What does Form 26AS show?
Form 26AS is the tax-credit statement linked to a PAN. It shows tax deducted at source, tax collected at source, advance tax, self-assessment tax, and refunds for the year. It is read before the income-tax return is filed.
No. It is the income-tax credit statement linked to the PAN. The provident-fund passbook is a different record.
What is on the statement?
The statement lists each deductor, the tax deducted, and the tax deposited. It lists tax collected. It lists tax the person paid directly, including advance tax and self-assessment tax. It lists refunds issued. Salary tax that the employer deposited should agree with Part A of Form 16, which is on the Form 16 page.
Did the Annual Information Statement replace it?
No. The Annual Information Statement shows a wider set of financial information reported to the department. Form 26AS remains the statement of tax credit. A download of either statement is a view on the e-filing portal. It is not a provident-fund login, and it is not itself the return. The return is on the income-tax return page.
What if the return does not match it?
The credit claimed in the return should match the credit in Form 26AS. A claim for tax that the statement does not show can produce a demand. The cure is to have the deductor correct the statement, not to ignore the difference. Checking the statement before filing reduces that mismatch.
Must every income appear on it?
No. Form 26AS shows tax that was deducted, collected, or paid, and the refunds that followed. Income on which nobody deducted tax does not appear as a credit, and it is still offered in the return if it is taxable. A declaration in Form 15G, or Form 15H for a senior citizen, is a request that tax not be deducted. Where that request is accepted, the statement shows no credit for that payment. Which return form is used is on the ITR forms page.
Frequently asked questions
Four questions cover the provident fund, the wider statement, Form 15G, and income that is missing.
Is Form 26AS an EPFO statement?
No. It is the income-tax credit statement linked to the PAN. The provident-fund passbook is a different record.
Was Form 26AS withdrawn?
No. The Annual Information Statement shows a wider set of financial transactions. Form 26AS still shows the tax credit.
Does a Form 15G entry create a credit?
No. Form 15G or Form 15H is a declaration so that tax is not deducted. Where no tax was deducted, Form 26AS shows no credit for that payment.
Can income be left out because it is absent from Form 26AS?
No. Taxable income is offered in the return whether or not a deductor has reported it.
Sources
Form 26AS is the tax-credit statement under the Income-tax Act. The Annual Information Statement is the statement under section 285BB. Both are viewed on the income-tax e-filing portal.