Check AIS/Form 26AS, report all income, claim deductions with proof, choose the correct ITR form, and complete e-verification to avoid notices and refund delays.
Jasmine | Jun 26, 2026 |
ITR Filing 2026: 8 Common Mistakes That Can Trigger Tax Notices
The Income Tax Department is increasingly using AI and data analysis to spot errors or mismatches in tax returns. Meanwhile, the ITR forms for assessment year 2026-27 require some additional disclosures in some sections of the form. It will help if you file your return early and double-check everything to avoid any issues.
Do not claim tax deductions such as HRA and donation without proper documentation. In case you are paying rent to your parents or any family member, ensure you have documentation and also that they declare this income in their respective ITR. It is important to have all receipts of any donations claimed for deduction purposes.
Prior to the submission of your ITR, verify the consistency of your income and tax-related details in relation to AIS, Form 26AS, and TIS. A mismatch between your income, such as interest income, dividends, TDS credits or any other income, may raise tax notices. Any mistake found in AIS must be corrected using the feedback facility.
Filing your tax return using the wrong ITR form could render it invalid and slow down the process of its processing. In certain cases, individuals who own foreign assets or have substantial capital gains on stock investments do not satisfy the criteria to file ITR-1.
Taxpayers often fail to mention sources of income like interest earned on bank accounts, dividends, gains from investments, foreign income, or remuneration received by earlier employers. The income tax department verifies information from a number of sources. It is important that you declare all sources of income.
It has now become very difficult to report capital gains due to the changes brought by Budget 2024. You have to report the capital gains accurately based on whether they are short-term or long-term. This will allow you to use the proper tax rate and match your broker and mutual fund statements to those from AIS.
Should you have changed employers within the financial year 2025-26, be sure to include the salary income of your former employer as well. Not doing so could lead to errors in your tax calculations.
Deadlines for filing of your ITRs need to be taken into account. As a rule, for individuals filing of ITR-1 and ITR-2 is due on July 31, whereas for non-audit eligible persons filing of ITR-3 and ITR-4 is due on August 31.
Filing your ITR is only half the battle – you need to verify your ITR too. If your ITR is not verified, it might not be considered valid, and this will affect how you process your tax refund. Verifying your ITR through e-verification is simple; it will only take you five minutes.
Some of the important things that you need to do prior to filing your ITR include checking AIS/Form 26AS, using the right ITR form, reporting all income sources, having proper documentation for all deductions claimed, disclosing capital gains correctly, filing before the deadline, and conducting e-verification.
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