Use TRACES for TDS-specific records, Form 16 and Form 26AS queries, and TDS/TCS challan corrections. Use the Income Tax Department’s e-Filing portal for income-tax returns, AIS and Reporting Portal services, and online TDS/TCS return submission by a registered deductor or collector. A missing TDS credit is a third case: compare the entry with Form 26AS, then ask the employer or other deductor to file a revised statement if its reporting is wrong.
The quick route: match your role and task to the right portal
“TDS task” is not one workflow. The correct destination depends on whether you are the person whose tax was deducted, the deductor or collector filing a statement, or someone correcting a challan. The reporting period also matters because the Department is transitioning formats from April 2026.
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| Your situation | Start here | What the route handles |
|---|---|---|
| File an income-tax return or use return-processing services | Income Tax e-Filing portal | Income-tax returns, forms and related processing services. |
| View AIS or get help for AIS, TIS, SFT or e-campaign matters | e-Filing portal’s AIS or Reporting Portal entry | Information statements and the Department’s separate AIS/Reporting support route. |
| Submit a TDS/TCS statement as a deductor or collector | e-Filing portal, after the required registrations | Online submission by a registered deductor or collector. |
| Ask about a TDS statement, Form 16 or Form 26AS record | TRACES | TDS-specific statement and certificate records and related queries. |
| Correct a TDS/TCS challan | TRACES or the Assessing Officer | The e-Filing portal’s general challan-correction facility does not cover TDS/TCS challans. |
| TDS credit is absent or differs from your records | Check Form 26AS, then contact the deductor | The deductor must revise an incorrect statement; changing your income-tax return alone does not repair the deductor’s report. |
| Correct a return for a period governed by the Income-tax Act, 1961 | Use the old-Act correction framework | The Department says old-period corrections remain under that framework even when filed after 1 April 2026. |
Use the table as a routing test, not as a promise that every account has the same buttons. The Income Tax Department can rename menus, move links or change which utility handles a period. Once signed in, follow the current instructions for your role and reporting period.
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- Who are you in the transaction? A taxpayer checking credit follows a different path from an employer, bank, tenant or other deductor filing a statement.
- What must change? Viewing a certificate, submitting a statement, correcting a challan and amending your return are separate actions.
- Which period is involved? A correction filed after April 2026 may still concern an earlier period that must use the old-Act framework.
If you answer those questions first, you avoid opening an unrelated service simply because both portals appear on the Department’s website.
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What TRACES is for
TRACES is the Department’s TDS-related service environment. It is the appropriate starting point when the record itself is about tax deducted or collected at source: a TDS statement, Form 16, Form 26AS information, or a TDS/TCS challan correction.
TDS statements and certificates
If you are trying to understand what a deductor reported, or need a query about a Form 16 or a TDS statement, use TRACES rather than treating the income-tax return service as the record-keeping system. The underlying statement is submitted by the deductor; the employee or other taxpayer generally cannot rewrite it from the individual return account.
For a certificate question, keep the certificate period, deductor identity and amount at hand. If the certificate does not agree with your salary statement, invoice, rent record or other payment evidence, first determine whether the certificate is wrong or whether the underlying statement is wrong. That distinction tells you whether to correct your own return or ask the deductor for a revised statement.
Form 26AS questions
Form 26AS is the key comparison record when tax credit appears to be missing or wrong. Access may begin from an e-Filing tax-information link and hand off to the TRACES service. That hand-off does not change the division of responsibility: use the record to identify the discrepancy, then have the deductor correct its statement when the error originated there.
Compare the financial year or reporting period, deductor name, amount and other identifying details rather than looking only at the total. A credit can appear under a different period or with an incorrect identifier. Capture the relevant screen or download available from the service so you can show the deductor exactly what is absent or inconsistent.
TDS/TCS challan correction
A challan used for TDS or TCS is not handled by the e-Filing portal’s general online challan-correction facility. The Department’s FAQ directs TDS/TCS challan corrections to TRACES or to the Assessing Officer. Select the route indicated for the type and age of the challan, and retain the acknowledgement or other reference produced by the service.
