How to merge Form 16 Part A and Part B into one PDF
Open Merge, add Part A and then Part B, check the order and press Merge into one file. If either part is locked, type its password in the box under it first.
MergeFree. Nothing is uploaded.
How to do it
- Open Merge and add Form 16 Part A, then Part B, and any annexure such as Form 12BA.
- Drag them into order if they came in the wrong one: Part A first.
- Type the password of any locked part in the box under it and tap Unlock.
- Press Merge into one file and check the page count in the result line.
- Save the merged PDF, or tap Then to compress it for an upload limit.
What the two parts are
Form 16 is the certificate of tax deducted from your salary, and your employer issues it in two parts. Part A is generated through the income tax department’s TRACES system: it carries your employer’s TAN, your PAN, and the tax deducted and deposited each quarter. Part B is the working: your salary, the exemptions and deductions, and the tax worked out on them. Some employers add Form 12BA, a statement of perquisites, when the salary included any.
Many employers send the parts as separate PDFs, and many offices that ask for Form 16 want one file. Check first, though: some employers already send both parts in a single PDF, and then there is nothing to merge.
Which order, and why it matters
Part A first, then Part B, then any annexure. That is the order the form itself follows, and the order a bank officer or an accountant expects to read. Merge joins whole files end to end in the order of the list on the page, top to bottom, so check the list before you press the button; a phone often lists files by name, which can put Part B first.
If you changed jobs during the year, you have a Form 16 from each employer for the months you worked there. Keep each employer’s parts together, earlier job first. The merged file keeps any bookmarks the parts carried; to add your own, such as Part A and Part B for each employer, open the result in Bookmarks.
Locked parts and signatures
Some employers lock Form 16 with a password. It is set by the employer, not by the tax department, so it differs from company to company; the email or the payroll portal that delivered it usually says what it is. Type it in the box under the file and tap Unlock. The merged file comes out with no password, because two parts could carry two different ones. If you want it locked, take the result to Add a password.
Form 16 is often digitally signed by the employer. A merged copy is a new file, so a PDF reader will not show that signature as valid inside it. That is fine for most uses. Where someone verifies the employer’s signature, give them the original files as they came.
Where the merged file goes
You do not attach Form 16 when you file your return on the income tax site: you use it to fill the return in, and keep it as your record. The places that ask for it are usually a bank for a loan, a new employer, a visa file or your accountant, sometimes through a portal with a size limit. Typed Form 16 PDFs are usually small, but scanned or signed copies can be large: tap Then and choose Compress with To a size, or see compress a PDF to 1 MB.
A worked example
Arun changed jobs in October. He has Part A and Part B from his first employer, and Part A, Part B and a Form 12BA from the second: five PDFs, and the second employer’s are locked with a password its email gave him. He opens Merge, adds all five, and drags them into order: first employer’s Part A and Part B, then the second employer’s Part A, Part B and Form 12BA. He types the password under each locked file and taps Unlock, presses Merge into one file, and checks that the page count in the result line is the five files’ pages added together.
Before sending it to his home loan officer, he compares the tax deducted in each Part A with his Form 26AS on the income tax site. They should agree; if they do not, the employer is the one to ask.
Common mistakes
Sending last year’s Part A with this year’s Part B: check the assessment year printed on each part before merging. Compressing the parts one by one and then merging, which spends the size limit twice; merge first, then compress the merged file once. And merging a photo of a printed Form 16: if you only have paper, photograph each page with Scan first, so the pages come out straight and readable.
Questions people ask
Is my Form 16 uploaded anywhere?
No. The parts are joined in your browser, on your device, and nothing is sent to us or anyone else. That matters for a document carrying your PAN and salary.
Do I need to merge Form 16 to file my income tax return?
No. The return is filed without attaching Form 16. Merging helps when a bank, employer or accountant wants it as one file.
What is the password on my Form 16?
Your employer sets it, so it differs between companies. The email or payroll portal that sent it normally says; if not, ask HR.
Can I merge on my phone?
Yes. Add the parts from your phone’s files, put them in order, and use Send to pass the merged PDF to WhatsApp or email.
Can I take out a page I do not need?
Yes. Tap Then, choose Extract or remove pages, and remove it by its page number.
Your file stays on your device. Foolscap does the work inside your browser, so nothing is uploaded and there is nothing for anyone to keep. How you can check