The new financial year has started and now taxpayers want to know when they can file their Income Tax Return (ITR) for the assessment year 2025-26. However, for this, first the Income Tax Department will have to notify the ITR forms for the current assessment year.
Seven different ITR forms were notified in April last year, so it is expected that the tax department will soon make available the required forms to ensure that the income tax return filing starts this month.
CA (Dr.) Suresh Surana says that typically, these utilities are released in a phased manner starting from April, but actual filing, especially for forms like ITR-1 and ITR-2, begins only once the respective utilities are operational on the income tax portal.
Also read: Income Tax Returns FY25: Record-setting 9.19 crore ITRs filed till March 31
Most salaried employees wait for their employers to issue Form 16 to file their annual tax return, though this document is not mandatory for ITR filing. Assessees can use various other key documents available to them to determine their taxable income and exact tax liability.
According to Surana, Form 16 is an important document issued by an employer that outlines the salary paid and the tax deducted at source (TDS) during the financial year. It helps salaried taxpayers prepare and verify their Income Tax Return (ITR) accurately by consolidating income and deduction details in one place, he noted.
Which documents should be used in place of Form 16 for ITR filing?
While Form 16 greatly simplifies the return filing process, it is not mandatory for filing the ITR, says Surana. Salaried individuals can still file their returns even without it, provided they have appropriate documentation such as monthly salary slips, Form 26AS, Annual Information Statement (AIS), and Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS), he added. “It is essential, however, that taxpayers maintain proper records of their income, deductions claimed under Chapter VI-A, and any tax payments made, to ensure that the return is filed correctly and is in line with the department’s records.”
Also read: Income Tax Filing AY 2025-26: Which form should senior citizens use to file ITR?
When will the income tax return filing start?
As discussed at the beginning, although the preparation of return forms is going on,
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