Guides · Tax & ID documents
Form 26AS PDF Password Format (TRACES, 2026)
Your date of birth as per your PAN record, in DDMMYYYY format (8 digits, no separators).
| Document | Password | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Form 26AS / Annual Tax Statement (PDF, text, Excel) downloaded from TRACES | Date of birth of the taxpayer as per PAN, DDMMYYYY e.g. Ravi Kumar, born 15 May 1990: 15051990 | Confirmed by the issuer Source |
| Intimation emailed by TRACES to a taxpayer | PAN in small letters followed by date of birth (DDMMYYYY) e.g. PAN ABCPK1234L, born 15 May 1990: abcpk1234l15051990 | Confirmed by the issuer Source |
The Form 26AS password is your date of birth as per your PAN, in DDMMYYYY format. If Ravi Kumar was born on 15 May 1990, his Form 26AS password is 15051990.
As of October 2026, TRACES states this in its Form 26AS FAQ and in its password format tutorial.
The password format
Form 26AS (the Annual Tax Statement) is downloaded from TRACES, usually by logging in to the income-tax e-filing portal and following the link to TRACES. TRACES says the password is the "Date of Birth of Taxpayer" in "DDMMYYYY" format. That is eight digits: two for the day, two for the month, four for the year. No slashes, dashes or spaces.
TRACES lets you download Form 26AS as PDF, text or Excel. Its tutorial says the same date-of-birth password applies to the Form 26AS download.
Worked example
| Person (made-up) | Date of birth on PAN | Password |
|---|---|---|
| Ravi Kumar | 15 May 1990 | 15051990 |
| Priya Sharma | 7 September 1988 | 07091988 |
TRACES's own example: if your date of birth is 01-Feb-1980, the password is 01021980.
Other TRACES files you might be holding
TRACES uses different passwords for different files. From the same TRACES password tutorial:
- Intimation emailed to a taxpayer: PAN in small letters followed by date of birth, for example
abcpk1234l15051990. - Form 16B / 16C / 16D / 16E (property, rent, payments, crypto): date of birth of the buyer, tenant or payer as per PAN, DDMMYYYY.
- Form 16 / 16A downloaded by an employer or deductor: the deductor's TAN in capital letters.
The Annual Information Statement (AIS) on the e-filing portal is a separate document with a different password (PAN in lower case plus date of birth). The department's Form 168 FAQ notes that under the Income-tax Rules, 2026 the AIS is numbered Form 168, "earlier Form No. 26 AS". The AIS is downloaded from the e-filing portal, not TRACES.
If the password doesn't work
- Use the date on your PAN. TRACES uses the date of birth "as per PAN". If your PAN record has a different date from your other documents, use the PAN one.
- Eight digits only. Add leading zeros: 7 September 1988 is
07091988. - Day first. The order is day, month, year, not month first.
- Companies and firms use the date of incorporation or formation on the PAN record.
- Large statements. TRACES says that if your statement has more than 1,500 entries, it is available only as a text file, which you then convert to Excel with the TRACES utility.
For TRACES problems, TRACES lists its toll-free number 1800 103 0344 and the email [email protected].
Removing the password so you don't have to type it again
Once the file is open, you can save a copy without the password so you are not typing it every time you need the document. On iPhone, iPad or Mac, UnKey does this offline: you enter the password once, it saves an unlocked copy, and nothing is uploaded anywhere. It only works when you already know the password; it does not guess or crack passwords. Other PDF tools, such as printing to a new PDF from your PDF viewer, can do the same job. Keep the unlocked copy somewhere private, because anyone who gets it can read it.
Questions
What is the password for Form 26AS?
Your date of birth as per PAN in DDMMYYYY format, for example 15051990 for 15 May 1990.
What is the Form 26AS password for a company?
Use the date of incorporation or formation on the company's PAN record, in DDMMYYYY format.
Is the Form 26AS password the same as the AIS password?
No. Form 26AS from TRACES uses only the date of birth (DDMMYYYY). The AIS PDF uses your PAN in lower case followed by the date of birth.
Can I download Form 26AS as Excel?
TRACES offers PDF, text and Excel downloads. Very large statements are available only as text, which you convert with the TRACES utility.
Sources
- TRACES – Form 26AS FAQs (taxpayer)
- TRACES – e-Tutorial: Password format for deductor and taxpayer
- Income Tax Department – Form No. 168 (earlier Form 26AS) FAQs
Formats can change. If a password doesn't work, check the email the document came with or contact the issuer. UnKey isn't affiliated with any bank, employer or authority named here.