What AIS Contains
AIS aggregates data from multiple reporting sources. It includes: salary and TDS from employers (Form 24Q data); interest income from banks and NBFCs (Form 26Q/27Q); dividend income from companies and mutual funds; securities transaction data from stock exchanges (buy/sell of listed shares, mutual fund units, bonds); foreign remittances reported by authorised dealers under Form 15CC; GST turnover reported by GSTN; rent received reported by tenants who deducted TDS under Section 194I; and all SFT (Statement of Financial Transactions) data that also appears in Form 26AS. The companion TIS (Taxpayer Information Summary) shows the net aggregated value for each category after removing duplicates.
SFT Data Sources in AIS
Under Section 285BA of the Income Tax Act, specified entities must file SFT reports with the IT Department. Banks report cash deposits above ₹10 lakh, credit card payments above ₹1 lakh (cash) or ₹10 lakh (other modes), and fixed deposits above ₹10 lakh. Mutual fund registrars report purchases above ₹10 lakh. Stock exchanges report all securities transactions. Sub-registrars report property purchases above ₹30 lakh. This data flows into AIS and is used to cross-check income declared in ITR. Unexplained high-value transactions can trigger scrutiny under Section 143(2).
AIS vs Form 26AS: Key Differences
Form 26AS focuses on tax credits — TDS, TCS, advance tax, and self-assessment tax. AIS focuses on income — it shows the underlying transactions that generated income, not just the tax deducted on them. For example, Form 26AS shows TDS deducted on FD interest; AIS shows the actual interest amount credited by the bank. AIS also covers income sources with no TDS — such as dividends below the TDS threshold, capital gains from equity, and foreign income. The IT Department uses AIS to identify income that was earned but not reported in the ITR.
Pre-filling and ITR Accuracy
The IT portal uses TIS (the aggregated summary from AIS) to pre-fill ITR forms. Pre-filled data covers salary, interest, dividends, and capital gains. Before accepting pre-filled data, verify it against your own records — AIS can contain errors such as duplicate entries, transactions belonging to another PAN, or incorrect amounts. Submit feedback in the AIS portal for any errors. Even if you raise a feedback, report the correct income in your ITR — do not under-report income just because AIS shows an incorrect figure.