ITR-V and Income Tax PDF Passwords: Formats Explained
The ITR-V acknowledgement and the Annual Information Statement (AIS) both open with your PAN in lowercase followed by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, with no spaces. Form 26AS from TRACES is different: per the TRACES FAQ, it opens with just your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, without your PAN at all.
FixDoks is an independent website and is not affiliated with any government body, exam board or recruitment agency. Requirements change, so always confirm them in the latest official notification.
The ITR-V acknowledgement PDF and the Annual Information Statement (AIS) PDF both open with a password made from your PAN in lowercase, followed immediately by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, with no spaces. Form 26AS downloaded from TRACES is different: its official FAQ states the password is just your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, with no PAN included at all. Using the wrong pattern for the wrong document is the single most common reason these PDFs refuse to open.
Why these two patterns get mixed up so often
ITR-V, AIS and Form 26AS are all income tax documents, downloaded from portals that feel similar, so it is natural to assume they share one password format. In practice, the e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in) uses the PAN-plus-DOB pattern for ITR-V and AIS, while the separate TRACES portal, which handles Form 26AS and TDS certificates, has its own FAQ stating that the Form 26AS password is the date of birth alone. If you try the PAN-plus-DOB pattern on Form 26AS, it will fail even when typed perfectly.
| Document | Portal | Password format | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ITR-V (acknowledgement) | incometax.gov.in (e-filing) | PAN (lowercase) + DOB (DDMMYYYY) | abcde1234f15081990 |
| Annual Information Statement (AIS) | incometax.gov.in (e-filing/AIS portal) | PAN (lowercase) + DOB (DDMMYYYY) | abcde1234f15081990 |
| Form 26AS | TRACES | DOB only (DDMMYYYY), no PAN | 15081990 |
Source: TRACES taxpayer FAQ on Form 26AS (Q8, checked September 2026) for the 26AS password. The ITR-V and AIS pattern is the one the e-filing portal uses at the time of writing; we could not open an official FAQ page stating it in September 2026, so if it fails, read the password note shown next to the download link.
If a password still will not open your file, or you need to remove the password entirely for easier sharing, use the PDF unlocker once you know the file's real password.
Unlock PDF
Same settings as the full tool page.
Files are uploaded over HTTPS, processed and deleted from our server straight after. Open the full Unlock PDF page
Step-by-step: opening each file correctly
- Check which document you actually have (ITR-V, AIS or 26AS) from the file name or where you downloaded it.
- For ITR-V or AIS, type your 10-character PAN in lowercase letters, with no space, immediately followed by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format.
- For Form 26AS, type only your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, without your PAN.
- Double-check the date format: two digits for day, two for month, four for year, no slashes or dashes.
- If the company or non-individual taxpayer filed the return, use the date of incorporation or formation instead of a personal date of birth, where that applies.
If a password still fails after you are sure the format is right, check for a typo in your own PAN or date of birth as recorded with the department; a wrong digit in either one will make every attempt fail, no matter how carefully you type the pattern.
What if you still cannot open the file
Try copying and pasting the PAN from an official document rather than typing it, since characters like 0 (zero) and O (letter) or 1 (one) and I (letter) are easy to mix up when typing from memory. If the file came as an email attachment, check whether the email itself states a specific password format for that particular communication, since some department notices use a different, one-off password scheme rather than the general PAN-plus-DOB rule. As a general rule for any income tax PDF, if the file was clearly sent by the department but no password given here works, it is safer to contact the relevant helpline than to try many random guesses.
Why the ITR-V matters even after e-verification
If you have already e-verified your return through Aadhaar OTP, net banking or another electronic method, you technically do not need to send a physical ITR-V anywhere, but many people still download and keep the PDF as a record of successful filing. Employers, visa processing agents and loan officers sometimes ask for the ITR-V acknowledgement as proof of income, which is when the password suddenly matters again, often long after the original filing is forgotten. Keeping a note of your own PAN and date of birth in a safe place, or simply remembering the pattern described here, saves a scramble later when someone asks for this document on short notice.
Downloading these files in the first place
You can download the ITR-V from the e-filing portal under the returns filed section for the relevant assessment year, download AIS from its own tile on the e-filing dashboard, and download Form 26AS by logging into TRACES directly or through the link the e-filing portal provides. All three downloads land as password-protected PDFs by design, since they contain personal financial information, so expect the password step every time, not just on your very first download.
Common mistakes with income tax PDF passwords
- Using capital letters for the PAN instead of lowercase for ITR-V and AIS.
- Adding your PAN to the Form 26AS password, when TRACES states it should be date of birth alone.
- Writing the date with slashes or dashes instead of eight plain digits.
- Using the wrong date entirely, such as the date you downloaded the file instead of your actual date of birth.
This is general information based on the TRACES FAQ and the e-filing portal's download instructions at the time of writing; password rules can be updated, so check the current instructions on the download screen if a password does not work as described here. For other bank or financial document passwords, see the e-Aadhaar PDF password guide and the e-PAN PDF password guide.
Tools for this
Frequently asked questions
What is the password to open my ITR-V PDF?
Your PAN in lowercase letters, followed immediately by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, with no spaces. For example, PAN ABCDE1234F with date of birth 15 August 1990 gives the password abcde1234f15081990.
Is the Form 26AS password the same as the ITR-V password?
No. Per the TRACES taxpayer FAQ, Form 26AS opens with just your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, without your PAN. Many people mistakenly try the PAN-plus-DOB pattern used for ITR-V and AIS, which does not work for 26AS.
What password opens the Annual Information Statement (AIS) PDF?
The same pattern as ITR-V: your PAN in lowercase followed by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, with no spaces, as used by the e-filing portal at the time of writing. If it fails, check the password note shown with the download.
What if the taxpayer is a company, not an individual?
For non-individual taxpayers, use the date of incorporation or formation in place of a personal date of birth, in the same DDMMYYYY format, alongside the entity's PAN where the pattern calls for it.
Can I remove the password from these PDFs permanently?
Yes, once you know the correct password and can open the file, a PDF unlocker tool can save a new copy without the password, which is useful if you need to share the file without giving out the password pattern.
Sources
- TRACES, Taxpayer FAQ: Form 26AS / Annual Tax Statement (Q8: password is date of birth in DDMMYYYY) (checked 2026-09)
- Income Tax Department, FAQs on Annual Information Statement (AIS) (checked 2026-09)
Rules and limits change. Always check the latest official notification or portal before you submit a form.