How to Download Form 16 Online

Form 16 is the TDS certificate for salaried income. You need it to match salary figures while filing your Income Tax Return and to confirm that your employer deposited tax deducted from your salary. Here is how to get Part A and Part B online and what to check before you file.

Form 16 at a glance

Documents and details to keep ready

Step 1: Download from the employer portal (most common)

1. Log in to your company's payroll or HRMS site.
2. Open Tax / Form 16 / Investment proof section.
3. Select the financial year and download Part A and Part B PDFs.
4. If the file is password protected, the password is often PAN in lowercase or a format HR shared by email.

Save both PDFs with clear names like Form16-PartA-FY2025-26.pdf.

Step 2: Get Part A via TRACES (if needed)

1. Visit the TRACES site (tdscpc.gov.in).
2. Register / log in as a taxpayer with PAN.
3. Use the Form 16 / TDS certificate download options available for your role, or ask payroll to regenerate Part A if TRACES shows a mismatch.
4. Employers generate Part A only after filing TDS returns (Form 24Q) and paying challans. If Part A is missing, the TDS return may still be pending.

Step 3: Read Form 16 before filing ITR

Check these fields carefully:

1. Your PAN and name spelling
2. Employer TAN and name
3. Total TDS for the year
4. Salary under Section 17 and exemptions (HRA, LTA, standard deduction)
5. Chapter VI-A deductions the employer considered (80C, 80D, and so on)

Step 4: Match with 26AS and AIS

1. Log in to the Income Tax e-filing portal.
2. Open AIS and Form 26AS.
3. Confirm salary TDS lines match Form 16 Part A totals.
4. If AIS shows extra salary or missing TDS, raise the issue with payroll and wait for correction before filing when amounts are large.

Common problems

• PDF password not working: Try PAN lowercase, PAN uppercase, date of birth formats HR mentioned, or request a fresh mail from payroll.
• Part A not generated: Employer TDS return pending or TAN mismatch. Follow up with finance, not only HR.
• Wrong financial year downloaded: Form 16 for FY 2025-26 relates to AY 2026-27. Pick the year carefully on the portal.
• Figures differ from payslips: Employer may have ignored some proofs. You can still claim correctly in ITR with documents, but be ready to explain mismatches.

Realistic timelines

Most people lose time waiting on OTP issues, unclear scans, or a portal outage rather than on the core form itself. Build a small buffer into your plans. If a visa, loan, or registration appointment depends on this document, start at least one or two weeks earlier than the brochure minimum.

Keep a folder (phone and laptop) with:

1. Application / acknowledgment PDF
2. Fee receipt or UTR
3. Identity proofs used in the upload
4. Screenshots of status pages with dates visible

When a helpdesk asks for proof, you should be able to send it in one email without hunting through WhatsApp.

If the portal is down

Official sites in India often slow down on weekday evenings and near due dates. Try early morning, switch browsers, or use a less congested network. Prefer the gov.in domain even when a third-party site claims to be faster. If money was debited without an acknowledgment, wait for the stated reconciliation window and contact the listed support channel with the bank reference before you pay again.

After you finish

Update every dependent record that still shows old data: DigiLocker, employer HRMS, bank KYC, insurer, and any travel profile. A finished application that never propagates to the places you actually use will feel unfinished the next time you need it in a hurry.

Related Guides

• How to Read AIS and Form 26AS
• E-File Your Income Tax Return
• How to Check ITR Refund Status Online

Need more help?

For more information, check out our Taxes & Finance guides or estimate liability with our Income Tax Calculator. See also the Tax Season hub for related guides.