Varsha Arora works in a private bank in Noida. During the Financial Year 2025–26, she earned a salary, received interest from her savings account and fixed deposits, invested in mutual funds, and sold some listed shares.
As the Income Tax Return (ITR) filing season came near, she decided to file her tax return by herself. While collecting her Form 16, bank statements, and investment documents, one of her colleagues said:
“Before filing your ITR, don’t forget to download your Annual Information Statement (AIS). It contains all the financial transactions reported against your PAN by various reporting entities.”
This made Varsha curious, and several questions came to her mind.
- What exactly is the Annual Information Statement (AIS)?
- Why should I download AIS before filing my Income Tax Return?
- How can I download AIS from the Income Tax portal?
- What information is available in AIS?
- What should I do if the information shown in AIS is incorrect?
If you are also planning to file your Income Tax Return for FY 2025-26, you may have similar questions.
The good news is that downloading your AIS is a simple process and can help you avoid mistakes while filing your ITR.
Let’s understand Varsha Arora’s case step by step.
What You’ll Learn in This Article
In this practical case study, you will learn:
- What is the Annual Information Statement (AIS)?
- Why AIS is important before filing your Income Tax Return.
- Step-by-step process to download AIS for FY 2025-26.
- Information available in AIS.
- Difference between AIS and Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS).
- How to report incorrect information in AIS.
- Common mistakes taxpayers make while downloading or using AIS.
Varsha Arora’s Situation
During FY 2025-26, Varsha Arora had the following financial transactions and Tax Information:
| Particulars | Amount |
| Salary Income | Rs. 13,00,000 |
| Savings Bank Interest | Rs. 18,000 |
| Fixed Deposit Interest | Rs. 42,000 |
| Dividend Income | Rs. 12,000 |
| Sale of Listed Shares | Rs. 2,40,000 |
| Mutual Fund Redemption | Rs. 1,50,000 |
| TDS Deducted by Employer | Rs. 66,300 |
Before filing her ITR, she decided to verify whether all these transactions were correctly reflected in her AIS.
Step 1: Visit the Income Tax e-Filing Portal
Varsha Arora opened the Income Tax e-Filing Portal.
She logged in using:
- PAN/User ID
- Password
- Captcha Code
After successful login, she reached her dashboard.
Step 2: Navigate to Annual Information Statement (AIS)
From the dashboard, she selected AIS:
She was redirected to the AIS portal where she could view and download her statement.
Step 3: Open the AIS Portal
On the AIS homepage, she clicked:
AIS
The Annual Information Statement opened successfully.
Step 4: Select Financial Year
Since she wanted to file her Income Tax Return for FY 2025-26, she selected:
Financial Year: 2025-26
The portal displayed two documents:
- Annual Information Statement (AIS)
- Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS)
Step 5: Download AIS
Varsha Arora clicked on the Download AIS option.
The portal offered multiple formats:
| Available Formats |
| JSON |
| CSV |
Since she only wanted to review the details, she downloaded the PDF version.
Step 6: Open the Password-Protected PDF
The downloaded AIS PDF was password protected.
Varsha Arora entered the password by typing her PAN in lowercase letters, followed by her date of birth in DDMMYYYY format.
Example: If her PAN is ABCDE2354A and her date of birth is 19 December 2002, the password will be abcde2354a19122002.
After entering the correct password, her AIS opened successfully.
Step 7: Verify All Financial Information
Varsha Arora carefully reviewed every section of her AIS.
She verified:
- Salary received
- TDS deducted
- Interest from bank accounts
- Fixed deposit interest
- Dividend income
- Mutual fund transactions
- Share transactions
- High-value financial transactions
- Tax payment details (where available)
- Refund details
All the details matched her records.
She was now ready to file her Income Tax Return with confidence.
What Information Is Available in AIS?
Varsha Arora noticed that AIS contained much more information than Form 16.
