Lesson 3 of 3 · 6 min
26AS, AIS, and the mismatch drill
Three statements on the portal show what the department already knows about you. Reconciling them before you file costs far less than answering a notice later.
Before you file, the income tax portal lets you see yourself as the department sees you. Form 26AS lists the tax credited against your PAN. The AIS — Annual Information Statement — is much wider: interest, dividends, stock and mutual fund trades, and other reported transactions.
The TIS summarises the AIS into yearly totals. Filing without reading them is how a mismatch turns into a notice.
| Statement | What it holds | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Form 26AS | TDS, TCS and advance tax credited against your PAN | Verify every credit you plan to claim in the ITR |
| AIS | Transactions others reported about you — interest, dividends, securities trades, large payments | Catch income you forgot, and spot entries that are not yours |
| TIS | The AIS rolled up into category totals | Sanity-check the totals the portal pre-fills into your return |
The actual document
The same person, as the department already sees them
Income Tax Department · Compliance Portal
Annual Information Statement · AY 2027-28
- PAN
- ABCDE1234F
- Financial year
- 2026-27
- Statement
- AIS, with 26AS below
Reported about you (AIS, Part B)
- Salary — Meridian Systems India₹16,00,000
- Savings bank interest₹8,420
- Term deposit interest₹31,500
- Dividend received₹4,180
- Sale of mutual fund units₹1,20,000
Tax credited against your PAN (Form 26AS)
- TDS on salary₹1,13,100
- TDS on term deposit interest₹3,150
- Total tax credited₹1,16,250
A fictional statement. Both are free on the income tax portal, and both exist before you file — the mismatch drill is reading them first, not after.
Tap a numbered marker to see what that line means.
- 1
Salary — Meridian Systems India. The same gross as the Form 16. If these two disagree, one of them is wrong and the department is reading this one.
- 2
Savings bank interest. No TDS was cut, because banks do not deduct on ordinary savings interest. It is still taxable, and it is still here — which is how "nobody deducted anything" turns into a notice.
- 3
Sale of mutual fund units. Proceeds, not profit. The AIS reports what the sale was worth, not what you gained — your tax is on the gain, which only you can compute from what you paid.
- 4
TDS on term deposit interest. 10% of ₹31,500, cut by the bank. Claim it in your return and it comes off your bill — miss it and you have paid this tax twice.
Myth
“If income shows up in my AIS, tax on it has already been paid.”
False
The AIS is a record of information, not of payment. A dividend or interest entry appears because the payer reported it — whether any TDS accompanied it is a separate question answered by Form 26AS. Plenty of AIS entries carry no tax at all and still belong in your return.
Put these in order
The pre-filing reconciliation drill. Put the moves in order.
- Keep the proofs — statements, certificates, feedback receipts
- File the ITR using the reconciled figures
- Submit feedback on the portal for entries that are wrong or not yours
- Match Form 16 and interest certificates against what the statements show
- Log in to the income tax portal and download 26AS, AIS and TIS
Spot the scam · SMS
The refund that needs your 'verification'
Dear Taxpayer, your Income Tax refund of Rs. 16,490 has been approved. Your account details could not be verified. Update immediately at http://itr-refund-verify.in to receive credit within 24 hours.
Match them up
Six documents, six jobs
What each document actually does.
Drag each meaning up or down until it sits beside the term it belongs to.
Check yourself
1 / 3
Kabir asks
Which statement proves tax was actually credited against your PAN?
Done reading?
Saved in this browser — and finishes the course.