.
Each entry in Part B shows two values: the reported value (what the reporting entity submitted to the Income Tax Department) and the modified value (the updated figure after any feedback you have submitted). When you submit feedback on an entry, the modified value changes and that feeds into the TIS, which then pre-fills your ITR.
Both matter, but they serve different purposes. Use both before filing do not skip either.
Form 26AS
Annual Information Statement (AIS)
What it shows
TDS, TCS, advance tax, self-assessment tax
Everything in Form 26AS plus interest, dividends, capital gains, property, foreign remittances, GST turnover
Level of detail
Tax credit summary
Transaction-wise details with amounts and source information
Purpose
Verify tax credits before claiming in ITR
Verify all income before filing to avoid mismatches
Quarter-wise data
Available
TDS credit claim
Use Form 26AS as the basis
Cannot use AIS alone for TDS claims
The critical rule on TDS: If TDS appears in AIS but not in Form 26AS, you cannot claim that TDS credit while filing your ITR. The credit must be in Form 26AS. If it is missing, contact the deductor (your employer, bank, or other party) and ask them to file a corrected TDS return before you file your ITR. Allow 2 to 3 weeks for the correction to reflect.
If there is a conflict between AIS and Form 26AS, Form 26AS takes precedence for TDS and TCS data. However, always examine both for correctness and raise AIS feedback if something is wrong.
Both AIS and TIS are available on the same Compliance Portal. They are not separate documents TIS is a summary view derived from AIS.
AIS
TIS (Taxpayer Information Summary)
Detail level
Transaction-wise entries
Category-wise totals only
Yes
No
Feedback impact
Shows reported and modified value per entry
Reflects processed values after feedback
ITR pre-fill
Not directly
Yes, TIS feeds the ITR pre-fill
Use case
Detailed verification of every transaction
Quick overview and ITR pre-fill source
When you submit feedback on an AIS entry, the TIS is updated within approximately 24 hours. That TIS figure then flows into the pre-filled data in your ITR form. So, when the ITR portal auto-fills your FD interest or dividend income, that number comes from TIS, which came from AIS. This is why fixing AIS errors before filing matters the pre-fill will carry the wrong number otherwise.
If any transaction in AIS is wrong showing income you did not receive, a transaction that belongs to someone else, a duplicate entry, or an amount that is incorrect you can submit feedback directly on the portal. Do this before filing your ITR.
Step 1: Log in to incometax.gov.in and open the AIS section as described above.
Step 2: In the AIS, locate the entry that has an error. Click on the information category (TDS, SFT, Other Information) where the error appears.
Step 3: Expand the entry and click "Optional" (or the Feedback button, depending on the portal version).
Step 4: A dropdown will appear asking you to choose a feedback type. Options include:
Step 5: Select the appropriate option and submit. The modified value will update immediately to reflect your feedback. The TIS updates within approximately 24 hours.
Step 6: Download the acknowledgment receipt from the Activity History tab. You will also get a confirmation via SMS and email.
One important thing: Submitting AIS feedback does not automatically change your ITR. The two steps are independent. If AIS shows incorrect income and you submit feedback, you must still file your ITR with the correct figures from your own records. Do not wait for the AIS to be fully corrected before filing if the deadline is close.
After you submit feedback, you can track whether the reporting entity (the bank, broker, or institution that reported the transaction) has accepted, partially accepted, or rejected your correction.
The AIS portal shows:
Field
What It Tells You
Feedback Shared for Confirmation
Whether your feedback has been sent to the reporting source
Feedback Shared On
Date when feedback was forwarded to the source
Source Responded On
Date when the source replied
Source Response
Whether the source says a correction is required or not
If the source rejects your feedback or does not respond, this does not mean you must accept the wrong figure in your ITR. File with the correct amount and keep your supporting documents (bank statements, broker statements, TDS certificates) ready in case of a follow-up query.
The Income Tax Department has released a dedicated AIS mobile app, available on both Android (Google Play Store) and iOS (Apple App Store). It gives you the same view as the Compliance Portal, all AIS information on your phone, including the ability to submit feedback without logging into the desktop portal. Useful for quickly checking whether a new transaction has appeared in AIS without going through the full portal login.
This happens more than people expect. AIS shows a transaction, but you have no record of it or it belongs to someone else.
First, check your own records carefully bank statements, broker reports, and dividend credit statements. It is possible the income was credited but you forgot it.
If the entry is genuinely wrong, submit AIS feedback using the "Information is not correct" or "Information relates to another PAN" option. Keep documentation ready.
Regardless of what AIS shows, file your ITR based on your actual income. The Income Tax Department guidelines are clear: AIS is a reference document, not a conclusive statement. Even if something is missing from AIS, you are legally required to declare it. And if AIS shows something that is not yours, submitting feedback creates a paper trail that protects you if a notice follows.
What is the Annual Information Statement in income tax?
AIS is a comprehensive statement available on incometax.gov.in that shows all financial information the Income Tax Department has received about a taxpayer including salary, TDS, interest, dividends, mutual fund transactions, capital gains, property deals, and foreign remittances from banks, employers, brokers, and other reporting entities.
What is the AIS password to open the downloaded PDF?
The password is your PAN in lowercase followed by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, with no spaces. For example, PAN AAAAA1234A with DOB 28/07/1997 gives the password aaaaa1234a28071997. For companies, use the date of incorporation instead.
Is AIS mandatory for filing ITR?
No, it is not mandatory. But reconciling AIS before filing is strongly advisable. AIS mismatches are the most common trigger for Section 143(1) intimation notices after filing. Checking AIS first takes 30 minutes and can save months of correspondence later.
What is the difference between AIS and Form 26AS?
Form 26AS shows only TDS, TCS, and tax payment data. AIS shows everything Form 26AS does, plus interest income, dividend income, capital gains, property transactions, foreign remittances, and more. For TDS credit claims, Form 26AS takes precedence. Use both for full verification.
What is TIS and how is it different from AIS?
TIS (Taxpayer Information Summary) is a category-wise summarised version of AIS. It does not show transaction-level details. When you submit feedback on AIS, the TIS updates within about 24 hours and feeds into the pre-filled figures in your ITR form.
What should I do if AIS shows incorrect information?
Submit feedback directly on the AIS portal using the feedback option on the specific transaction. Choose the relevant reason and submit. Keep supporting documents ready. Still file your ITR with the correct figures from your own records do not wait for AIS to be corrected if the deadline is near.
Will AIS mismatch cause a tax notice?
Yes. If your filed ITR shows income that is lower than what AIS records, the automated matching system treats it as underreporting and can issue a Section 143(1) intimation. That is why reconciling AIS before filing and submitting feedback for errors is the most effective way to prevent notices.
Is Form 26AS still valid for AY 2026-27 or has it been replaced by Form 168?
Form 26AS still applies for AY 2026-27 (FY 2025-26 income, ITR due July 31, 2026). Form 168 is the new name under the Income Tax Act 2025, but it applies only from Tax Year 2026-27 onwards. For the current filing season, use Form 26AS as usual.
In what formats can I download AIS?
AIS can be downloaded in PDF, JSON, and CSV formats. TIS can be downloaded in PDF format. JSON is useful for software-based reconciliation. CSV is available for category-wise transaction exports.
How often is AIS updated?
AIS is updated periodically throughout the year as reporting entities submit their data. It is not a real-time document. Major updates happen after quarterly TDS return deadlines and after annual SFT filings by banks and financial institutions.
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