Is My Form-16 Valid Without a TAN Number? Seeking Advice on Verification Concerns

Dear Sir, first of all, I want to say thank you for giving your precious time to guide me. I am working in a start-up company that began as a proprietorship in 2011 and then registered as a Private Limited company in 2013. As my salary was low, I did not fall under the tax slab. However, I requested Form-16 for the years 2012-13 and 2013-14 from my company, and they have provided it to me. I have also received the ITR-V from the Income Tax department.

Form-16 Verification Concerns

My question is regarding the Form-16 provided. It does not mention the TAN number, and the format seems different. Some companies (including MNCs) and banks require Form-16 for verification purposes. If I provide them with this form, will they accept it?

Queries Regarding Form-16

My doubts are as follows:

1. Is this Form-16 acceptable?
2. Should I request our company's Chartered Accountant to include the TAN number in both Form-16s?
3. Do I need to obtain any other documents from them?

Thank you for your assistance in clarifying these queries.

To the best of my knowledge, the company is under no obligation to give you a Form 16 when there is no tax deduction from your salary. Further, it is no longer possible for a company to generate Form 16 (now required to be printed directly from the income tax website) for those from whose salary they have not deducted the tax. So, they must have made it in Excel, and the format may be different.

You can always ask, but I suspect the company will be annoyed, and your boss will suspect you are looking for a job and may turn hostile towards you. In a new company, you can always say that you do not have Form 16 as your salary was below the taxable limit.

Thank you very much for your reply, @Saswatabanerjee. If I ask them to mention the TAN number on my Form-16, will it be possible to include the TAN number on the Form-16 that has already been given to me? I have attended some interviews, and after getting selected, they are asking for Form-16, even mentioning that my salary is below the taxable threshold. If I give them this Form-16, will they accept it?

As I said before, since this is done in Excel, anything is possible. However, whether your current employer will be willing to make a change is another question. Regarding interviews, if the interviewer is unaware that you can't get a Form 16 when the salary is below taxable limits, then there is nothing you can do. For that matter, you can create another one in Excel and put a seal on it; who will know the difference? But if they send a copy to the company during background verification and are informed it was not issued to you, you could be in significant trouble. You can always suggest to your new company that you will show them your bank statement, which has the entry for the salary receipt (assuming you are paid by check, not cash). In the end, it's the HR person's decision to accept or not accept. You can't force them since it's their call whether to believe your salary was at this level.