Introduction
Before you file your Income Tax Return, one step most people skip is checking their Annual Information Statement, or AIS. This is a mistake that often leads to mismatch notices, delayed refunds, and unnecessary penalties.
AIS is essentially your financial report card as seen by the Income Tax Department. It captures everything your bank, employer, broker, and other institutions have reported against your PAN. Checking it before filing saves you a lot of trouble later.
What Is AIS in Income Tax?
The Annual Information Statement (AIS) is a comprehensive document introduced by the Income Tax Department in November 2021. It effectively superseded Form 26AS as the primary reference for income verification during ITR filing.
AIS is divided into two parts:
Part A shows your basic personal details including PAN, masked Aadhaar, name, date of birth, and contact information.
Part B contains all your financial transactions, organized into these categories:
- TDS and TCS details from salary, bank interest, rent, and more
- Specified Financial Transactions (SFT) such as property deals and share transactions
- Interest from savings accounts and fixed deposits
- Dividend income from shares and mutual funds
- Capital gains from sale of securities, property, or mutual fund units
- Advance tax and self-assessment tax payments
- Demand raised and refunds issued by the IT Department
- Other information including foreign remittances, cash deposits, and GST turnover
CBDT has notified 57 types of income and expenses that can appear in your AIS, which makes it far more detailed than Form 26AS.
For a quick recap on how AIS differs from TIS and Form 26AS, refer to our earlier guide: Difference Between AIS, TIS and Form 26AS
Who Can Access AIS?
Any taxpayer with a valid PAN and a registered account on the income tax portal can access AIS. This includes salaried individuals, self-employed professionals, business owners, traders, NRIs, HUFs, and companies. No separate request or application is needed. The portal generates it automatically based on data submitted by financial institutions.
How to Download AIS from the Income Tax Portal
Step 1: Log in to the income tax e-filing portal at https://www.incometax.gov.in using your PAN, password, and captcha.
Step 2: Navigate to the top menu, click on the Services tab, and select Annual Information Statement (AIS) from the dropdown menu.
Step 3: Click Proceed on the pop-up. This redirects you to the AIS Compliance Portal, where you will see two tiles: one for AIS and one for TIS.
Step 4: Select the financial year by clicking the AIS tile and choosing the relevant year.
Step 5: Download your AIS in your preferred format:
- PDF for reading and offline reference (password-protected)
- JSON for importing into tax software
- CSV for individual transaction categories
How to Open the AIS PDF: Password Format
The AIS PDF is password-protected. The password is:
PAN in lowercase + Date of Birth in DDMMYYYY format (no spaces)
Example: PAN is ABCDE1234F and date of birth is 15 March 1990, the password is abcde1234f15031990
For companies and firms, replace the date of birth with the date of incorporation in the same format.
What to Do If AIS Shows Incorrect Information
Since AIS depends on data from third parties, errors do happen. Here is how to fix them:
Step 1: Identify the error in Part B. Common issues include duplicate entries, wrong financial year, transactions linked to a wrong PAN, or TDS that does not match your Form 16.
Step 2: Submit feedback by clicking on the incorrect transaction and selecting the Optional or Add Feedback button. Choose from options like:
- Information is not fully correct
- Information relates to other PAN or Year
- Information is duplicate
- Information is denied
Step 3: Track the status in the Activity History tab. The reporting entity (your bank or broker) will respond to the feedback. Once accepted, TIS updates automatically and reflects the corrected figures in your pre-filled ITR.
What Happens If Your ITR Does Not Match AIS?
The Income Tax Department uses automated systems to cross-verify your filed return against the AIS dataset. A significant mismatch can trigger:
- An inquiry or clarification notice under Section 133C requesting an explanation for the data variance.
- An adjustment intimation under Section 143(1)(a) where the tax department recomputes your tax liability based on the missing income.
- A defective return notice under Section 139(9) if crucial structural income streams are omitted.
Can You Access AIS on Mobile?
Yes. The AIS for Taxpayer app is available for free on both Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store). After downloading, register with your PAN, verify via OTP, and set a 4-digit MPIN. The app lets you view AIS and TIS data, submit feedback on errors, and track correction status, all from your phone.
Conclusion
AIS is not just another document to download before filing. It is the Income Tax Department’s view of your complete financial picture. Reviewing it early, fixing any errors, and reconciling it with your own records is the single most effective step you can take to file a clean, notice-free ITR.
FAQs
Q1. Is it mandatory to check AIS before filing ITR?
It is not legally mandatory, but skipping it increases your risk of a mismatch notice significantly. Always review it before filing.
Q2. What should I do if AIS shows income that is not mine?
Submit feedback in AIS and select “Information relates to other PAN/Year.” Do not include that income in your ITR, but keep documentation ready if the department asks.
Q3. Can I file ITR even if AIS has errors?
Yes. File your ITR based on your actual records and submit feedback on the incorrect AIS entries separately. You do not need to wait for corrections to be processed.
Q4. Does AIS show income where no TDS was deducted?
Yes. AIS captures all income reported by financial institutions, including savings account interest below the TDS threshold, dividends, and capital gains, even when no tax was deducted at source.
Q5. How often is AIS updated?
AIS is updated periodically throughout the year as banks, brokers, and employers submit their data. Check it a few weeks before your ITR filing deadline to allow time for feedback and corrections.
