Form 16, ITR-V and bank statements: finding the PDF password you already have

By Aman, founder of FABX Labs · Updated 17 September 2026 · 4 min read

Tax and bank PDFs arrive locked, and each follows a different rule. ITR-V has a published format; Form 16 and bank statements are set by your employer or bank. Where to find each password, and how to save an unlocked copy safely.

Loan applications, visa files, rental agreements and income-tax replies all ask for the same documents: the ITR acknowledgement, Form 16 and bank statements. All three usually arrive as password-protected PDFs, and each follows a different rule.

Here is where each password comes from. You will need a password that was given to you. Nothing here guesses one.

ITR-V (income-tax return acknowledgement)

The ITR-V has a published format:

For example, PAN ABCDE1234F and date of birth 1 January 1990 give abcde1234f01011990.

For a firm, company or trust, use the date of incorporation or formation instead of a date of birth.
The PAN must be in small letters. Most failures are capital letters or a two-digit year.
Formats on government portals can change. If this rule stops working, the page you download the file from shows the current one.

Unlocking the acknowledgement does not verify or file your return. Verification is a separate step on the e-filing portal.

PKOpen ITR-V with PAN and date of birthThe ITR-V acknowledgement password is usually your PAN in small letters followed by your date of birth as DDMMYYYY

Form 16

Form 16 comes from your employer, and the employer chooses the password. It is often based on your PAN, but not always.

Where to find it:

The email your Form 16 came with, often at the bottom.
Your company's HR or payroll team.

There is no single public format for Form 16, so don't try variations. Ask.

Bank statements

Every bank sets its own format, and banks change them. Common patterns mix part of your name, your date of birth (as DDMM, DDMMYY or DDMMYYYY), your customer ID or account digits. Which one your bank uses is in its email or SMS, usually in a line like "your statement is password protected; the password is…".

If you can't find it:

Search your email for the statement message and read the body and footer.
Check the bank's website or ask customer care.

Type it exactly. Capital or small letters and the date format both matter.

PKOpen a bank statement with its passwordOpen a password-protected bank or credit-card statement with the password format your bank sent, and save an unlocked copy for loan, visa or tax paperwork

Saving an unlocked copy, safely

Once you know the password, you may need a copy that opens without it: for a lender's portal, a print shop, or a CA's software.

These are among the most sensitive files you have. A bank statement shows your account number, balances, salary and every payment. A tax document shows your PAN, income and employer. Don't upload them to a free "unlock PDF" website.

The PDFkey tools decrypt the file inside your browser:

The file never leaves your computer or phone.
The unlocked copy keeps its text. It stays small, and every number is still searchable.
The tool never tries passwords on its own. Each attempt uses exactly what you typed.

Keep the originals

Some of these PDFs are digitally signed. The unlocked copy looks the same but no longer carries a valid signature. Keep the original locked file for anyone who needs to verify it, and use the unlocked copy for reading, printing and uploading.

Uploading a long statement to the income-tax portal

Income-tax e-proceedings accept attachments of up to 5 MB each. A year's statement can be larger.

Split it, don't compress it. A downloaded statement is text; turning it into images makes it blurry and unsearchable.
Name the parts so the officer can follow them, for example "Annexure A, part 1 of 3".
Never compress a digitally signed PDF. Any rewrite breaks the signature.

KBIncome-tax attachments under 5 MBFit notice-reply attachments for income tax e-proceedings under the 5 MB per-file cap — keep text PDFs untouched, compress scans, or split long ledgers

For CAs and tax practitioners

You can unlock a client's statement or Form 16 if the client shared it with you along with the password. The file stays on your computer. Only open documents you are authorised to handle.

What these tools are not

PDFkey is independent. It is not affiliated with the Income Tax Department, any employer or any bank, and it never logs in anywhere. It opens files you already have, with passwords you are entitled to use.

PKUnlock any PDF with a password you knowRemove the open password or print/copy restrictions from a PDF whose password you know, and save an unlocked copy — text, pages and quality unchanged