Form 168: Annual Information Statement
Source checked 21 October 2026 · Original author: Finin2min Editorial Desk
Purpose, person and period
Annual Information Statement.
The authority provides Form 168 information to the taxpayer; the taxpayer reconciles it to original records and the return, using the official feedback/correction process where an item is wrong.
Period gate: This numbered form belongs to the Income-tax Rules, 2026, effective 1 April 2026. The predecessor 26AS is a concordance, not permission to change an earlier-year filing into a new-law form. For earlier periods, use the applicable 1961 Act form and saved procedure.
Controlling rule and source pages
Rule 245; . Physical PDF pp 897-897; printed Gazette pp 2429-2429.
Rule 245 — connected rule text
245. Annual Information Statement.— (1) The Director General of Income -tax (Systems) or any person authorised by him shall, under section 510, upload in the registered account of the assessee, an annual information system Form No. 168 containing the following information, which is in his possession within ninety days from the end of the month in which the information is received by him: (a) information relating to tax deducted or collected at source; (b) information relating to specified financial transaction; (c) information relating to payment of taxes; (d) information relating to demand and refund; (e) information relating to pending proceedings; (f) information relating to completed proceedings; and (g) any other information authorised under sub-rule (2). (2) The Board may also authorise the Dir ector General of Income -tax (Systems) or any person authorised by him to upload any information received from any officer, authority or body performing any function under any law in force or the information received under an agreement referred to in sectio n 159 or the information received from any other person to the extent as it may deem fit in the interest of the revenue, in the annual information statement referred to in sub-rule (1).
Completed field illustration
Fictional data, not for filing. A fictional taxpayer’s Annual Information Statement reading model reconciles third-party interest, TDS and taxes without pretending to be a downloaded portal statement.
| Form field / block | Completed fictional entry |
|---|---|
| Heading / Part A: TY / name / birth / PAN | 2026-27 / Priya Arun Sharma / 1 June 1985 / synthetic ZZZPS0000Z |
| Address / contact | 10 Model Road Pune / taxpayer@example.invalid, +91 0000000000 |
| Part B(1): TDS/TCS information | Bank interest Rs 2,00,000 and TDS Rs 20,000, assumed source statement; no TCS in model |
| Part B(2): SFT information | Reported fixed-deposit placement Rs 12,00,000; principal movement, not automatically income |
| Part B(3): tax payments | Advance tax Rs 30,000; total model TDS plus advance-tax credits Rs 50,000 |
| Part B(4): demand/refund | No demand or refund assumed; not a portal status confirmation |
| Part B(5)-(7): proceedings / other information | No pending/completed proceeding assumed; compare actual bank interest certificate and books before return filing |
| Reconciliation / output status | Interest taxable on actual law and facts; reconcile duplicate/inaccurate source entries through official feedback process / MODEL ONLY, not an issued AIS |
This illustrates the named fields, not every possible schedule. Use the complete official extract for additional applicable fields, annexures and verification. “Not signed” means no professional certification or authority action has occurred.
Reconcile the example
- 20,000 TDS + 30,000 advance tax = 50,000 assumed credits.
- 12 lakh deposit principal is not added to 2 lakh interest merely because both appear as information.
Form 168 is the current Rule 245 Annual Information Statement format. Legacy Form 26AS/AIS/TIS portal screens, source-reported values, processed values and the final return computation are distinct. A missing item does not make income non-taxable, and an SFT item is not conclusive proof of taxable income.
Prepare, furnish and retain
- Use the form identity and period above, then determine the person who prepares, issues or verifies it from Rule 245. An authority-issued order is not an applicant filing.
- Collect the records that support the actual fields in the example; keep any mandatory schedules and annexures specified in the complete source form.
- Reconcile dates, amounts, units and identifiers to the underlying records. Preserve the applicable rule version and any later correcting notification.
- Where the rule prescribes electronic furnishing, use the current official utility/schema and authorised verification. A local PDF does not produce a portal acknowledgement.
- Retain the submitted version, supporting schedules and actual acknowledgement or issued certificate/order, as applicable. This fictional model supplies none of those evidential outcomes.
Download the correct documents
Official Form 168 source extract Filled sample — fictional field illustration
The official extract preserves source pages; later amendments are supplied with affected forms. Read the April corrigendum where its printed-page corrections apply. The filled field illustration is an educational model and cannot be filed.
Primary sources
Questions readers ask
Does this sample prove approval, filing or a professional conclusion?
No. It completes the named fields using synthetic facts. It has no real signature, DSC, approval or acknowledgement.
Can I use the legacy form number for a current tax-year obligation?
Establish the governing period first. A predecessor number is a cross-reference; earlier-year procedures and current-year forms must be kept distinct.