Salaried clients raise this with us every filing season, so the TAXAJ team is answering it here.
The payslips show TDS deducted every month, but Form 26AS and the AIS on the income tax portal show less, or nothing. What can the employee do?
Tax credit appears in Form 26AS and AIS only after your employer files its quarterly TDS statement with the correct PAN. A missing credit almost always comes from one of these:
- The quarter is not filed yet. Statements are due within a month of each quarter end, and by 31 May for January to March. Check again after that date.
- Wrong PAN on the employer's records. Ask HR to check it and file a correction statement.
- Tax deducted but not deposited to the government. That is the employer's default, and they must fix it.
Ask HR for Form 16 Part A, which is generated from the TDS system and shows what was actually reported against your PAN. If it does not match your payslips, ask them to correct the statement before you file.
Claim in your return only the TDS shown in 26AS. A larger claim is cut automatically when the return is processed, and you get a demand. If your employer does not fix it, you can raise a grievance on the e-filing portal. Our guide on viewing and downloading Form 26AS shows where to look.