Before starting, distinguish a TDS/TCS challan from an income-tax self-assessment, advance-tax or other payment. Have the challan number, payment date, amount, reporting period, major or minor head and deductor details available where requested. Entering a similar but wrong payment can create a second mismatch instead of correcting the original record.
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The e-Filing portal is the Department’s general route for income-tax returns, forms and related processing services. It also provides entry points to AIS and the Reporting Portal. Use it when the action concerns your income-tax return or a general information service rather than a correction to a TDS/TCS challan.
Income-tax returns and processing
Individuals, businesses and other taxpayers use e-Filing to submit an income-tax return and use related return-processing services. A TDS amount claimed in that return is supported by the Department’s tax-credit records; the return form is not a substitute for correcting a deductor’s statement.
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If Form 26AS already shows the correct credit but your return does not, review the tax-credit schedule and the return-processing response available in your account. Correct the return through the applicable e-Filing process. Do not ask the employer to file again merely because you typed the amount incorrectly in your own return.
AIS and Reporting Portal services
AIS, TIS, SFT and e-campaign matters have their own entry and support route. If your question concerns information displayed in AIS rather than a TDS statement or challan, start from the AIS or Reporting Portal link on e-Filing. Do not send an AIS question to a TDS-statement workflow simply because both services are reached from the same Department website.
Describe the exact information statement, transaction or field in dispute when you seek help. AIS information and Form 26AS are related tax-information sources, but they are not interchangeable records and do not use the same correction path.
Online TDS/TCS return submission by deductors
Deductors and collectors submit TDS/TCS returns online through e-Filing after completing the required registration. The Department’s sequence is important: a deductor or collector must already be registered on TRACES before registering in the e-Filing portal as a deductor or collector. Registration on e-Filing is required for online submission.
An ordinary individual taxpayer login does not, by itself, establish the deductor or collector role. Use the entity’s correct credentials and current registration instructions. If the role or registration option is missing, verify that you are not inside an individual return workflow and that the TRACES registration has been completed first.
Decision guide by user role
If you are an employee, contractor or other taxpayer whose tax was deducted
- Complete or review the income-tax return on the e-Filing portal.
- Compare the TDS credit claimed with Form 26AS. If the access link takes you from e-Filing to TRACES, follow that hand-off.
- Match the deductor name, financial year or reporting period, amount and other identifying details shown in the record with your Form 16, salary statement, invoice records or payment documents.
- If Form 26AS is correct but your return entry is wrong, correct the return data using the applicable e-Filing process.
- If Form 26AS is missing the credit or shows the deductor’s statement incorrectly, contact that employer or deductor and request a revised TDS statement. The deductor, not the taxpayer, must fix a deductor-side reporting error.
Ask the deductor to confirm whether it filed the statement, used your details correctly and needs to submit a revision. Give a precise description of the missing period and amount instead of sending only a general request to “update TDS.”
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If you are an employer, bank, tenant or other deductor or collector
- Confirm that the entity or responsible person has an active TRACES registration.
- Register as a deductor or collector on the e-Filing portal using the credentials and details required by the Department.
- Use the e-Filing TDS/TCS return workflow for online submission, selecting the reporting period and statement type shown in the current utility.
- After processing, review the statement and related records in the TDS service environment. If a taxpayer reports a missing credit, compare your filed statement with your books and payment records.
- Where your statement is wrong, file the applicable revised TDS/TCS statement through the prescribed process. Tell the affected taxpayer what was corrected and preserve the acknowledgement.
Do not assume that an e-Filing income-tax-return account alone authorizes TDS/TCS statement submission. The Department specifically requires the TRACES registration first and the deductor or collector registration on e-Filing afterward.
When investigating a complaint, compare the filed statement, payment evidence, certificate and the taxpayer’s Form 26AS view. Identify whether the error is an omitted statement, wrong amount, wrong period or wrong taxpayer detail. That classification helps you choose the proper revised-statement workflow instead of filing an unrelated return correction.
If you need a TDS/TCS challan changed
- Identify the challan as TDS/TCS rather than an income-tax self-assessment, advance-tax or other payment.
- Do not use the e-Filing portal’s general online challan-correction facility for that TDS/TCS challan; the official FAQ excludes it.
- Start with TRACES. If the applicable correction cannot be handled there, follow the Department’s direction to the Assessing Officer.
