AIS vs Form 26AS: Key Differences and Which One to Use for ITR Filing

Every salaried professional filing their ITR in 2026 will encounter two statements on the income tax portal: Form 26AS and AIS. Most people treat them as the same document and check only one. This is a mistake that leads to mismatches, notices, and missed income declarations.

They are not the same. They serve different purposes. And for your July 2026 ITR filing, you need both.

This guide explains exactly what each statement is, what it shows, how they differ, which one to rely on when they conflict, and the correct sequence to use them before filing your return.

Update for FY 2026-27 onwards: Under the Income Tax Act 2025 effective April 1, 2026, Form 26AS has been renamed Form 168 and AIS is now the primary comprehensive statement. For your July 2026 ITR filing covering FY 2025-26, both are still accessed as Form 26AS and AIS on the portal under Tab 1 (Income Tax Act 1961). Form 168 terminology applies from Tax Year 2026-27.

What Is Form 26AS?

Form 26AS is your Annual Tax Credit Statement. It is issued by the Income Tax Department and linked to your PAN. It is the official record of tax that has been deducted or collected on your behalf and deposited with the government.

From Assessment Year 2023-24 onwards, Form 26AS on the TRACES portal shows only TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) and TCS (Tax Collected at Source) data. The broader financial transaction data that was earlier part of Form 26AS has moved to AIS.

Think of Form 26AS as your tax payment receipt. It answers one question: how much tax has been deposited against your PAN, and by whom?

What Form 26AS shows:

TDS deducted by your employer on salary. TDS deducted by banks on fixed deposit and savings account interest above Rs. 40,000 per year (Rs. 50,000 for senior citizens). TDS on professional fees, commission, rent, and other payments. TCS collected on foreign remittances, overseas tour packages, and other specified transactions. Advance tax and self-assessment tax payments made directly by you. Refunds issued against previous years’ ITR filings. TDS defaults by deductors that may affect your credit claims.

What Is AIS?

AIS (Annual Information Statement) is a comprehensive statement introduced in November 2021 that shows everything the income tax department has received about your financial activity during the year from all reporting entities.

Think of AIS as the tax department’s complete file on your finances. It answers a much bigger question: what do all banks, brokers, mutual funds, employers, and other institutions know about your income and transactions?

What AIS shows:

Everything in Form 26AS, plus salary income as reported by employer. Interest income from all bank accounts including savings account interest below the TDS threshold. Dividends received from stocks and mutual funds. Capital gains from sale of stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and property. Rent received as reported by tenants who deducted TDS. Foreign remittances sent or received. GST turnover as reported to GST department. Mutual fund purchases and redemptions. Property purchase and sale transactions. Cash deposits above Rs. 10 lakh. Credit card spends above Rs. 10 lakh per year. Any other financial transaction reported to the income tax department under Specified Financial Transactions (SFT) rules.

AIS vs Form 26AS: Complete Comparison

Purpose: Form 26AS verifies tax credits (TDS and TCS) deposited against your PAN. AIS shows all financial transactions and income reported against your PAN.

Scope: Form 26AS covers only tax-related data (TDS, TCS, advance tax, refunds). AIS covers income, investments, transactions, and tax data comprehensively.

Transactions shown: Form 26AS shows only transactions where tax was deducted or collected. AIS shows transactions regardless of whether tax was deducted. A savings account interest of Rs. 2,000 with no TDS appears in AIS but not in Form 26AS.

Where to access: Form 26AS is on the TRACES portal (accessed via income tax portal). AIS is directly on the income tax portal under the AIS menu.

Feedback mechanism: Form 26AS cannot be corrected by you. Errors must be fixed by the deductor filing a revised TDS return. AIS has a built-in feedback mechanism where you can flag incorrect entries directly.

Use for ITR: Form 26AS is used to claim TDS credit in your ITR. AIS is used to verify all income sources before declaring them in your return.

