Form 26AS Download: As the income tax return filing season approaches, the first document people need is Form 26AS. Essentially, this document reveals how much TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) was deducted throughout the year, the amount of tax deposited, and details of significant transactions made in your name.
However, real trouble arises when people forget their income tax portal password. This leads to various hassles, with significant time consumed by OTP verification, password resets, and login complications. The good news, however, is that logging into the income tax portal is no longer mandatory to download Form 26AS; many major banks in the country now offer this facility through their net banking platforms.
What is Form 26AS?
Think of Form 26AS as your tax report card. It contains comprehensive information, such as the TDS deducted from your salary, tax deducted on bank fixed deposits (FDs), the amount of advance tax deposited, and your potential tax refund. It also details major transactions and investments, making it an essential document to review before filing your ITR.
Has the name changed?
It is worth noting that under the new Income Tax Act 2025, Form 26AS is also being referred to as ‘Form 168’ in many instances. However, the name ‘Form 26AS’ remains the one most commonly used by the general public.
What is the most important point?
You can download Form 26AS via your bank’s net banking service. This also provides direct access to the relevant portal. You can save the document in PDF format. Having this form simplifies the ITR filing process.
Download Form 26AS from your bank’s website.
First, log in to your bank’s net banking portal.
Next, navigate to the ‘Tax Services’ or ‘Income Tax’ section. You will now see the option for Form 26AS on the bank’s website.
Clicking on it will take you to the TRACES website.
Next, select the assessment year and choose the ‘View as HTML’ option.
After that, you can click on either ‘View’ or ‘Download’.
Finally, download and save the PDF.
Downloading from the Income Tax Portal?
If you are planning to download it directly from the portal, you need to follow these steps. First, log in to the official Income Tax portal. Next, navigate to the ‘e-File’ section. Select ‘Income Tax Return’ and click on ‘View Form 26AS’. You will be redirected to the TRACES website, where you can download the PDF.
Why Form 26AS Is Important
Many people file their ITR directly and later receive a notice. Such situations often happen because the TDS details do not match. Discrepancies can arise regarding bank interest or unreported transactions. Form 26AS helps reconcile all these details. For taxpayers, it simplifies the ITR filing process, eliminates the worry of forgetting passwords, helps detect TDS mismatches, and reduces the risk of receiving a notice.
Document from the Bank
Check whether the TDS details are correct, if the salary and bank interest figures match, and if there are any incorrect transaction entries. Furthermore, please verify that the refund details and PAN number are accurate. If you notice any errors, please contact the company, bank, or deductor as soon as possible.