How to check Annual Information Statement (AIS) before filing ITR: Step-by-step guide

Taxpayers should always review their Annual Information Statement (AIS) before submitting their Income Tax Return (ITR) as it helps avoid making mistakes and any discrepancies. Even little mistakes might lead to scrutiny, cause refunds to be delayed, or result in attracting severe penalties.

What is the AIS?

The AIS stands for Annual Information Statement. It is a statement available on the Income ax Department’s website that shows the financial transactions linked to the PAN of a taxpayer for a particular financial year. These details are reported to the department by banks, employers, mutual fund companies, stockbrokers, property registrars and other institutions.

Also read: Forgot your Income Tax e-filing password? Here's how to reset it without access to your registered mobile number

How and when is the AIS updated?

Form 168 is dynamically updated throughout the year as underlying TDS/TCS returns, SFT statements, and other tax payments are filed and processed. It is available in real time in a taxpayer’s account on the Income Tax e-filing portal. There is no fixed filing frequency; updates depend on the reporting timelines of deductors, collectors and other entities.

How to check AIS information online?

Chartered accountant Naveen Wadhwa, vice president, Taxmann, explains the following are the steps to access AIS information online:

Step 1: Log in to the Income-tax e-filing website at https://www.incometax.gov.in/
If you are a new user, you must first register on the e-filing portal.
Step 2: After log-in, click on the AIS
Step 3: The next screen provides the instructions for the Annual Information Statement (AIS) and Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS). TIS displays information available in AIS category-wise. It shows the original and revised values (i.e., value processed after the taxpayer’s feedback). The revised values in the TIS are used to pre-fill the return.
Step 4: Click on the next tab of the ‘AIS’. On the redirected screen, two tiles appear - Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS) and Annual Information Statement (AIS). Select the relevant financial year from the drop-down and click on the AIS tile to view information.
Step 5: The information available in the AIS is displayed in Parts A and B on the next screen.
Part A contains general information about a taxpayer (i.e., PAN, Aadhaar, name, date of birth, mobile number, E-mail ID and address).
Part B contains the comprehensive information of a taxpayer for the selected financial year as uploaded by the prescribed income-tax authority. The information in Part B is divided into the following categories:

• TDS/TCS Information
• SFT Information
• Payment of Taxes
• Demand and Refund
• Other Information.

Step 6: Information available in the AIS can be downloaded in the CSV, JSON, or PDF format. The user will have to download the transactions in the CSV format for every category of transaction separately. In contrast, the entire AIS can be downloaded only in PDF or JSON.

If you select the PDF format, the downloaded PDF will be password-protected. To open the file, you must enter the combination of the PAN (in lower case) and the date of birth in case of an individual taxpayer or the date of incorporation/formation for the non-individual taxpayer in the format DDMMYYYY without any space.

For example, if the PAN is AAAAA1234A and the date of birth is 21st January 1991, then your password will be aaaaa1234a21011991