TRACES — the TDS Reconciliation Analysis and Correction Enabling System — is the Income Tax Department’s portal for everything related to tax deducted and collected at source. Deductors log in at tdscpc.gov.in with their TAN to download Form 16/16A and fix TDS defaults; taxpayers log in with their PAN to view tax credits and download Form 16B. The address www.tdscpc.gov.in automatically redirects to traces.tdscpc.gov.in — both take you to the same portal.
What TRACES Is and Who Uses It
Whenever an employer, bank, tenant or company deducts TDS and deposits it with the government, that transaction flows into TRACES. The portal reconciles what the deductor reported in quarterly TDS statements against the tax actually deposited, and exposes the results to both sides.
Three kinds of users register on TRACES:
- Deductors — anyone holding a TAN who deducts TDS (employers, companies, banks, individuals deducting on property rent). They file corrections, download TDS certificates and respond to defaults.
- Taxpayers — PAN holders whose tax has been deducted. They can view tax-credit details and download Form 16B/26QB-related certificates.
- PAO (Pay and Accounts Officers) — government offices that report TDS through book adjustment.
One practical note: for simply *viewing* your Form 26AS, most people today use the income-tax e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in → e-File → Income Tax Returns → View Form 26AS), which hands you over to TRACES after consent. Direct TRACES taxpayer registration is mainly needed for Form 16B downloads after a property purchase.
TRACES Registration: Deductor
You cannot log in until you register. For a deductor:
- Go to traces.tdscpc.gov.in and click Register as New User → Deductor.
- Enter your TAN and the verification code.
- Validate using details of a TDS statement you have already filed — token (acknowledgement) number of a regular statement, challan details (BSR code, date, challan serial, amount) and PAN-amount combinations from that statement. A brand-new TAN that has never filed a statement can register using the challan paid.
- Set your user ID, password and security question, and enter the authorised person’s details.
- Confirm the activation link and codes sent to your registered email and mobile within 48 hours.
TRACES Registration: Taxpayer
- On the same page choose Register as New User → Taxpayer.
- Enter PAN, date of birth and name as per PAN.
- Validate with either (a) details of TDS deducted on your PAN (TAN of deductor, amount, financial year), (b) a challan you paid, or (c) Form 26QB details if you bought property.
- Create the login and activate via the email/mobile codes.
How to Log In
- Open traces.tdscpc.gov.in and click Login.
- Enter your user ID — for deductors this is the ID created at registration (used along with TAN), for taxpayers it is your PAN.
- Enter the password and the captcha, and sign in.
- Deductors see a dashboard with statement status, defaults and downloads; taxpayers see tax-credit views and Form 16B requests.
The portal shows a landing choice for deductor, taxpayer and PAO logins — pick the right role, because a PAN typed into the deductor login will simply fail.
Downloading Form 26AS, Form 16 and Form 16A
Form 26AS (taxpayer) — after login, open the tax-credit view (Form 26AS) option, choose the assessment year and format, and view or download. The same statement is reachable from the e-filing portal without a separate TRACES registration.
Form 16 / 16A (deductor) — these TDS certificates can only be generated from TRACES; a certificate typed up manually is not valid.
- Log in as deductor and go to Downloads → Form 16 (annual, salary) or Form 16A (quarterly, non-salary).
- Select the financial year/quarter. The request is accepted only after the relevant TDS statement is processed without major defaults.
- Authenticate with a KYC validation (details of the statement or DSC).
- The file lands in Requested Downloads — download the zip and the TRACES PDF generation utility, and convert the text file into signed PDF certificates. The zip password is your TAN in capital letters.
Form 16B (taxpayer/buyer) — after paying TDS on a property purchase via Form 26QB, register on TRACES as a taxpayer, request Form 16B under Downloads, and hand the certificate to the seller.
Common TRACES Login Errors and Fixes
- “Invalid details” at registration — the statement/challan data you entered does not match TRACES records exactly. Copy figures from the filed statement or challan counterfoil; even a one-rupee mismatch fails validation.
- Account locked — several wrong password attempts lock the login for a few hours. Wait, then use Forgot Password rather than guessing again.
- Activation link expired — registration lapses if not activated within 48 hours; register afresh.
- “User ID not available for this TAN” — the TAN is already registered, usually by a previous accountant or consultant. Use Forgot User ID / Forgot Password with the TAN details to recover it instead of re-registering.
- Site not opening — TRACES has separate infrastructure for users outside India; NRIs should use the NRI services link on the portal.
- Certificate/browser errors — clear the cache or try another browser; the portal works best on updated Chrome/Edge.
Fees and Timelines
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Registration and login | Free for deductors, taxpayers and PAOs |
| Form 16/16A availability | After the quarterly TDS statement is processed (typically within days of processing) |
| Form 16 due to employees | By 15 June following the financial year |
| Form 16A due | Within 15 days of the quarterly statement due date |
| Form 16B due (property TDS) | Within 15 days of filing Form 26QB |
| Download file password | TAN in capitals (deductor zip files) |
| Account activation window | 48 hours from registration |
TDS on your PAN should always reconcile with what you claim in your return — mismatches trigger notices. If you also deal with indirect taxes, our guide to the GST portal login covers the equivalent workflows on the GST side, and DigiLocker is a safe place to keep your PAN and tax documents.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the TRACES portal used for?
TRACES (tdscpc.gov.in) is the Income Tax Department’s TDS portal. Deductors use it to download Form 16/16A, view and fix TDS defaults, and file correction statements; taxpayers use it to view tax credits (Form 26AS) and download Form 16B after property purchases.
Is TRACES login the same as income tax e-filing login?
No. TRACES (traces.tdscpc.gov.in) and the e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in) are separate systems with separate registrations. The e-filing portal does let you view Form 26AS through TRACES without registering on TRACES separately.
Can I download Form 16 as an employee from TRACES?
No. Only the deductor (your employer) can generate Form 16 from TRACES and must give it to you by 15 June after the financial year. As an employee you can verify the same figures in your Form 26AS or AIS.
What do I do if my TRACES account is locked?
Wait for the lock to lift (a few hours), then reset the password using Forgot Password with your TAN/PAN validation details. Repeated wrong attempts extend the lock.
Why does TRACES say my registration details are invalid?
The portal validates you against filed TDS statements or challans, and every field must match exactly — token number, BSR code, challan serial, date and amounts. Pull the figures from the filed statement acknowledgement or the bank challan counterfoil rather than from memory.
What is the password for opening TRACES downloaded files?
For deductor downloads (Form 16/16A zip files), the password is the TAN in capital letters. The PDFs generated through the TRACES utility for employees typically open with the PAN in lowercase plus date of birth, where a password applies.
Who needs a PAO registration on TRACES?
Only government Pay and Accounts Officers who report TDS via book-entry adjustment (Form 24G) need the PAO login. Regular businesses and individuals never use this category.
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