Pre-filling: AIS data through TIS (Taxpayer Information Summary) is used to pre-fill your ITR on the portal. Form 26AS data feeds into TDS credit sections.

New name from April 2026: Form 26AS is now Form 168. AIS continues as AIS but is the primary comprehensive statement under the new Act.

TIS: The Third Statement You Need to Know

TIS (Taxpayer Information Summary) is a rolled-up summary within AIS. It aggregates all the transaction-wise detail from AIS into category totals after applying your feedback and removing duplicates.

For example, instead of showing every individual mutual fund transaction, TIS shows total capital gains. Instead of each interest credit, TIS shows total interest income.

TIS is what the income tax portal uses for pre-filling your ITR. When you open the ITR filing page and see income amounts already filled in, those figures come from TIS.

You should check TIS after submitting AIS feedback to verify that the corrected figures are reflected before you file.

Which One to Use When They Conflict?

This is the most important practical question. When Form 26AS and AIS show different figures for the same transaction, which one do you follow?

The official answer from the Income Tax Department: if there is a conflict between Form 26AS and AIS for TDS or TCS data, use Form 26AS for claiming tax credits in your ITR. Form 26AS is the authoritative source for TDS credit claims because the portal matches your credit claim against Form 26AS, not AIS.

For income declaration, use your actual records. If AIS shows Rs. 18,000 in FD interest but your bank statement shows Rs. 21,000, declare Rs. 21,000. You are required to declare actual income, not just what AIS captured.

Practical rule to follow:

For TDS credit claims: use Form 26AS. For income declaration: use actual records cross-checked against AIS. For discovering income you may have missed: use AIS. For pre-filling verification: check TIS.

Real Scenarios Where People Get Confused

Scenario 1: FD interest appears in AIS but not in Form 26AS

Your bank paid you Rs. 35,000 in FD interest. Because the amount is below the Rs. 40,000 TDS threshold, no TDS was deducted. So it does not appear in Form 26AS. But the bank reported it to the tax department and it appears in AIS.

What to do: Declare this Rs. 35,000 as interest income in your ITR. It is taxable at your slab rate. Not declaring it because it is not in Form 26AS is a common mistake that leads to notices.

Scenario 2: Capital gains in AIS but not in Form 26AS

You sold equity mutual funds during FY 2025-26. The broker reported the transaction to the tax department. It appears in AIS under capital gains. No TDS was deducted on equity mutual fund redemptions (TDS applies only to debt funds for residents). So it does not appear in Form 26AS.

What to do: Declare the capital gains in your ITR based on your broker’s capital gains statement. Use AIS as a cross-check to ensure nothing is missed. For guidance on which ITR form to use when you have capital gains, read the ITR form selection guide.

Scenario 3: TDS appears in Form 26AS but not in AIS

Rare but possible, especially for older TDS entries or where reporting formats changed. In this case, you can still claim the TDS credit using Form 26AS since it is the authoritative source for TDS credits.

Scenario 4: AIS shows higher income than your actual records

A mutual fund transaction appears twice in AIS because both the registrar and the fund house reported it. AIS shows double the actual gain.

What to do: Submit feedback in AIS marking the duplicate entry as “Information is duplicate.” Wait for TIS to update. Declare the correct amount based on your actual broker or CAMS statement.

Scenario 5: Employer TDS in Form 26AS does not match Form 16

Form 26AS shows Rs. 45,000 in TDS from your employer but Form 16 shows Rs. 52,000. This means the employer deducted Rs. 52,000 but deposited only Rs. 45,000 with the government.

What to do: Contact HR or payroll immediately. The employer must file a revised TDS return to deposit the remaining Rs. 7,000. You can claim only the amount appearing in Form 26AS as credit. Filing your ITR claiming Rs. 52,000 credit when Form 26AS shows Rs. 45,000 will result in a mismatch notice. For details on TDS on salary, read the TDS on salary complete guide.

