With just 15 days to go for the income tax return (ITR) filing due date, the Income Tax Department website shows that around 4.18 crore ITRs have been filed as of August 31. Of them, 3.98 crore returns have been verified and 2.74 crore verified ITRs have been processed.
Regarding the process of ITR filing, people often believe that it is necessary to take the help of a chartered accountant (CA) for this. But the truth is that if your income and transactions are not too complex, then you can file ITR yourself in just 30 minutes sitting at home. Especially for individuals who have neither business income nor complex investments, filing the ITR online is quite easy.
What is ITR filing deadline for AY 2025-26?
For the financial year 2024-25 (assessment year 2025-26), the government has extended the deadline for filing ITR from 31st July to 15th September 2025. That is, taxpayers got an additional time of 46 days to fulfil their tax return-filing obligation. If the return is not filed by this due date, late fees and penalty may be imposed.
Who can file ITR on their own?
If you are a salaried person and have Form 16 issued by your employer, then you do not need a CA. In such cases, you can file your return by filling ITR Form-1 (Sahaj). This form is designed for salaried employees, pensioners and ordinary income earners.
However, people who have business income, capital gains, international transactions or various exemptions/deductions have to use other forms of ITR (such as ITR-3, ITR-4, ITR-5 etc). In such a situation, it is safe to take the help of a chartered accountant or tax consultant, because providing incorrect information can lead to rejection of the return and not filing the correct return on time can also lead to a penalty.
How many types of ITR forms are there?
At present, the Income Tax Department has provided a total of 7 types of ITR forms.
ITR-1 (Sahaj): For salaried, pensioners and those with normal income
ITR-2: Those whose income comes from salary, property or capital gains
ITR-3: For those with business or professional income
ITR-4 (Sugam): For small businesses and professionals
ITR-5, ITR-6 and ITR-7: For companies, trusts and institutions
That is, the simpler your income and investments, the easier it will be to fill your ITR.
Easy way to file ITR in just 30 minutes
If you are filling ITR-1 form and you have Form 16 ready, then follow these steps:
-Go to the official website
-Login to the http://www.incometax.gov.in portal. Here you have to enter your user ID (PAN) and password.
-Select e-File option
-Click on e-File → Income Tax Returns → File Income Tax Return in the menu.
-Select Assessment Year
-Select Assessment Year 2025-26 for FY 2024-25.
-Select ITR Form
-Select ITR-1 form for ordinary salaried employee.
-Check pre-filled data
-Your PAN, salary, TDS and bank details will be pre-filled on the portal. Check them carefully and make changes if needed.
-Enter details with the help of Form 16
-Fill in the income and TDS details from your Form 16. This is the most important step and does not take much time.
Verification and submission
After filling all the information, verify your return and then submit it. You can verify instantly with Aadhaar OTP or netbanking.
Summing up…
If your income is simple and you are only salaried, then it is not difficult to file ITR yourself. By taking just half an hour, you can easily file ITR-1 on the online portal and there is no need to depend on a chartered accountant. However, taxpayers who have complex income sources would be safer seeking expert help.