Step-to-step guide for checking Annual Information Statement (AIS) on Income Tax Website | Your Financial Fingerprint: ANNUAL INFORMATION STATEMENT | Guide to Checking Your AIS on the Income Tax Website
Think of your Annual Information Statement (AIS) as your personal financial diary, as seen by the tax authorities. It’s a surprisingly detailed report that gathers almost all your major financial movements reported by banks, mutual fund houses, employers, brokers, and pretty much anyone else obligated to send your transaction data to the taxman.
It’s a huge step up from the old Form 26AS, giving us a much more comprehensive picture. And honestly, looking at your AIS before you even think about hitting ‘submit’ on your ITR is absolutely non-negotiable. It’s your best shot at making sure every income stream is declared, every bit of tax deducted is noted, and crucially, if something looks off, you can even flag it right there.
So, let’s walk through how to actually peek at your financial snapshot on the Income Tax website.
What Exactly Is This AIS Thing?
Imagine pulling all your major financial activities into one document: your salary, interest from those savings accounts and fixed deposits, dividends from your shares, every time you buy or sell a mutual fund, property dealings, even big cash deposits or credit card payments. That’s the ambition of the AIS. It’s meant to simplify your life by pre-filling a good chunk of your ITR, but the ball’s still in your court to double-check its accuracy.
It’s actually split into two main views:
1.Annual Information Statement (AIS) itself: It’s the detailed breakdown, categorized beautifully, showing all the information they’ve collected.
2. Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS): This is your quick dashboard. It summarizes and categorizes all that detailed AIS info, showing you both the “Processed Value” (what the system initially calculated) and the “Derived Value” (which adjusts based on any feedback you might give). It’s perfect for a bird’s-eye view before you deep-dive.
Let’s Do This: Checking Your AIS
Here’s your step-by-step guide to navigating the e-filing portal:
Step 1: Get Yourself Logged In
- First things first, open up your browser and point it to the official Income Tax website:
www.incometax.gov.in. - You’ll spot the “Login” button, usually tucked away in the top right corner. Give it a click.
- Now, punch in your User ID (that’s your PAN, by the way!), type in your password, and quickly solve that little captcha puzzle. Then, hit “Continue.”
Step 2: Find Your Way to the AIS Section
Once you’re comfortably on your e-filing dashboard, there are a couple of routes to get to your AIS:
- The Direct Route (often easiest): Sometimes, you’ll see a clear “Annual Information Statement (AIS)” option right there on your main dashboard. Or, it might be under the “Services” tab in the top menu bar. Just click on it.
- The Menu Route: If you prefer, go to the “e-File” menu at the very top, hover over “Income Tax Returns,” and then select “View AIS.”
Either way, you’ll probably get a little pop-up warning you that you’re heading to an “external Compliance Portal.” Don’t fret – this is totally normal and safe! Just click “Proceed.”
Step 3: On the AIS Portal – Pick Your Year!
Welcome to the dedicated AIS portal! You’ll typically see two prominent boxes or tiles:
- Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS)
- Annual Information Statement (AIS)
But hold on a second before you click! Look for the “Financial Year” dropdown. This is super important! Make absolutely certain you select the correct financial year you want to check (e.g., if you’re filing your ITR for FY 2024-25, that’s the one you pick).
Now, you can either click on the “AIS” tile for the full, detailed statement, or the “TIS” tile for that quick summary. Personally, I like to start with the full AIS; it gives you all the granular information.
Step 4: Unpacking Your AIS Details
Once you’re inside the AIS, you’ll see your financial life categorized neatly. This is where your inner detective needs to come alive:
- Part A – General Information: This is your basic stuff – PAN, a masked Aadhaar number, your name, date of birth, contact details. Just a quick glance to make sure everything’s correct.
- Part B – Tax Information (The Heart of the Matter!): This is the crucial part, broken down into a few sections:
- TDS/TCS Information: Here, you’ll find all the tax that’s been deducted at source (TDS) from your salary, interest, professional fees, rent, etc., and any tax collected at source (TCS). This is your moment to compare every single entry against your own Form 16s, Form 16As, and any other TDS certificates you have. Do the numbers match? Is anything missing?
- SFT Information (Specified Financial Transactions): This section is fascinating! It lists out higher-value transactions like those big cash deposits or withdrawals from your bank, any property you bought or sold, shares or mutual funds you traded, foreign currency transactions, and even those larger credit card payments. This data comes from various reporting entities like banks and registrars.
- Other Information: This is a bit of a catch-all. You might find details about any tax demands or refunds, or other bits of reported income here.
Step 5: Verify, Verify, Verify – And Speak Up If Something’s Wrong!
Please, don’t just assume everything is perfect!
Cross-Reference Everything: Take your time. Go through each entry in your AIS and compare it with your personal records – your bank statements, investment statements, actual rent receipts, property deeds, etc.
Hunting for Discrepancies:
- Does an income amount seem wildly off? Too high? Too low?
- Is there a transaction or income source listed that you simply don’t recognize?
- Is a TDS entry from your Form 16 or 26AS missing from the AIS, or vice-versa?
- Are there duplicate entries? (It happens!)
Provide Feedback (Your Voice Matters!): This is the gem of the AIS portal. If you spot a mismatch, an error, or something you don’t agree with, you can actually tell the tax department about it right then and there.
- Just click on the specific entry you want to comment on.
- You’ll typically see an “Optional” button or a clear “Feedback” link next to it. Click it!
- You’ll get a few options (e.g., “Information is correct,” “Information is incorrect,” “Information relates to other PAN/Year,” “Duplicate information,” “Income is not taxable”). Choose the one that fits your situation best.
- Add a clear, concise remark explaining why you’re providing that feedback.
- Submitting this feedback is incredibly helpful. It helps the Income Tax Department clean up their data, and it might even update your TIS and the pre-filled information that appears in your ITR later.
Step 6: Don’t Forget to Download!
Once you’ve reviewed everything, it’s smart to download both your AIS and TIS for your records.
- Look for a “Download” icon or button on the page.
- You can usually grab it as a PDF (and sometimes other formats like JSON or CSV).
- A quick tip: If you download the PDF, it’s usually password protected. The password is typically your PAN (in lowercase) followed immediately by your Date of Birth in DDMMYYYY format (so, if your PAN is ABCDE1234F and your DOB is 01/01/1980, your password would be
abcde1234f01011980).
Why Is All This So Terribly Important?
Think of your AIS as the Income Tax Department’s comprehensive “dossier” on your financial activities. If what you report in your ITR doesn’t quite match up with what’s in your AIS (and you haven’t taken the time to provide feedback on discrepancies), you could easily find yourself getting a notice later down the line. Spending a little bit of time now to review and reconcile your AIS can truly save you a massive headache and potential inquiries later. It’s all about making sure both you and the tax authorities are reading from the exact same page.
So, seriously, before you finally click that “submit” button on your ITR, dedicate a good chunk of time to meticulously check your AIS. It’s a small but powerful step that makes a world of difference!
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