ITR Filing 2026: deadline, documents & which regime to pick

Filing season for FY 2025-26 (assessment year 2026-27) is here. If you're salaried, the process is genuinely simple once your paperwork is in order — most of the form is pre-filled now. This guide walks through the deadline, what to keep ready, which form to use, and the one decision that actually moves your tax bill: old regime vs new.

The deadline that matters

For individuals who don't need a tax audit (almost all salaried people), the due date was 31 July 2026, and it was not extended. Business and professional filers using ITR-3 or ITR-4 without an audit had until 31 August 2026. Both have now passed. If you haven't filed, you are in belated territory: you can still file until 31 December 2026, but a late fee applies under Section 234F — ₹1,000 if your total income is under ₹5 lakh, up to ₹5,000 above that — plus interest on any unpaid tax, and you lose the right to carry forward certain losses. File anyway, and soon: the fee is fixed but the interest keeps running.

Who has to file

You must file if your gross total income (before deductions) crosses the basic exemption limit. You should also file even below that threshold if you want a refund of TDS your employer or bank deducted, if you have foreign assets, or if you've made large deposits, spends or investments that the rules flag. When in doubt, file — a nil return is free and keeps your record clean for loans and visas.

Documents to keep ready

• Form 16 from your employer (Parts A and B)
• Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement (AIS) from the income-tax portal — cross-check that the TDS and income there match your records
• Bank interest certificates (savings + FD) and capital-gains statements from your broker/mutual fund
• Proof for the deductions you'll claim — 80C (PPF/ELSS/LIC), 80D (health insurance), rent receipts and landlord PAN for HRA, home-loan interest certificate
• Your bank account details (for the refund) and a linked, valid PAN–Aadhaar

Which ITR form?

Most salaried filers use ITR-1 (Sahaj): salary, other income and up to ₹50 lakh in total. Two of its limits widened this year — ITR-1 now takes up to two house properties instead of one, and it can carry a long-term equity or equity mutual-fund gain under Section 112A up to ₹1.25 lakh, provided you aren't carrying a loss forward. Beyond that — a property sale, a short-term gain, a third house, or income above ₹50 lakh — it's ITR-2. Business or professional income moves you to ITR-3 or ITR-4. The portal usually suggests the right form based on your pre-filled data.

The decision that changes your tax: old vs new regime

This is where most of your saving (or loss) is decided. The new regime is the default — lower rates, a ₹75,000 standard deduction, and nil tax up to ₹12 lakh taxable thanks to the Section 87A rebate — but it drops almost every other deduction. The old regime has higher rates but lets you subtract 80C, 80D, HRA, home-loan interest and NPS first. The new regime wins for most people; the old one only pulls ahead once your deductions cross roughly ₹4–4.5 lakh.

Don't eyeball it — run your exact numbers both ways before you pick. It takes ten seconds:

For the full break-even logic and worked examples, read our deep-dive on choosing a regime:

Common mistakes that delay refunds

• Not e-verifying the return — filing isn't complete until you verify it (Aadhaar OTP is the fastest). You have 30 days; miss it and the return is treated as not filed.
• Income mismatch with AIS/26AS — interest from a forgotten savings account or FD is the usual culprit and triggers a notice.
• Claiming HRA without the landlord's PAN when annual rent crosses ₹1 lakh.
• Picking a regime in a rush — switch only after comparing both with your real deductions.

Once you've filed and e-verified, you're done — refunds for a clean ITR-1 often land within a few weeks. Plan next year's tax early, not in March, and the bill is smaller and the filing painless.