What Is the ITR PDF Password and How Can I Open My Tax Return PDF?

Try opening the PDF with Adobe Acrobat Reader and enter the password carefully. I had accidentally used lowercase letters in my PAN, which caused the password to fail.

If it still doesn't work, I'd download the ITR again from the official portal rather than using a third-party PDF tool.

I also struggled with this initially. I was using my e-Filing password, which obviously wasn't working.

Check the instructions that came with the downloaded return. If you're an individual taxpayer, the password format is usually based on your PAN and date of birth.

I had the same issue. The ITR PDF password isn't your e-Filing login password.

For my individual return, the password format involved my PAN and date of birth. Make sure you enter the details exactly as required, including the correct capitalization.

I initially kept entering my PAN in uppercase, and the document wouldn't open. After checking the instructions on the download page, I realized it had to be entered in lowercase, followed by the date of birth.

Also, make sure you're using the taxpayer's date of birth (or the date of incorporation for non-individual taxpayers) exactly as it appears in the PAN records.

If the password still doesn't work, it's worth downloading the PDF again to make sure the file wasn't corrupted during the download.

I downloaded my ITR acknowledgment a few weeks ago, and the same password format worked for me. I also noticed that most PDFs issued through the Income Tax portal follow this pattern.

One suggestion is to avoid copying and pasting the password. I typed it manually because an extra space had caused an error the first time I tried.

If you're still unable to open the file after entering the password correctly, try using another PDF reader or downloading a fresh copy from the e-filing portal.