Filing is underway for Assessment Year (AY) 2026-27, which covers income earned from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 (Financial Year 2025-26). As of 11 October 2026, the Income Tax Department lists ITR-1 through ITR-7 utilities for both online and offline filing. Choose your form and deadline according to your taxpayer type and income; filing is complete only after you verify the return.
How do I file my ITR for AY 2026-27?
- Confirm the year. Select AY 2026-27 for income earned in FY 2025-26. This is different from Tax Year 2026-27, which concerns income earned in FY 2026-27. The Income Tax Department explains the year selection in its assessment-year FAQ.
- Choose the correct return form. Check the department’s current eligibility guidance against your taxpayer type and income sources. The form utilities being available does not mean every form is suitable for every taxpayer.
- Gather and reconcile your records. Review the tax and income information relevant to your circumstances, and resolve differences before entering figures.
- Prepare the return. Use the portal’s online utility or download the applicable offline utility, then complete the schedules and fields that apply to your form.
- Review before filing. Check the assessment year, form, personal details, income, deductions, tax paid or credits, bank account details and applicable schedules.
- Submit and verify. Follow the portal’s verification instructions and retain the acknowledgement. Submission alone does not complete the process.
- Check your category’s due date. Use the applicable current official due-date table and notices; deadlines are not the same for all taxpayers.
Which ITR form should I file?
Start with the official instructions for the relevant form. Your taxpayer type and income sources matter, including whether you have business or professional income. The Income Tax Department lists ITR-1 through ITR-7 as available for AY 2026-27 through both online and offline utilities. Availability is not an eligibility decision.
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ITR-2: individuals and HUFs without business or professional income
The department’s AY 2026-27 ITR-2 guidance describes it for resident or non-resident individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) whose income is not chargeable under “Profits and Gains of Business or Profession.” Its examples include salary or pension, house property (including more than two properties), capital gains, other sources and agricultural income above ₹5,000. It says the form can be used regardless of total income and identifies company directors and holders of unlisted equity shares as required ITR-2 filers. Check the complete current criteria in the official ITR-2 guidance.
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ITR-4 is associated with presumptive taxation, but its eligibility depends on the applicable rules and the taxpayer’s circumstances. Read the department’s ITR-4 FAQs before selecting it. The FAQ also says a person with business income who wishes to opt for the old tax regime must file Form 10-IEA before the section 139(1) due date. This is form-specific guidance, not a rule for every taxpayer.
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If ITR-2 or ITR-4 does not fit, compare your circumstances with the current official instructions for ITR-1, ITR-3, ITR-5, ITR-6 or ITR-7, as applicable. If your income or entity type makes the choice uncertain, consult a qualified tax professional rather than choosing a form only because its utility is available.
What records should you prepare?
There is no single document checklist that applies to every return. Use the records relevant to your income, deductions and tax payments, and compare them with the information shown in the return and on the department portal.
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- Salary and tax deducted: Form 16 and, where relevant, Form 16A.
- Tax information: Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement (AIS). Reconcile reported credits and income with your own records, and investigate mismatches before submitting.
- Income and account records: bank statements, payslips and records for income sources or property that apply to you.
- Deductions or claims: relevant investment or premium records, housing-loan interest certificates, rent records and donation receipts, where applicable.
The department’s ITR-2 guidance names Form 16, Form 16A, Form 26AS and AIS for relevant cases. Its ITR-4 FAQs include additional examples such as bank statements and receipts. These are records to review where relevant, not documents every taxpayer must attach.
How do I file online or with the offline utility?
The department offers both routes for ITR-1 through ITR-7 for AY 2026-27. Use the official e-Filing portal to open the online service or obtain the applicable offline utility. The fields and schedules depend on the form, so follow its current instructions rather than assuming one universal screen-by-screen process.
- Online utility: prepare and submit through the portal.
- Offline utility: use the department’s utility for the relevant form, complete the return there and follow the portal’s current instructions to submit it.
Whichever route you use, review the completed return carefully before submission. Confirm that the year and form are correct, and check income, deductions, credits, bank details and the schedules relevant to your case.
What is the due date for ITR filing for AY 2026-27?
Deadlines depend on the taxpayer category and applicable filing requirements. The department’s ITR-4 FAQ gives 31 August 2026 for ITR-4. Do not assume that date applies to another form or category.
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Separately, a Department notice dated 29 September 2026 reports that Circular No. 07/2026 extended the return-filing date from 31 October 2026 to 21 November 2026, and the audit-report date from 30 September 2026 to 21 October 2026, for the persons described as the category at Sl. No. 2 in the table below Explanation 2 to section 139(1) of the Income-tax Act, 1961. These extended dates are limited to the category specified in the Department’s notice; they should not be applied to every taxpayer.
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How do I verify the return after submission?
Complete verification using an option currently available to you on the e-Filing portal. The AY 2026-27 verification form lists electronic verification by Aadhaar OTP, e-Filing account login through net banking, an Electronic Verification Code (EVC) generated using a pre-validated bank or demat account, or an EVC from a bank ATM. It also describes sending the signed ITR-V acknowledgement by post to CPC Bengaluru within 30 days. Follow the portal’s current instructions and the exact deadline applicable to your verification method. See CBDT Notification No. 51/2026.
Keep the acknowledgement and confirmation that verification succeeded with your tax records. If you choose the postal ITR-V option, ensure it is received according to the applicable instructions and time limit.
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