Form 26AS Explained: Annual Tax Statement, Download Steps and Mismatch Fixes (AY 2026-27)
Form 26AS is your annual tax statement: every rupee of TDS and TCS credited to your PAN, the advance tax and self-assessment tax you paid, and the refunds issued, for one financial year. You open it from the e-filing portal, which hands you over to TRACES. Before filing ITR for AY 2026-27, the TDS you claim must match what 26AS shows, or the credit is cut in the 143(1) intimation.
Key facts, FY 2025-26
- Maintained by
- Income Tax Department (CPC-TDS) on TRACES, under section 285BB and Rule 114-I
- Where to get it
- e-filing portal, e-File, Income Tax Returns, View Form 26AS, then TRACES; also via net banking
- What it shows
- TDS, TCS, TDS on property and rent, advance tax, self-assessment tax, refunds, TDS defaults
- Updated
- After each quarterly TDS return is processed; Q4 (January to March 2026) shows by early June 2026
- Used for
- Matching the TDS and TCS claimed in the ITR; credit is allowed only to the extent it appears here
- Income-tax Act 2025
- Reported as Form 168 from tax year 2026-27; verify against the notified Rules
What it is
Form 26AS is a consolidated statement of tax credited against your PAN for one financial year. It began as a TDS statement, and even after the Annual Information Statement (AIS) took over the reporting of interest, dividends and high-value transactions in 2021, 26AS remains the document the department uses to give you credit for tax already paid.
It is built from the quarterly TDS and TCS returns (24Q, 26Q, 27Q, 27EQ) filed by deductors and from the challans you paid through the bank or the e-Pay Tax service. Nothing you type in your return goes into 26AS; it only reflects what others reported about you and what you paid yourself.
For FY 2025-26 the full-year picture is complete only after the Q4 TDS returns due on 31 May 2026 are processed. Check 26AS in the second week of June before you start the ITR, and again just before you submit.
What each part of Form 26AS lists
| Section of the statement | What it lists | Typical entries |
|---|---|---|
| TDS by deductors | Tax deducted on payments to you, deductor-wise and quarter-wise | Salary (192), bank interest (194A), professional fees (194J), rent (194-I), dividends (194) |
| TDS with Form 15G or 15H | Interest paid without deduction because you filed a declaration | Bank FD interest, tax deducted shown as nil |
| TDS on property, rent and contractor payments by individuals | Sections 194-IA, 194-IB and 194M, both as payee and as payer | Property sold (as seller), property bought (as buyer, 26QB) |
| TCS | Tax collected at source | Foreign remittance under LRS, overseas tour packages, car purchase above ₹10 lakh |
| Tax paid other than TDS and TCS | Challans paid by you | Advance tax instalments, self-assessment tax, regular assessment tax |
| Refunds | Refunds issued by CPC | Assessment year, amount, interest under 244A, date of payment |
| TDS and TCS defaults | Only for deductors with a TAN | Short deduction, late payment interest, late filing fee |
How to download Form 26AS
- Log in at incometax.gov.in with your PAN as the user ID.
- Go to e-File, then Income Tax Returns, then View Form 26AS. Read the disclaimer and click Confirm; the portal redirects you to TRACES.
- On TRACES, accept the usage terms and click View Tax Credit (Form 26AS).
- Select the assessment year (2026-27 for FY 2025-26 income) and the format: HTML to view on screen, PDF to save, or text if the file is large.
- Enter the verification code and download. The PDF password is your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format.
- If you use net banking, most banks offer a View Form 26AS link in the tax section, provided the PAN is linked to the account.
Fixing a mismatch
The usual causes are three: the deductor quoted a wrong PAN, filed the TDS return late, or deducted the tax but never deposited it. In every case the fix is on the deductor's side. Write to the employer, bank or client with your PAN, the amount and the quarter, and ask for a correction statement on TRACES. Once the correction is processed, 26AS updates, usually within 7 to 10 days.
If the deductor refuses, you can still claim the TDS in the ITR with the certificate as evidence, but expect the credit to be disallowed in the 143(1) intimation. Section 205 bars the department from recovering tax that was already deducted from you, so the remedy is a rectification request under section 154 with the certificate attached, and a complaint to the deductor's TDS assessing officer.
