# Form 26AS PDF Password: How to Open It? Complete Guide (2026)

You download Form 26AS from the Income Tax portal. Double click the PDF. And it asks for a password. You sit there wondering — what password? I did not set any password.

I have been there. It is annoying. But here is the thing — the password is actually really simple. Once you know it, you will never get stuck again.

## What Is Form 26AS?

Form 26AS is the Income Tax Department’s record of all tax payments tied to your PAN. It shows:

- TDS deducted from your salary
- TCS collected
- Advance tax and self-assessment tax you paid yourself
- Refunds issued

Before filing ITR, you need to match this against your Form 16 and bank statements. If there is a mismatch, the department notices. And notices from the IT department are never pleasant.

## The Password

Here it is:

**Your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format.**

Eight digits. No spaces, no slashes, no dashes. Nothing fancy.

| Your DOB | Password |
|---|---|
| 15 March 1985 | 15031985 |
| 1 January 1990 | 01011990 |
| 10 August 1995 | 10081995 |

Pay attention to the zero. January is 01, not 1. August is 08. Small detail, but it trips people up.

> **One more thing:** Some systems also accept PAN (lowercase) followed by DOB. So abcde1234f15031985. If the normal password does not work, try this.

## How to Get Form 26AS — 3 Ways

### Way 1: Income Tax Portal (What Most People Use)

1. Head to incometax.gov.in. Log in with your PAN.
2. Go to E-File > Income Tax Returns > View Form 26AS
3. Accept the disclaimer. You will land on TRACES.
4. Click “View Tax Credit (Form 26AS)”
5. Pick your Assessment Year. For FY 2025-26, choose AY 2026-27.
6. Select HTML under “View As” (no password needed here)
7. Click View/Download, then Export as PDF
8. Open the PDF and enter your DOB in DDMMYYYY format

### Way 2: Net Banking

Do not feel like logging into the Income Tax portal? Use net banking. Your PAN just needs to be linked to your bank account.

SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis — almost all major banks support this. Log into net banking, look for “Tax Credit Statement” or “Form 26AS”, and you will be redirected to TRACES.

### Way 3: TRACES Directly

Already have a TRACES account? Go to tdscpc.gov.in, log in as “Taxpayer”, and grab your Form 26AS directly.

## Common Issues and How to Fix Them

### The “Wrong Password” Error

- Are you using DDMMYYYY? Not DD-MM-YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY.
- Missing a zero? 5 January is 05011990, not 511990.
- Still failing? Try PAN (lowercase) + DOB. abcde1234f05011990.

### PDF Seems Corrupt

Downloads get corrupted sometimes. Redownload it. This time, view it in HTML first, then use “Export as PDF” from there.

### Do Not Know Your DOB?

Use the HTML view. No password needed. The entire statement shows up right in your browser.

### PDF Opens But Has No Data

You probably picked the wrong Assessment Year. For FY 2025-26, select AY 2026-27. Easy mistake.

## AIS vs Form 26AS

AIS (Annual Information System) is more detailed. It includes mutual fund investments, property deals, and high-value spends. But for ITR filing, Form 26AS reconciliation matters more.

Also, AIS password is different. It uses PAN (lowercase) + DOB (DDMMYYYY). Do not confuse the two.

## Bottom Line

Form 26AS password is just your DOB in DDMMYYYY format. Eight digits. That is it.

> Reconcile your Form 26AS before filing ITR. Two minutes of your time can save you from a long email from the tax department.

Still stuck? Leave a comment. And please — check your tax credit statement before hitting submit on your ITR.

*This is for educational purposes only. Consult a qualified financial advisor for personalized advice.*