Tax · TDS verification statement
Form 26AS
Form 26AS — your consolidated tax statement from the Income Tax Department — shows every TDS / TCS / advance tax / self-assessment tax paid against your PAN across the FY. It's the single source of truth for verifying that all the TDS your employer / bank / clients deducted actually reached the government. Mandatory pre-filing check before submitting ITR. Auto-imports into your ITR draft at incometax.gov.in.
Who needs this
Every taxpayer. Salaried users verify employer-deducted TDS matches Form 16. FD-holders verify bank-deducted TDS (Sec 194A) shows up. Property buyers verify their 1% TDS (Sec 194-IA) was credited. Investors verify dividend/interest TDS. NRIs verify TDS on Indian rentals/FDs. If a TDS entry is missing from 26AS but you have proof it was deducted, the deductor goofed up — claim the credit in ITR anyway + raise a Sec 154 rectification later.
Key dates
- Quarterly TDS return cutoffsJul 31 / Oct 31 / Jan 31 / May 31
- 26AS updates after deductor files7-10 business days
- ITR pre-fill availabilityAfter Q4 cutoff — typically Jun 15+
- AIS made canonicalSince Nov 2021
Key decisions
- Q1
How do I download Form 26AS?
Two routes: (a) Direct from incometax.gov.in — login → 'My Account' → 'View Form 26AS (Tax Credit)' → redirects to TRACES portal → select AY → download as PDF (password = PAN in caps + DOB DDMMYYYY). (b) Via your bank's NetBanking — most banks (HDFC, ICICI, SBI, Axis) offer 26AS download under 'Tax Centre' or 'TDS Certificates' tab. Both routes pull from the same TRACES backend — content is identical. Available since AY 2009-10 onwards; updated near real-time as deductors file their quarterly TDS returns.
- Q2
What are the 7 parts of Form 26AS?
Part A: TDS deducted by your employer / banks / tenants (most-used section). Part A1: TDS for which you furnished Form 15G/15H (no-deduction declarations). Part A2: TDS on property sale you SOLD (you're the deductee). Part B: TCS — Tax Collected at Source (LRS remittance > ₹10L, foreign tour packages, motor vehicle purchase > ₹10L, etc.). Part C: Advance tax + self-assessment tax YOU paid via challan. Part D: Refunds processed in this FY. Part E: High-value transactions reported under SFT (Statement of Financial Transactions) — large bank deposits, mutual fund purchases, property registrations, etc. Part F: TDS deducted on payment of rent (Sec 194-IB) — for individual landlords. Part G: TDS defaults — entries the deductor failed to deposit.
- Q3
Form 26AS vs AIS vs TIS — which is canonical?
Form 26AS: traditional consolidated TDS/TCS statement (since 2009). AIS (Annual Information Statement, since Nov 2021): expanded version — includes 26AS data PLUS interest from savings/RD, mutual fund transactions, dividend payments, security trading, foreign remittance, depository transactions. TIS (Taxpayer Information Summary): a summarised view of AIS — categorises income for ITR pre-fill. **Canonical hierarchy:** AIS is the most comprehensive (use for verification), TIS is the ITR pre-fill view (use during filing), 26AS is the legacy but still authoritative for TDS verification. As of AY 2024-25, ITD treats AIS as the primary statement; verify AIS before submitting ITR.
- Q4
TDS entry missing from 26AS — what to do?
First, check timing: deductor files quarterly TDS returns by month-end of the quarter following (Q1: Jul 31, Q2: Oct 31, Q3: Jan 31, Q4: May 31). If you check 26AS too early, it won't show. Wait 30 days after the quarter ends, then re-check. If still missing AFTER that: (a) contact the deductor (employer / bank / tenant) — they must file Form 26Q correction within 1 week; (b) if deductor refuses, file ITR claiming the TDS credit based on Form 16/16A you hold — attach a written explanation; (c) post-filing, if assessment goes through fine, no action needed; if you get a Sec 143(1) intimation denying TDS, file Sec 154 rectification with proof.
- Q5
Why does my 26AS show high-value transactions I forgot about?
Part E shows SFT reports — banks / brokers / sub-registrars / MF AMCs are mandated to report YOUR transactions above thresholds: cash deposit > ₹10L/yr in savings, ₹50L in current; credit card payment > ₹1L in cash or ₹10L by other modes; MF purchase > ₹10L; share trading > ₹10L gross; property registration > ₹30L; foreign remittance > ₹10L under LRS. These are 'information reports' — they don't automatically mean tax is owed, but the IT Department uses them to detect under-reporting. If a Part E entry surprises you, dig into it BEFORE filing ITR (could be a forgotten old transaction, joint-holder transaction, or genuinely undisclosed income).
- Q6
Why is my old PAN's 26AS now blank?
Most common cause: PAN became 'inoperative' due to missing PAN-Aadhaar linking. Inoperative PAN means all deductors should deduct TDS at 20% (penalty rate) — but historic data also gets visibility issues on the 26AS portal until you re-link. Fix: pay ₹1,000 reactivation fee at incometax.gov.in → e-File → Link Aadhaar → After payment, allow 7-10 days for re-activation → 26AS visibility restores. Other rare causes: PAN with duplicate flagged for surrender, PAN-issued-but-not-yet-active for new applicants (wait 7 days), TRACES portal maintenance windows.
CBDT rules + tax-act references
- Section 203AA + Rule 31AB: Form 26AS is the official consolidated tax statement.
- Rule 114-I (2021): Form 26AS expanded to include SFT high-value transactions in Part E.
- TRACES portal (tdscpc.gov.in) is the source-of-truth backend; incometax.gov.in is the user-facing wrapper.
- Notification 30/2020: AIS introduced from Nov 2021 — more comprehensive than 26AS.
- Section 206AA: deductor must deduct at 20% (instead of normal rate) if deductee's PAN is invalid / inoperative.
- Rule 31A: deductors must correct TDS return within reasonable time of being notified of error — no separate penalty but interest u/s 201(1A) applies on late deposit.
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