Worked example: Salary TDS short in 26AS
- TDS on Form 16 Part A for FY 2025-26
- ₹84,000
- TDS in Form 26AS for AY 2026-27 (checked on 5 June 2026)
- ₹63,000
- Missing quarter
- Q4 (January to March 2026), ₹21,000
- Likely cause
- Q4 24Q return filed late or not yet processed
- Action
- Wait until mid June, then ask the employer for the 24Q acknowledgement before filing
Common mistake: claiming TDS from the certificate, not from 26AS
The ITR utility prefills TDS from 26AS. If you type in a higher figure from Form 16 or 16A that 26AS does not carry, CPC processes the return on the 26AS figure and raises a demand or trims the refund. Get the deductor to correct first, then file. If the deadline is close, file with the 26AS figure and revise by 31 December 2026 once the correction is processed.
What to do next
Download 26AS and AIS together in June, tick off every TDS entry against a Form 16 or 16A, and chase the deductor for anything missing while there is still time before 31 July 2026. Add up the advance tax challans and make sure each has the right assessment year; a challan paid under AY 2025-26 by mistake needs a challan correction request, not a fresh payment. Keep the PDF with your filing records for the year.
Form 26AS: questions
How do I download Form 26AS?
Log in to the e-filing portal, go to e-File, then Income Tax Returns, then View Form 26AS, confirm the disclaimer and you land on TRACES. Choose the assessment year and PDF, enter the code and download. The password is your date of birth as DDMMYYYY. Net banking also offers a direct link if your PAN is linked.
What is the difference between Form 26AS and AIS?
26AS is the tax credit statement: TDS, TCS, advance tax, self-assessment tax and refunds. AIS is the income statement: interest, dividends, share and mutual fund trades, property, rent and foreign remittances reported by third parties, plus the same TDS data. Tax credit is given from 26AS; income is cross-checked from AIS.
Why is my TDS not showing in Form 26AS?
Either the deductor has not yet filed the quarterly TDS return, filed it with a wrong PAN, or deducted tax without depositing it. Q4 returns for FY 2025-26 were due 31 May 2026, so entries appear from early June. If still missing, ask the deductor for a correction statement.
Which assessment year should I select in 26AS for FY 2025-26 income?
AY 2026-27. Form 26AS is organised by assessment year, which is the year after the financial year in which the income was earned. Income from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 belongs to AY 2026-27.
Can I claim TDS that is in Form 16 but not in 26AS?
You can enter it, but CPC will allow only what 26AS supports and raise a demand for the rest. Get the deductor to correct the return first. If they refuse, file with the certificate, respond to the 143(1) intimation with a rectification request and complain to the TDS officer under section 205.
How often is Form 26AS updated?
Each time a TDS or TCS return is processed, typically within a week of filing, and each time a challan you paid is settled by the bank, usually within 2 to 3 working days. There is no fixed monthly update.
Does Form 26AS show self-assessment tax I paid?
Yes, under the part for tax paid other than TDS and TCS, along with the BSR code, challan serial number and date. Check that the assessment year on the challan is 2026-27; a wrong year means the payment will not be matched with your return.
Related forms and sections
- Form 16Form 16 is the TDS certificate an employer issues to every employee whose salary tax was deducted, due by 15 June 2026 for FY 2025-26. Part A is generated on TRACES and shows quarter-wise TDS deposited against your PAN; Part B is the employer's breakup of salary, exemptions, deductions and tax. You use it to fill the salary and TDS schedules of ITR-1 or ITR-2 by 31 July 2026.
- AIS and TISThe Annual Information Statement (AIS) is the department's record of your financial transactions for a year, reported by banks, employers, registrars, depositories and the GST network. The Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS) condenses it into category totals that prefill your ITR. For AY 2026-27, every income line in AIS should either appear in your return or carry your feedback explaining why not.
- Section 143(1)An intimation under section 143(1) is the computer-generated result of the Centralised Processing Centre checking your return against Form 26AS, AIS and arithmetic. It shows one of three outcomes: refund, demand, or no change. A proposed adjustment under 143(1)(a) must be answered on the e-filing portal within 30 days or it is applied automatically. A demand must be paid or disputed within 30 days; mistakes are fixed through rectification under section 154.
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General information for FY 2025-26, not professional advice. Limits and dates change with each Budget; the updated date above is when this page was last checked. Disclaimer