Income Tax Filing: What is Form 16 and when will you get it? Check out I-T department rules

According to the rules of the Income Tax Act, Form-16 has to be issued within 15 days after filing TDS return by the employer.

The last date for filing TDS for the deductor is 31st May. In this way, employees will get Form-16 from all the companies between 1st June to 15th June. 

An important document that compiles all the information you need about your salary and taxes paid. You need to get this form to properly report your income and tax obligations. You risk penalties or interest on unpaid taxes if you don't file your returns using the data on Form 16.

Part B of Form-16 contains information about tax along with salary breakup. It tells what is your gross salary, what is your net salary, how much house rent allowance you have received, how much money has gone into your PF account.

Part A contains the company's TAN, the company's PAN, the employee's PAN, address, assessment year, and period of employment. Apart from this, details of TDS deposited with the government are also given in it.

You can also check how much professional tax has been levied on your salary and what deductions you have got under different sections. It also contains information about your investments, what investments you have made in medical, how much money you have invested in saving plans, and what other tax exemptions you have received.

Form 16 is available to you if you are a salaried individual and your employer has deducted TDS from your pay.

Form 26AS is a consolidated tax statement. It contains details of tax deductions from different sources of income of the taxpayer. Form 26AS can be downloaded from the e-filing account on the Income Tax website. Before filing the return, you must reconcile the income given in your Form 26AS and Form 16.

This year, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the income tax return filing date for the assessment year 2025-26 to September 15, 2025, from July 31, 2025.

According to CBDT, TDS credits due by May 31 are expected to start reflecting in early June, which could shorten the effective filing window without an extension.