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Form 16 password: format and how to open the PDF

By the Fusion Office team · Updated

Quick answer

A Form 16 generated through the TRACES portal is protected with the first five characters of your PAN in capital letters followed by your date of birth as DDMMYYYY. For PAN ABCDE1234F and a birthday of 5 March 1992, the password is ABCDE05031992. If that fails, your employer may have used its own password; check the email it came with.

The password format

  • First five characters of your PAN, in capitals: ABCDE.
  • Then your date of birth as eight digits, DDMMYYYY: 05031992.
  • Together, with no spaces: ABCDE05031992.

The same format applies to Form 16A, the TDS certificate for income other than salary.

If it doesn't open

  • Some employers send Form 16 from their own payroll software with a different password, such as your employee code. The email usually says what it is.
  • Try the PAN letters in lowercase: some readers report it working that way.
  • Use the date of birth recorded with the income tax department.

Save a copy without the password

  1. 1Open Unlock PDF and choose the Form 16 file.
  2. 2Enter the password and press Unlock PDF.
  3. 3Download the copy. It now opens without a password, which is convenient for filing or sharing with your CA.

Many employers send Part A and Part B as separate PDFs. After unlocking both, Merge PDF combines them into one Form 16. When you email it, you can add a password of your own with Protect PDF.

Unlocking happens in your browser; your Form 16 isn't uploaded anywhere.

Form 16 under the new Income-tax Act

Under the Income-tax Act, 2025 and the Income-tax Rules, 2026, the salary TDS certificate has been renumbered as Form 130 from 1 April 2026. Certificates for earlier years are still issued as Form 16.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Form 16 password case-sensitive?

Yes. TRACES uses the PAN letters in capitals; if that fails, try lowercase, as some employers' files differ.

What is the Form 16A password?

The same as Form 16: the first five characters of your PAN followed by your date of birth as DDMMYYYY.