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To file an Indian income tax return online in 2026 for income earned in FY 2025–26, sign in to the Income Tax Department’s e-Filing portal, choose Assessment Year (AY) 2026–27, select the correct ITR form, review your tax details, submit the return and verify it promptly. AY 2026–27 is the assessment year for FY 2025–26; it is not Tax Year 2026–27. The department says these returns use the applicable forms under the Income Tax Act, 1961.
Before you start: confirm the assessment year and gather relevant records
This guide is for a return covering income earned from 1 April 2025 through 31 March 2026 (FY 2025–26), filed for AY 2026–27. Have your e-Filing portal user ID and password ready. Depending on your income, useful records may include salary or pension details, interest statements, investment and capital-gains information, deduction details, and tax-payment information. The documents required vary by form and taxpayer; after you select a form, use the document list displayed by the portal and compare its pre-filled information with your own records.
Choose the ITR form that matches your income and status
There is no single ITR form for every taxpayer. Your form depends on factors including taxpayer status and income sources. The Income Tax Department’s ITR-2 FAQ says ITR-2 is for individuals (resident or non-resident) and Hindu undivided families (HUFs) without income chargeable under “Profits and Gains of Business or Profession.” It covers, among other sources, salary or pension, house property, capital gains and other sources. The FAQ also identifies circumstances such as being a company director or holding unlisted equity shares that can require ITR-2.
The department’s ITR-4 FAQ describes a narrower option for eligible resident individuals, HUFs and firms other than LLPs, including those with presumptive business or professional income and total income not exceeding ₹50 lakh. The FAQ lists exclusions and says ITR-4 allows up to two house properties for AY 2026–27. These examples are not a complete form-selection guide. If you are uncertain, use the portal’s form helper or consult a qualified tax professional.
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File online through the e-Filing portal
- Sign in to the Income Tax e-Filing portal with your user ID and password.
- Open e-File → Income Tax Returns → File Income Tax Return.
- Select Assessment Year 2026–27, choose Online as the filing mode, and continue.
- Select your taxpayer status. Choose Start New Filing for a new return or Resume Filing to continue a saved one.
- Choose the ITR form that applies to you. If you are unsure, select Help me decide which ITR Form to file and answer the portal’s questions.
- Review the form-specific document list and the pre-filled information. Correct errors and enter the remaining income, deduction and other required details. Confirm each section as you complete it.
- Review the tax computation and payment details. If tax is due, the department’s ITR-1 filing manual recommends choosing Pay Now. The manual cautions that choosing Pay Later when tax remains payable may result in interest and being treated as an assessee in default.
- Submit the return, then complete verification. Save the acknowledgement and check the filing status after verification.
Portal labels can change; follow the current prompts if the wording differs. The department also publishes an offline utility for ITR-1 through ITR-4 for those who prefer preparing a return outside the online form flow.
Check your tax regime and liability before submitting
The department’s AY 2026–27 ITR-1 manual says the new tax regime is the default. Compare the regimes using your own eligible income and deductions rather than assuming one is better for every taxpayer. The department’s ITR-2 manual says that a filer choosing the old regime must opt out of the default. For income from business or profession, it says the taxpayer must exercise the option in Form 10-IEA by the section 139(1) due date.
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- Large capacity: This tax document organizer has 13 pockets, each holding about 40 sheets of paper, it can be flexibly expanded and shrunk as the number of files increases, holding a total of about 500 sheets of paper, ideal for organizing and protecting important documents, paperwork, bills, tax records, receipts, invoices and more
- Pre Printed Labels and Customizable labels: these pre printed label stickers have common tax categories, such as Medical Expenses, Employment Income, Rental Income, and more, we also included alphabet labels and customizable labels for your personal uses, please note that the customizable labels do not come with adhesive
- Broad uses: this expandable file folder organizer is proper for organizing various financial and tax related documents, with strippable labels and divider labels for sorting, making your tax preparation more systematic and managed, ideal for annual tax returns, document storage and filing, professional tax services, and tax agencies
Before submission, check that the income figures, deductions, tax credits and tax payments shown in the computation match your records. If the calculation shows tax payable, settle it and follow the portal’s instructions before filing.
Verify the return and keep the acknowledgement
Submission alone does not complete the process: verify the return promptly. The department’s AY 2026–27 ITR-1 manual describes e-verification and sending a signed ITR-V by post as verification routes. It gives a 30-day verification period, based on Notification No. 2 of 2024. If verification or ITR-V submission happens after 30 days, the manual says the verification date is treated as the filing date and late-filing consequences may follow; it also says a return not verified within the specified period is invalid. Keep the acknowledgement and confirm that the portal shows the return as verified.
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Check the deadline that applies to your category
Deadlines depend on the taxpayer’s statutory category, so do not assume an extension for one group applies to everyone. As of 7 October 2026, the Income Tax Department’s AY 2026–27 FAQ lists 31 December 2026, or completion of assessment if earlier, as the deadline for a belated return. The same FAQ lists a section 234F late-filing fee of ₹1,000 where total income does not exceed ₹5,00,000 and ₹5,000 in other cases.
A separate department update dated 29 September 2026 says Circular No. 07/2026 extended the due date from 31 October 2026 to 21 November 2026 for persons in a specified statutory category; it also extended the associated audit-report date from 30 September to 21 October 2026. This is not a general extension for all filers. Check the latest department notice and confirm which category applies to you, especially if your ordinary due date has passed.
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- Comprehensive Tax Package Inclusions: The pack includes 1 all in one income tax organizer, 1 sheet of tax category pre printed label sticker, 1 common tax category list, 12 alphabet labels, giving you everything you need for tax preparation
- Build to last: Our tax record organizer is mainly made of plastic, waterproof, tear resistant, and resistant to deformation, while maintaining flexibility, secure button closure design facilitates access and placement of documents while ensuring safe placement of documents, and the closed bottom keeps the file in place
- Large capacity: This tax document organizer has 13 pockets, each holding about 40 sheets of paper, it can be flexibly expanded and shrunk as the number of files increases, holding a total of about 500 sheets of paper, ideal for organizing and protecting important documents, paperwork, bills, tax records, receipts, invoices and more
- Pre Printed Labels and Customizable labels: these pre printed label stickers have common tax categories, such as Medical Expenses, Employment Income, Rental Income, and more, we also included alphabet labels and customizable labels for your personal uses, please note that the customizable labels do not come with adhesive
- Broad uses: this expandable file folder organizer is proper for organizing various financial and tax related documents, with strippable labels and divider labels for sorting, making your tax preparation more systematic and managed, ideal for annual tax returns, document storage and filing, professional tax services, and tax agencies
Sources: the Income Tax Department’s ITR-1 manual, ITR-2 manual, AY 2026–27 filing guidance, ITR-2 FAQ, ITR-4 FAQ, and return utility download page.
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