- Use the challan details exactly as recorded, including the period, amount, major or minor head and deductor information where requested.
- Save the submission reference and any communication from TRACES or the Assessing Officer.
If the correction is outside the online option shown for the challan, do not repeatedly submit an incompatible request. Use the Assessing Officer route identified by the Department and attach the payment evidence and reference generated by your earlier attempt.
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A mismatch can arise from a deductor statement, your return entry or the timing of processing. The fastest way to separate those causes is to compare the official credit record before amending anything.
Case 1: The credit is in Form 26AS, but not in your return
This is a taxpayer-side return issue. Recheck the tax-credit schedule and the identifying details you entered, then use the e-Filing correction or response option available for your return. Do not ask the deductor to revise a statement that already displays correctly in Form 26AS unless another field is demonstrably wrong.
Case 2: The credit is absent from Form 26AS
Contact the employer, bank, tenant or other deductor that withheld the tax. Ask it to verify whether the TDS statement was filed, whether your tax and identity details were reported correctly, and whether a revised statement is required. The Department’s guidance places the correction of a deductor-side error on the employer or deductor.
Send the deductor the period, amount, certificate reference and a copy of the relevant record, while protecting unrelated personal information. Keep the request and its response. If several deductors are involved, open a separate check for each one rather than treating the total shortfall as a single filing.
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Case 3: The amount or deductor details are wrong
Give the deductor the exact discrepancy and your supporting certificate or payment record. A revised statement is the mechanism for changing the reported TDS data. Keep monitoring the official record after the deductor files; a revised submission may require processing before the corrected credit appears.
Case 4: The dispute concerns AIS rather than TDS credit
Use the AIS or Reporting Portal entry and its dedicated support route. AIS information and Form 26AS are related tax-information sources but are not the same workflow. Describe the screen and field in dispute when seeking help so the support team can route the query correctly.
Case 5: The return was filed before the statement was corrected
Do not assume that changing the return first will force a missing credit into the official record. Have the deductor correct its statement, check that Form 26AS reflects the revision, and then use the return-processing option that applies to your filing. Keep both the original and revised records for your files.
The 2026 reporting-period transition
The Department’s TDS compliance FAQ describes a format transition around April 2026. Return-preparation utilities and TRACES are to support old formats for periods up to March 2026 and new formats from April 2026 onward during the transition.
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How to classify your period
- A period ending on or before March 2026 falls within the old-format window described by the Department.
- A period beginning from April 2026 may require the new format and the current utility or TRACES workflow.
- A correction filed after 1 April 2026 can still relate to an earlier period governed by the Income-tax Act, 1961. The Department says those corrections continue under the old-Act framework.
Before preparing a correction, identify the original reporting period, not merely the date you are submitting the correction. Then check the latest Department utility instructions for that period. A post-transition submission date does not automatically convert an old-period correction into a new-format statement.
For a deductor, record both dates in your internal checklist: the period to which the tax relates and the date on which the correction is being filed. For a taxpayer, quote the same period when contacting the deductor. This avoids a common confusion in which an old-period error is mistakenly prepared in a new-period format.
Common wrong turns and how to recover
Using e-Filing’s challan correction for a TDS payment
The facility is not designed for TDS/TCS challans. Stop the submission and move to TRACES or the Assessing Officer route specified by the Department. Retain the challan number and payment evidence so you do not create a second, inconsistent request.
Editing the return when the deductor’s statement is wrong
Your return cannot correct a missing deductor filing. First compare Form 26AS, then obtain a revised statement from the employer or other deductor. Amend your return only when your own return entry is the part that differs from the official credit record.
Trying to submit a TDS return without the required registrations
Complete TRACES registration before e-Filing registration as a deductor or collector. If the role or registration option is unavailable, check that you are using the entity’s correct credentials and current registration instructions rather than opening an individual taxpayer workflow.
Sending an AIS issue to a TDS support channel
AIS, TIS, SFT and e-campaign matters have a separate support route. Use the AIS or Reporting Portal entry from e-Filing and identify the information statement involved.
Assuming every menu is permanent
Portal labels, support availability and transitional utilities can change. If a named menu is missing, use the current help page for the same task and verify that you have selected the correct role, period and statement type.
