AIS / Form 26AS mismatch — reconciliation

What this section is

Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement (AIS) are the Income Tax Department's view of your financial year. Form 26AS captures TDS, TCS, advance tax and self-assessment tax. AIS, introduced in November 2021, goes wider — it pulls in savings and FD interest, dividends, mutual fund redemptions, share transactions, foreign remittances, high-value purchases of property or vehicles, and other Specified Financial Transactions reported by banks, depositories, registrars, AMCs and SFT filers. The Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS) is the simplified, category-wise rollup of AIS. An 'AIS / 26AS mismatch' is any difference between what these statements show and what your income tax return discloses. It is not, by itself, a notice — but an unresolved mismatch is one of the most common triggers for a later 143(1) intimation, a 142(1) inquiry or a 143(2) scrutiny.

When it is issued

There is no formal 'AIS notice'. Mismatches typically surface in three ways: (a) flagged in your 143(1) intimation as a comparison line item, (b) called out in a 142(1) pre-assessment inquiry, or (c) raised in a 143(2) scrutiny. The AIS feedback portal is open throughout the year — the department expects taxpayers to review and respond proactively, and prolonged inaction is itself a soft signal for case selection.

What you should do

1. 1Download the latest Form 26AS, AIS (PDF and JSON) and TIS from the e-filing portal. Reporting entities revise figures after your return is filed, so always work off the most recent download.
2. 2Reconcile each AIS line against your own records — bank statements (including joint accounts), broker / depository statements, AMC capital gains statement, and Form 16 / 16A / 16B / 16C from every deductor.
3. 3For each genuine error, submit AIS feedback on the portal using the right option: 'Information is duplicate / already included', 'Information is denied', 'Information relates to other PAN / year', or 'Customised information' — and attach supporting evidence.
4. 4If the mismatch means tax is actually payable, file a revised return under Section 139(5) within the time allowed, or a rectification under Section 154 after the 143(1) is received.
5. 5If a 143(1), 142(1) or 143(2) notice has already raised the mismatch, respond on the e-filing portal with a clean reconciliation table — one row per AIS line — mapping the AIS figure to the corresponding entry in your return and to the supporting document.

Documents typically needed

• Form 26AS, AIS (PDF + JSON) and TIS for the relevant assessment year
• Bank statements for every account, including joint accounts
• Broker, depository and mutual fund capital gains statements
• Form 16, Form 16A, Form 16B and Form 16C from all deductors
• Documents for Specified Financial Transactions (sale deeds, LRS forms for foreign remittance, etc.)

Common mistakes

• Treating AIS as final — reporting entities frequently revise figures, and the AIS feedback mechanism exists precisely so taxpayers can correct the record.
• Ignoring entries that look small — even a few hundred rupees of unreported interest can be the deciding flag for case selection.
• Forgetting that joint-account interest is usually duplicated against both PANs and needs an 'Information relates to other PAN' feedback.
• Filing a revised return without first submitting AIS feedback — both should ideally be done together so the department's record matches the return.
• Reconciling only against 26AS while ignoring AIS — they cover different scope and a clean 26AS does not mean a clean AIS.