With the Sept 15 deadline for filing Income Tax Returns for individuals approaching, over 4.56 crore people have filed their ITRs, while the submission of returns is accelerating as the last date nears. 

Senior Income Tax Dept. officials are of the view that taxpayers “should not wait till the last-minute” to file their returns, as it leads to inconvenience.

The filing of tax returns has been made easy, and the simple process for individuals to file their own returns is as follows:

— Log in at incometax.gov.in using PAN/Aadhaar & password

— Go to → e-File > Income Tax Return > File Income Tax Return

— Select AY 2025–26

— Choose your applicable form

— Review pre-filled details (salary, TDS, bank interest)

— Add missing income/deductions & select tax regime (Old/New)

— Submit return

The Income Tax Department notifies different ITR forms each year to suit various categories of taxpayers. Selecting the correct form is essential, as filing in an incorrect form may render the return defective. For FY 2024–25 (AY 2025–26), the following forms are applicable to non-audit taxpayers, including individuals and small entities:

ITR-1 (Sahaj) – For Salaried Individuals

A salaried individual, as per the Income Tax Department, is a taxpayer whose income is earned from an employer in the form of salary, wages, allowances, perquisites, or pension and is chargeable under the head “Income from Salary”.

ITR-2 – For Individuals/HUFs (No Business/Profession Income)

Individuals are natural persons who earn income from salary, pension, house property, capital gains, business/profession, or other sources and are taxed in their personal capacity.

HUFs (Hindu Undivided Families) are separate entities under income tax law consisting of all persons lineally descended from a common ancestor, including their wives and unmarried daughters. An HUF can earn income from property, business, or other sources, and it is taxed as a distinct “person” under the Income Tax Act.

A late filing fee is levied if the return is furnished after the specified due date. A fee of Rs 5,000 is payable for returns filed after the due date. However, in cases where the total income does not exceed Rs 5 lakh, the late fee is restricted to Rs 1,000.

In addition, a delay in filing attracts 1 per cent interest per month on the pending tax amount, in addition to the late filing fee.

Meanwhile, there has been a growth of over 25 per cent increase in ITR filings between AY 2022–23 and AY 2024–25

As per data released by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), ITR filings have shown consistent growth over the years, reflecting rising compliance and widening of the tax base. For AY 2024–25, a record 7.28 crore ITRs were filed up to 31 July 2024, compared to 6.77 crore in AY 2023–24, registering a 7.5 per cent year-on-year growth.