Choosing a portal based only on the word “tax”
Both services concern tax, but that broad label is not enough. Ask whether the issue is a return, AIS information, a TDS statement, a credit comparison or a challan. The specific object determines the route.
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What information to have ready before contacting support
- Your PAN or entity identifier and the role under which you are acting.
- The financial year or reporting period, especially whether it is before or after the April 2026 transition.
- Form 16, the relevant payment record, challan details or the Form 26AS view showing the discrepancy.
- The deductor or collector’s name and, where available, the statement or acknowledgement reference.
- A clear description of the task: credit check, statement submission, revised statement, challan correction, AIS information or return processing.
- Any previous response, acknowledgement or error message from TRACES or e-Filing.
Describe one problem per request when possible. State what you expected, what the screen shows and what document supports your position. Avoid sending a generic message that names the wrong portal; the Department lists distinct support routes for e-Filing, AIS or Reporting Portal matters and TRACES issues.
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Use the route associated with the service that displays the problem. If a link moved you from e-Filing to TRACES, mention that hand-off and the page where the discrepancy appears. That context helps support staff identify whether the issue is account access, a statement record, a challan or AIS information.
A practical one-minute decision test
- What is your role? Taxpayer checking credit, or deductor/collector filing a statement?
- What is the action? View information, submit a TDS/TCS statement, correct a challan, or file an income-tax return?
- Which period is involved? Up to March 2026, or April 2026 onward?
- Who controls the correction? You control your return entry; the deductor controls its TDS statement; TDS/TCS challan corrections go through TRACES or the Assessing Officer.
- Which support route matches the screen? e-Filing, AIS/Reporting Portal or TRACES.
That sequence prevents the most common error: treating every tax-related service on the Department’s websites as interchangeable. It also gives you a useful explanation to provide to an employer, support desk or Assessing Officer: identify the role, object, period and record that must change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use TRACES or the Income Tax e-Filing portal for TDS?
Use TRACES for TDS statements, Form 16 or Form 26AS queries and TDS/TCS challan corrections. Use e-Filing for income-tax returns, AIS and Reporting Portal services, and for online TDS/TCS statement submission after registering as a deductor or collector.
Where do I correct a TDS challan?
The e-Filing portal’s general online challan-correction facility excludes TDS/TCS challans. Start with TRACES; if the correction is not available there, follow the Department’s direction to the Assessing Officer.
What should I do if TDS credit is missing from Form 26AS?
Contact the employer, bank, tenant or other deductor that withheld the tax. Ask it to verify the statement and file a revised TDS statement if its reporting is wrong. You cannot repair a deductor-side omission by changing your return alone.
Where does an employer file a TDS return?
A deductor or collector submits the TDS/TCS statement online through the e-Filing portal after completing the required registrations. The Department requires TRACES registration before registering as a deductor or collector on e-Filing.
What if Form 26AS is correct but my return shows a different TDS amount?
Treat it as a return-entry issue. Recheck the tax-credit schedule and use the applicable e-Filing correction or response process. Ask the deductor to revise only if the underlying statement has another demonstrable error.
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Are AIS and Form 26AS corrected in the same place?
No. AIS, TIS, SFT and e-campaign matters use the AIS or Reporting Portal entry and its dedicated support route. Form 26AS and TDS statement matters follow the TDS-related route.
Which format applies to a correction filed after April 2026?
Classify the original reporting period first. The Department says periods up to March 2026 remain in the old-format window and that corrections for periods governed by the Income-tax Act, 1961 continue under the old-Act framework even when filed after 1 April 2026. Check the current utility instructions for the period.
Do I need to buy software or a product to choose between the portals?
No product purchase is established by the Department’s routing guidance. The decision is between official online services and, where directed, the Assessing Officer. For a complex unresolved mismatch, you may seek qualified professional help, but the portal guidance does not make paid assistance mandatory.
The Bottom Line
Remember the split: e-Filing is for income-tax returns, AIS and registered deductor submissions; TRACES is for TDS records, Form 16/Form 26AS queries and TDS/TCS challan corrections. For missing credit, check Form 26AS and have the deductor file a revised statement. For a 2026 transition case, classify the original period before choosing the format.
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