ITR Filing 2026: The process of filing income tax returns (ITR) has begun. The Income Tax Department has activated the offline Excel utility. Let’s find out who can file Form ITR 1 (Sahaj), the deadline for filing, and the mistakes to avoid when filling out the form.
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ITR Filing 2026: The process of filing Income Tax Returns (ITRs) for salaried and individual taxpayers has now begun. The Income Tax Department has activated the offline Excel utility for Assessment Year (AY) 2026-27. Previously, the department had also made the online utility available on the e-filing portal. Millions of salaried individuals, pensioners, and students across the country should now begin their filing process.
What is the ITR filing deadline for non-audit taxpayers?
If you are not subject to any tax audit, the deadline for filing your ITR is July 31, 2026. Taxpayers can submit their returns ahead of time using the Income Tax Department’s official e-filing website, online, or the new offline Excel utility tools, as per their convenience.
Who can file the Sahaj form? Learn the essential requirements for ITR-1
The simplest income tax form, ITR-1 (Sahaj), is only for resident individual taxpayers whose total annual income does not exceed ₹50 lakh. For example, if your only source of income is salary, pension, a single house property, or interest on bank savings/deposits, you can file this form. Additionally, agricultural income up to ₹5,000 and limited long-term capital gains (LTCG) up to ₹1.25 lakh under Section 112A are also allowed to be included in this form, provided you do not have any previous capital losses carried forward.
Fill your ITR keeping in mind the important changes.
Taxpayers filing their tax returns for the first time need to be aware of some important changes. Chartered Accountant Abhishek Soni, co-founder of Tax2Win, told the Economic Times that only fully verified Aadhaar numbers will now be accepted for ITR filing; the old enrollment ID will no longer be valid as an Aadhaar credential. Additionally, new columns have been added to the tax form requiring loan-related information such as the loan amount, interest rate, bank name, and loan account number.
Don’t make these mistakes
He further explained that every taxpayer must provide accurate details of their active bank accounts before filing their returns. To avoid any errors, be sure to match your income details with Form 26AS and AIS. If any errors are found in these details, the department may issue a notice or delay your refund.
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