Filing your income tax return may seem like a routine task, especially for salaried employees who rely on salary slips and Form 16. But experts say there is one mistake taxpayers should avoid this year — submitting returns without checking details in the Annual Information Statement (AIS) and Form 26AS.
A small mismatch between your return and the information already available with the Income Tax Department could trigger trouble later, from delayed refunds to tax notices. With the ITR filing season for assessment year 2026–27 now underway, salaried taxpayers are being advised to double-check these documents carefully before pressing the submit button.
Many salaried employees assume that Form 16 alone is enough to file income tax returns. While it remains an important document, tax experts say it gives only part of the picture.
AIS and Form 26AS contain details of your income, taxes deducted, investments and financial activities reported to the Income Tax Department by employers, banks, brokers and other institutions. If these details do not match what you mention in your ITR, it may raise red flags.
For salaried individuals and non-audit taxpayers for FY 2025–26, the last date to file income tax returns is 31 July 2026, unless the government extends it. Those who miss the deadline can still submit a belated return by 31 December 2026 after paying a late fee.
For many salaried taxpayers, Form 16 has long been the go-to document during the income tax filing season. Issued by employers, it acts as proof that tax deducted at source (TDS) on salary has been deposited with the government.
But a key change has come into effect from 1 April 2026. Under the new Income-tax Rules, 2026,
The newly introduced Form 130 is designed to offer a more detailed picture of an employee’s income and taxes. It is expected to include employer and employee details, a summary of salary and tax deducted, along with a detailed breakdown of how taxable income has been calculated.
Even so, experts advise taxpayers not to rely only on employer-issued records. Cross-checking details with AIS and Form 26AS remains important to avoid errors or mismatches while filing returns.
The Annual Information Statement, or AIS, is a detailed record of your financial information available on the income tax portal. It provides a wider picture than Form 26AS and includes information reported by different institutions.
For salaried taxpayers, AIS can include salary details, pension income, bank interest, dividend income, capital market transactions, rental income, foreign remittances and tax refunds.
It may also show high-value financial transactions, tax payments made through challans, GST-related details and specified financial transactions reported by banks, brokers and registrars.
One important feature of AIS is that taxpayers can flag errors. If there are duplicate entries, wrong figures or incorrect information, feedback can be submitted through the income tax portal. After verification, the corrected details are reflected in the Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS).
Before filing returns, salaried taxpayers should carefully compare AIS details with salary slips, bank statements, investment records and employer documents.
For example, many taxpayers forget about savings account interest or fixed deposit interest, especially when the amount is small. However, these details are often already reported in AIS. Similarly, stock or mutual fund transactions may appear at gross sale value, which sometimes surprises taxpayers.
Checking salary details, TDS deductions, dividend income, rental income and overseas remittances is also important to avoid reporting mistakes.
Experts say even a simple mismatch between reported income and AIS records may delay refunds or attract scrutiny.
Form 26AS acts as a tax passbook. It records taxes linked to your PAN and helps taxpayers confirm whether tax deducted on their behalf has actually been deposited.
For salaried individuals, it generally includes TDS deducted by employers, tax deducted by banks on fixed deposit interest, tax collected at source, self-assessment tax payments and details of refunds received.
It may also contain information about high-value transactions, tax deducted on property sales, specified financial transactions and pending or completed tax proceedings.
Taxpayers should make sure that TDS shown in Form 26AS matches their salary records, bank documents and employer-issued certificates.
In other words, tax professionals say many filing errors happen simply because taxpayers rush through the process. A few extra minutes spent checking AIS and Form 26AS can help avoid unnecessary notices, refund delays or correction requests later.
Before filing your return, it may be worth asking a simple question: does the information in your ITR truly match what the tax department already knows about your finances?