AIS generally includes:
| Information Available |
| Salary Income |
| Interest Income |
| Dividend Income |
| TDS Details |
| TCS Details |
| Tax Payments |
| Income Tax Refund |
| Securities Transactions |
| Mutual Fund Transactions |
| Foreign Remittance information (where reported) |
| GST-related information (where reported) |
| High-Value Financial Transactions |
| Purchase and Sale of Property |
| Cash Deposits (where reported by the bank) |
This helped her ensure that no income or transaction was missed while filing her Income Tax Return.
AIS vs TIS
While checking the portal, Varsha Arora also saw a document called the Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS).
| AIS | TIS |
| Contains detailed transaction-wise information | Contains summarized values |
| Shows all reported financial transactions | Shows summarized information after processing the data available in AIS. |
| Can include taxpayer feedback | Updated summary after considering feedback |
Most taxpayers refer to AIS for detailed verification and TIS for quick summary.
What If Information in AIS Is Incorrect?
Suppose Varsha Arora found that a bank had reported incorrect interest income.
Instead of ignoring it, she could:
- Open the relevant transaction.
- Click Submit Feedback.
- Select the appropriate reason.
- Submit your feedback.
Providing feedback allows the reported information to be reviewed and corrected where applicable.
Why Should You Download AIS Before Filing ITR?
Varsha Arora realized that downloading AIS helped her:
- Verify all sources of income.
- Match TDS details.
- Avoid omission of interest income.
- Cross-check investment transactions.
- Reduce the chances of receiving notices due to income mismatch.
- File an accurate Income Tax Return.
Common Mistakes Taxpayers Make
Many taxpayers make the following mistakes:
- Filing ITR without checking AIS.
- Reporting income different from AIS without verification.
- Ignoring bank interest shown in AIS.
- Forgetting to verify securities or mutual fund transactions.
- Not submitting feedback when incorrect information appears.
- Depending only on Form 16/16A instead of reviewing AIS.
TaxStudyOnline’s Final Takeaway
Before filing your Income Tax Return for FY 2025-26, remember these important points:
- Always download/review your Annual Information Statement (AIS).
- Verify all income reported against your PAN.
- Match salary, TDS, interest, dividends, and investment transactions.
- Compare AIS with Form 16/16A, and your bank statements.
- Review the Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS) for a consolidated overview.
- Submit feedback if any transaction is incorrect.
- File your ITR only after reconciling all information.
Download and review your AIS before filing your Income Tax Return. It helps you avoid mistakes, tax notices, and problems in the future.
Conclusion
Varsha Arora’s experience shows why you should check your Annual Information Statement (AIS) before filing your Income Tax Return for FY 2025-26.
She downloaded and checked her AIS to make sure all her income and tax details were correct. This helped her file her Income Tax Return without mistakes and avoid unnecessary notices from the Income Tax Department.
Whether you are a salaried person, freelancer, business owner, or investor, checking your AIS before filing your ITR is a good habit. It helps you file your return correctly, keep your records clear, and follow Income Tax rules.
FAQs
1. What is the Annual Information Statement (AIS)?
AIS is a statement available on the Income Tax e-Filing portal that shows your financial details reported against your PAN.
2. Is downloading AIS mandatory before filing ITR?
No, it is not compulsory, but checking your AIS is strongly recommended. It helps you verify your income and other financial details before filing your return.
3. Can I download AIS for FY 2025-26 online?
Yes. You can log in to the Income Tax e-Filing portal and download your AIS in PDF, JSON, or CSV format.
4. What is the difference between AIS and TIS?
AIS provides detailed transaction-wise information, while TIS presents a summarized view of your financial information after processing.
5. What should I do if there is incorrect information in AIS?
You can submit feedback for the relevant transaction through the AIS portal so that the reported information can be reviewed.
6. Does AIS include bank interest and mutual fund transactions?
Yes. AIS includes savings bank interest, fixed deposit interest, mutual fund transactions, securities transactions, dividends, and other reported financial information.
7. Should I rely only on Form 16/16A while filing my ITR?
No. Along with Form 16/16A, you should also verify your AIS, TIS, bank statements, and other financial records to ensure accurate reporting in your Income Tax Return.
