If you’ve been waiting to file your income tax return (ITR) under Form ITR-2, here’s some good news. The Income Tax Department has finally activated ITR-2 for online filing with pre-filled data. That means salaried taxpayers, homeowners with multiple properties, and people with capital gains can now file their returns more easily, without downloading Excel files or struggling with manual uploads.
The Income Tax Department shared an update on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), “Kind Attention Taxpayers! Income Tax Return Form of ITR-2 is now enabled for filing through online mode with pre-filled data at the e-filing portal.”
What has changed?
Until now, only ITR-1 and ITR-4 were available for online filing. ITR-2 and ITR-3 Excel utilities, however, were released last week after almost 100 days of delay. People eligible for ITR-2 now will have option to file return online with pre-filled data also along with an option to download Excel utility and upload it after filling out. With Excel utility, taxpayers would fill out the form, generate a JSON file, and then upload it on the portal. It was a time-consuming process, especially when most people just wanted to get their taxes done quickly and correctly.
But now, with this update:
-Your details will be auto-filled from Form 26AS, AIS, PAN, and TIS.
-You can file your return directly on the e-filing portal.
-No more Excel forms or JSON generation needed.
Who should use ITR-2?
ITR-2 is meant for individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) who have income from salary or pension, own more than one house property, have earned capital gains (like from shares or property sales), have foreign assets/income (but no income from business or profession — that’s ITR-3).
What about ITR-3?
That’s still pending for online filing. ITR-3 is for individuals who earn income from business or profession, including: Freelancers and consultants, Traders (including stock/crypto traders), Individuals with foreign assets or complicated income structures.
Though the Excel utility for ITR-3 has been released, online filing with pre-filled data is not yet enabled. So if you fall under this category, you’ll still have to use the old Excel-to-JSON method for now.
Why was there a delay?
The tax department usually rolls out utilities and online forms by April or May. But this year, the release was delayed significantly. ITR-1 and ITR-4 came first in May, but ITR-2 and ITR-3 utilities arrived over 100 days after the filing season started.
Due to this delay—and the changes introduced in the ITR forms—the government extended the ITR filing deadline for FY 2024-25 (AY 2025-26) from July 31 to September 15, 2025.
For crores of taxpayers with slightly more complex income sources like salaried employees who sold stocks or real estate, the lack of ITR-2 filing utility with pre-filled data was a major inconvenience. Many were forced to either wait or rely on tax consultants.
This update now gives everyone a smoother, self-service option. It’s more transparent, faster, and less stressful.