The Correct Sequence Before Filing Your ITR

Step 1: Download Form 26AS for AY 2026-27 from TRACES via the income tax portal. Verify all TDS entries match your Form 16 and bank TDS certificates.

Step 2: Open AIS for FY 2025-26 directly on the income tax portal. Go through every section: salary, interest, dividends, capital gains, SFT entries. Submit feedback for any incorrect or duplicate entries.

Step 3: Check TIS after submitting feedback. Verify that the updated figures are correct and will pre-fill accurately in your ITR.

Step 4: Cross-check AIS figures against your own records: bank statements for interest, CAMS or KFintech for mutual funds, broker statements for stocks, Form 16 for salary.

Step 5: File your ITR declaring all income based on your actual records. Claim TDS credit based on Form 26AS. Explain any residual mismatches if asked.

For the complete ITR filing process including form selection, documents checklist, and step-by-step instructions, read the how to file ITR online guide. For a detailed guide on reading every section of Form 26AS and AIS, read the complete Form 26AS and AIS reading guide.

What Changed in 2026: Form 168 and the New System

Under the Income Tax Act 2025, Form 26AS has been renamed Form 168. But the more significant change is that Form 168 now formally merges what was previously split between Form 26AS and AIS into one comprehensive statement. It functions as a complete Annual Information Statement tracking every financial transaction linked to your PAN.

For your FY 2025-26 ITR filing in July 2026, this change does not affect you. You will still access Form 26AS and AIS as before under Tab 1 on the portal. The new Form 168 system fully applies from Tax Year 2026-27 (ITR filed in July 2027). Read the Income Tax Act 2025 vs 1961 complete guide for the full transition details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is more important: AIS or Form 26AS?

Both are important but for different reasons. Form 26AS is essential for claiming TDS credits. AIS is essential for discovering and declaring all income. Checking only one and skipping the other is a common mistake that leads to notices.

Does AIS replace Form 26AS?

Not completely for FY 2025-26. AIS is broader and more comprehensive but for TDS credit claims, Form 26AS remains the authoritative source. From FY 2026-27 onwards, Form 168 effectively merges both under the new Income Tax Act 2025.

What if AIS shows income I never received?

Submit feedback in AIS using the feedback mechanism. Select the appropriate reason such as “Information is not correct” or “Information relates to other PAN.” Then cross-check with the reporting entity (bank, broker, etc.) to identify why the entry appeared. Declare income based on your actual records.

Can I rely on AIS pre-fill to file my ITR without checking manually?

No. AIS pre-fill is a starting point, not a guarantee of accuracy. AIS can miss income, duplicate entries, or show incorrect amounts. Always verify the pre-filled figures against your actual records before submitting your ITR.

I changed jobs this year. How does Form 26AS look?

Both employers will appear in Form 26AS under their respective TANs. Verify that TDS from both employers matches both Form 16 documents. Do not file with only one employer’s Form 16. For the complete guide on ITR filing after a job change, read the ITR filing guide.

How far back can I access Form 26AS and AIS?

Form 26AS is typically available for multiple assessment years on the TRACES portal. AIS is available for FY 2020-21 onwards on the income tax portal. Select the relevant assessment year from the dropdown when accessing either statement.

The Bottom Line

AIS and Form 26AS serve two distinct purposes. Form 26AS confirms that tax has been deposited against your PAN. AIS shows all income and transactions that have been reported to the department. You need both before filing your ITR.

The rule is simple: use Form 26AS to claim TDS credits, use AIS to verify that all income is declared, and use your actual records as the final authority when either statement differs from reality.

Spending 30 minutes cross-checking both statements before filing eliminates the most common reasons for income tax notices. It is the single most effective pre-filing step you can take.

For a step-by-step guide on how to read every section of Form 26AS and AIS in detail, visit the complete Form 26AS and AIS reading guide. For the complete ITR filing checklist and deadlines, read the ITR filing last date and deadline guide.

Questions about a specific AIS or Form 26AS entry in your account? Drop them in the comments below.