Form 16 is a TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) certificate issued by your employer under Section 203 of the Indian Income Tax Act. It certifies that the tax deducted from your salary has been deposited with the government.
Form 16 acts as proof of income, proof of TDS, and a ready-made data sheet for filing your ITR. Banks also ask for Form 16 when you apply for a loan, as it verifies your salary and tax compliance in a single document.
Note: Under the new Income Tax Rules 2026, Form 16 has been renumbered as Form 130 starting from Tax Year 2026-27. For FY 2025-26 and prior years, your employer will still issue it as Form 16.
The distinction matters because your response to each is different. A winter jacket in July is seasonal. A winter jacket with a discontinued design from two years ago is dead stock.
Part A is the Form 16 download that employers generate directly from the TRACES portal. It contains employer-level and tax deposit details:
For a small retailer, even ₹50,000 locked up in dead inventory can impact the ability to restock bestsellers during peak season.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Employer name and address | Who deducted your TDS |
| Employer TAN and PAN | Tax identification of the employer |
| Employee PAN | Your PAN linked to the TDS |
| Period of employment | Start and end date with this employer |
| Quarterly TDS breakup | How much TDS was deducted each quarter |
| Challan details | When and how TDS was deposited with the government |
Part B is prepared by the employer and contains the detailed computation of your taxable income:
If you changed jobs during the financial year, you will receive a separate Form 16 from each employer. Collect all of them before filing your ITR.
Employees cannot download Form 16 directly from TRACES – only employers can. Here is the step-by-step process:
After the Form 16 download is complete, the PDF is typically locked with a password. Common password formats are:
Try these combinations if your employer has not shared the password separately.
How can I get Form 16 online? You cannot download Form 16 yourself from any government portal. It must come from your employer. Here is how to get Form 16 in different situations:
| Situation | How to Get Form 16 |
|---|---|
| Currently employed | Request from your HR or payroll department |
| Left the company | Your former employer is still obligated to issue it |
| Multiple jobs in one year | Collect Form 16 from each employer separately |
| Employer not issuing it | They face a penalty of ₹100/day for every day of delay |
The deadline for employers to issue Form 16 is 15 June of the assessment year. For FY 2025-26, that means by 15 June 2026.
Even without Form 16, you are still responsible for filing your ITR.
Check Out – TDS Return and Payment Due Date for FY 2026 – 27
| Basis | Form 16 | Form 16A | Form 16B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income type | Salary | Non-salary (interest, rent, commission) | Sale of property |
| Issued by | Employer | Banks, tenants, payers | Property buyer |
| Frequency | Annual | Quarterly | Per transaction |
| Purpose | Proof of salary TDS | Proof of non-salary TDS | proof of tds on sale/ purchase of property |
Form 16 is the single most convenient document for any salaried taxpayer in India. It brings your salary breakup, TDS details, and deduction claims together in one place, making ITR filing significantly faster and more accurate.
Make it a habit to collect your Form 16 from every employer you worked with during the year, verify the details against your salary slips, and keep it safe for loan applications and future reference. If you also run a small business alongside your job, keeping your business books equally organized with the best accounting software ensures that all your income streams are ready when tax season arrives.
Form 16 is a TDS certificate your employer gives you each year. It is a certificate showing your salary income and tax deducted by that employer
Yes. You can file your ITR using your salary slips and Form 26AS, which shows all TDS credited to your PAN. Form 16 makes the process easier but is not mandatory.
“Normally” employees cannot download Form 16 from TRACES directly. Only employers have access. You must request Form 16 from your HR or payroll department.
Contact your employer’s HR or payroll team immediately. They will need to file a revised TDS return and issue a corrected Form 16.
No. A salary slip is a monthly accounting document showing your CTC breakup. Form 16 is an annual tax certificate issued under the Income Tax Act containing TDS and taxable income details.
Reach out to your former employer’s HR department. They are legally required to issue Form 16 even after you have resigned. Some companies make it available through their employee self-service portals.
The employer is liable to pay a penalty of ₹100 per day for every day the delay continues until Form 16 is issued.
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I’m a business enthusiast with 8+ years of experience in business management and finance, holding a Bachelor of Business Management (BBM) in Marketing and an MBA in Finance. With expertise in marketing, accounting, financial management, business law, MIS, and business economics, I focus on simplifying complex business and finance topics into clear, practical insights for entrepreneurs, professionals, and students. - "Tax Professional & Business Finance Expert"
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