What Is Form 16 And How Do You Get It?

When you sit down to file your income tax return (ITR), Form 16 is usually the first document you look for. It summarises your entire year’s salary, exemptions, deductions and the tax already deducted by your employer. If any figure in the Form 16 is incorrect or missing, you potentially risk a notice or a mismatch with Form 26AS or AIS (Annual Information Statement), even if you had paid all your taxes. Thus, understanding what Form 16 contains, how to access it, and how its password protection works may give you control over your salary information instead of depending entirely on your tax consultant or HR.

Table of contents

• What is Form 16
• Form 16 Part A
• Form 16 Part B
• What is Form 16 password
• Form 16 password explained with an example
• Why is the Form 16 PDF password protected?
• How to remove the Form 16 password

What is Form 16

Form 16 is a TDS certificate that your employer issues to you for each financial year. It shows the salary they paid you, and the tax deducted at source (TDS) and deposited with the government on your behalf. It is usually used as a primary proof of tax already paid while filing your income tax return.

You may receive Form 16 as a PDF by email or through your company’s HR portal. The form is based on the details uploaded to the income tax department’s TRACES system, so it directly links to the TDS entries that appear in your Form 26AS.

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Form 16 Part A

Section A is the TDS certificate portion. It contains your personal details such as your name, address, PAN (Permanent Account Number) and the employer’s TAN (Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number), PAN and address. You also see the period of employment with that employer for the year.

The most important part of Section A is the quarterly breakup of tax deducted and deposited. You see which challan was used and when the employer deposited the TDS with the government. When you cross-check with Form 26AS, these entries must match. If the TDS shown in Section A does not appear in Form 26AS, you are advised to raise it with your employer immediately, because the department prioritises the 26AS data more than what is claimed in the return.

Form 16 Part B

Section B looks more like a detailed salary and tax working sheet. It starts with your gross salary, including basic pay, allowances, bonuses and perquisites. From this, your employer subtracts eligible exemptions such as HRA, leave travel allowance, as well as deductions like the standard deduction under section 16.

Next, Section B lists the deductions you claim under Chapter VI-A, such as investments under section 80C, health insurance premiums under section 80D and other eligible items. After subtracting these, it shows your taxable income, the tax calculated on that income according to the slab rates and the education cess. Finally, it reconciles this computed tax with the actual TDS deducted and shows whether there is any shortfall or excess.

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What is Form 16 password

Most employers now issue Form 16 as a password-protected PDF. The password is a combination of your personal details, usually designed to be unique to you. Usually, the password follows the TRACES format, which is first five characters of your PAN (usually uppercase) followed by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format. Some employers use variations such as PAN plus date of joining or employee ID plus date of birth.

The idea is to ensure only you, knowing your details, are able to open the file. If you forward that Form 16, the recipient will still need the password, reducing the risk of unauthorised access to your salary data.

Form 16 password explained with an example

Assume your name is Rohan Sharma, your PAN is ABCDE1234F and your date of birth is September 7, 1992. If your employer uses the standard TRACES pattern, your Form 16 password will be ABCDE07091992. You will type the first five letter of your PAN in full capitals, immediately followed by the eight-digit date of birth without any spaces, slashes or hyphens.

Example for illustrative purposes only.

If your employer uses a different rule, they usually mention it in the email that carries the attachment. For instance, the password could be your employee code plus your date of birth or your PAN plus your date of joining. Whenever you are not able to open the file, it is recommended to carefully re-read the email for the exact password rule.

Why is the Form 16 PDF password protected?

Form 16 reveals almost everything about your financial life at work, including your annual salary, bonuses and tax-saving investments. If someone gains access to it without your permission, they get more information about you than you might want to share. To reduce this risk, employers use password protection on the PDF.

Password protection also helps when mails get forwarded or if your inbox is compromised. Even if someone downloads the file, they still need the correct password to see the contents. From a compliance point of view, this shows that the employer took reasonable steps to protect employee data, which is increasingly important under data-privacy norms and internal security policies.

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How to remove the Form 16 password

Sometimes you might prefer to store or print a copy of Form 16 without a password, especially if you are uploading it to tax filing software that struggles with encrypted files. Once you open the Form 16 PDF using the correct password, you usually have two options.

One, you can print it and keep a physical copy in a secure folder. Two, if your PDF reader allows it, you can use the “Save As” or “Print to PDF” option to create a new PDF that is not password protected. You are advised to do this on your personal device and not on shared systems. An unprotected PDF might be easy to misuse, so it is recommended to store it in a safe location and avoid emailing it casually.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will Form 16 be generated?

Your employer typically generates Form 16 after the end of the financial year, once they have finalised all salary and TDS details. If you change jobs during the year, each employer issues their own Form 16 for the period you worked there.

How to open password protected Form 16?

First, check the email from HR or payroll for the password pattern. Enter the password exactly in the format specified by your employer — commonly a PAN-and-DOB combination such as first five PAN characters plus your date of birth in the DDMMYYYY format. If it still does not open, confirm your PAN and date records with HR, since even a small mistake in the department’s data could stop the file from opening.

How do I open a password protected income tax return PDF?

The income tax department often uses a similar rule for password protecting ITR acknowledgements. In most cases, the password for ITR PDFs is your PAN in lowercase followed by your date of birth or date of incorporation in DDMMYYYY format. Use a reliable PDF reader, type the password carefully without spaces, and ensure the CAPS LOCK setting matches what is required.

What is a password protected PDF?

A password protected PDF is a document that needs a password before it opens or allows printing or editing. The content is encrypted, so someone who gets the file may not be able to read it without the correct password. This is a simple but effective way to secure sensitive documents such as Form 16, salary slips, bank statements and tax acknowledgements.

What is the password for Form 16?

There is no single universal password for all Form 16 files. Common formats include the first five letters of your PAN (usually uppercase) plus your date of birth, but many employers may tweak this pattern. Your exact password is specified by your employer in the communication that includes the Form 16 PDF, so you are advised to refer to that message rather than relying on guesswork.