What Is AIS (Annual Information Statement) in Income Tax?
The Annual Information Statement (AIS) is a comprehensive statement of information available with the Income Tax Department about a taxpayer. It can include TDS/TCS, specified financial transactions, tax payments, demand/refund information and other reported information. Taxpayers should review AIS against their own records before filing their Income Tax Return (ITR).
Quick Answer
AIS is an Income Tax Department statement that gives taxpayers a broader view of information reported against their PAN. It is available through the e-Filing portal and includes information beyond the TDS/TCS data shown in Form 26AS. AIS also provides a facility to submit feedback on eligible reported information.
What Does AIS Stand For?
AIS stands for Annual Information Statement. It is provided by the Income Tax Department through the e-Filing portal and is intended to give taxpayers a consolidated view of information available with the Department before filing their return.
What Information Is Available in AIS?
Depending on the information reported for a taxpayer, AIS can contain:
- TDS and TCS information
- Specified Financial Transaction (SFT) information
- Payment of taxes
- Demand and refund information
- Other information received from reporting sources
For an individual taxpayer, the available information may relate to items such as salary, interest, dividends, capital gains and other financial activity.
Is AIS the Same as Form 26AS?
No. From AY 2023-24 onwards, the Income Tax Department states that Form 26AS available through TRACES displays TDS/TCS-related data, while other taxpayer information is available through AIS.
AIS also provides a taxpayer feedback facility and contains the Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS).
What Is TIS in AIS?
The Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS) presents information category-wise after processing. Where applicable, the system can consider taxpayer feedback or source confirmation while presenting the processed information.
Does AIS Contain All My Income?
No. AIS contains information presently available with the Income Tax Department, and the Department states that there may be other transactions relating to a taxpayer that are not displayed in AIS.
Important
The absence of an income item or transaction from AIS does not by itself mean that the item can be omitted from your ITR. Prepare the return using complete and accurate information from all relevant sources.
How Can I View or Download AIS?
After logging in to the Income Tax e-Filing portal, access the AIS facility from the dashboard. The Income Tax Department currently provides AIS downloads in PDF, JSON and CSV formats.
Why Should I Check AIS Before Filing My ITR?
Information in AIS may originate from employers, banks, brokers, mutual funds, companies, financial institutions and other reporting entities. Comparing AIS with your own records can help identify differences before filing.
- Compare salary with Form 16 and salary records.
- Compare interest with bank statements and interest certificates.
- Compare dividends with investment or broker records.
- Compare capital-gains information with broker statements.
- Check TDS/TCS against Form 26AS and supporting documents.
- Verify tax payments against challans and bank records.
Can I Give Feedback on AIS?
Yes. AIS provides a facility for taxpayers to submit feedback on eligible reported information. Review the underlying records before submitting feedback and retain relevant supporting documents.
How EZTax Uses AIS
EZTax can use an uploaded AIS PDF as a starting point for organizing information during ITR preparation. Its AI-assisted workflow can read and organize available information such as capital gains, interest, dividends, salary, TDS and tax payments for taxpayer review and reconciliation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AIS mandatory to download?
There is no general requirement to download AIS merely because it is available. However, reviewing AIS before filing can be useful because it provides information available with the Income Tax Department that may affect your return.
Can AIS be downloaded in PDF?
Yes. AIS is currently available for download in PDF, JSON and CSV formats.
Can AIS contain capital-gains information?
Yes. AIS can contain reported information relating to capital gains. Investors should still compare the information with their broker and investment records before reporting capital gains in the ITR.
Related EZTax Resources
- AIS Reconciliation & AI-Powered Income Tax Filing with EZTax
- How to Download AIS Statement
- How to Declare Income From Capital Gains
- Tax Tools & Calculators
