ITR Filing FY 2025-26: Last-Minute Checklist Before 31st July 2026

The ITR filing window for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27) is open and the 31st July 2026 deadline is approaching for non-audit cases. Filing early avoids portal slowdowns, late-fee risk and last-minute regime mistakes. Here is a clean checklist.

Documents to keep ready

• PAN, Aadhaar (linked) and bank account details for refund
• Form 16 from every employer in FY 2025-26
• Form 26AS, AIS & TIS from the income tax portal — match every entry
• Interest certificates from banks, post office, FDs
• Capital gains statements from brokers (equity, MF, crypto / VDA)
• Rent receipts, HRA proofs, home-loan certificate (if claiming Old Regime)
• 80C / 80D / 80G / NPS investment proofs (Old Regime only)
• Foreign assets & income details (mandatory disclosure)

Pick your regime BEFORE you file

The New Regime is the default. Salaried taxpayers can switch each year — but business/professional income filers can move back to the Old Regime only once. Run both calculations in our Income Tax Calculator and pick whichever saves more. Our Old vs New Regime guide has the full breakpoints.

Reconcile AIS / 26AS — don't skip this

The biggest cause of ITR notices in 2025-26 is a mismatch between the ITR and AIS. Check:

• Salary & TDS exactly matches Form 16 + 26AS
• Interest from every savings & FD account is reported
• Mutual fund / equity sales reported with correct cost basis (grandfathering for pre-Jan 2018 holdings)
• Dividend income (now fully taxable) reported under "Income from Other Sources"
• Crypto / VDA transactions reported under Schedule VDA at 30% flat

Common mistakes that trigger notices

• Missing a second employer's Form 16 — leads to short TDS
• Forgetting savings-bank interest above the ₹10,000 80TTA limit
• Claiming HRA without rent agreement when annual rent exceeds ₹1L (landlord PAN required)
• Filing ITR-1 when you have capital gains or foreign income — use ITR-2/3 instead
• Not e-verifying within 30 days — the return is treated as not filed

What if you miss 31st July 2026?

• Belated return allowed until 31st December 2026 with ₹5,000 late fee (₹1,000 if income below ₹5L)
• Interest under Section 234A at 1% per month on unpaid tax
• Loss of carry-forward benefits on capital gains, F&O and business losses
• Refunds (if any) are delayed

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