Is AIS the same as my tax return?

No. AIS is third-party reported data. Your ITR is what you certify. Every AIS income line must appear in your return or be explained — silence invites mismatch processing.

AIS mismatch: why the tax portal shows income you forgot

Banks, brokers, and old employers report to ITD before you file. Here is how to read AIS gaps, fix them, and avoid notices — with Indian examples.

AIS is like a report card from everyone who paid you

The Annual Information Statement (AIS) on incometax.gov.in lists salary, interest, dividends, securities sales, rent, and more — reported against your PAN by employers, banks, brokers, and tenants.

It is not your return. But the department uses it to check whether you reported everything. Filing with only Form 16 while AIS shows ₹40,000 FD interest is one of the most common salaried filer mistakes.

Frequent mismatches (Indian examples)

AIS shows	Why Form 16 missed it
Bank FD interest ₹38,000	Banks report interest; employer does not
Previous employer salary + TDS	Current Form 16 only
Zerodha/Groww sale proceeds	Broker SFT; not salary
Tenant TDS on rent you received	Landlord income, not employee
Dividend from demat	Registrar reporting

AIS vs Form 26AS — 30-second version

26AS = tax credits (TDS/TCS/challans) — what you claim in TDS schedule.

AIS = broader transactions + credits — what you might have forgotten to include.

Read the full AIS vs Form 26AS guide and download steps.

What you should do

Download AIS PDF/JSON 48 hours before filing
Build a three-column list: AIS line | Amount | In my draft? (Y/N/Exempt)
For every N, add to other sources or capital gains schedule
Match TDS lines to Form 16 Part A and 26AS — do not claim credit not in 26AS
Pay tax on income without adequate TDS before filing
Import Form 16 + review AIS in LastMinute ITR for gap hints

Common mistake

Assuming "no TDS" means "no tax". Bank reported ₹60,000 interest with zero TDS because you submitted Form 15G — you still report the interest and pay tax if slabs demand it.

Another: treating AIS sale value as taxable income — for shares, taxable amount is usually gain, not gross proceeds. You still need correct schedule, often ITR-2.

AIS feedback when data is wrong

Use portal feedback on incorrect duplicate lines — keep screenshot. Still file with correct figures you can prove.

Check your ITR with LastMinute — then file on incometax.gov.in.