ITR Filing for AY 2026-27 Begins: Excel Utilities for ITR-1 and ITR-4 Released:

ITR Filing for AY 2026-27 Begins: Excel Utilities for ITR-1 and ITR-4 Released The Income Tax Department has now made the Excel forms for ITR-1 and ITR-4 available for the Financial Year 2025-26 (Assessment Year 2026-27). This means eligible taxpayers can start filing their income tax returns for this year. The release of Excel utilities is the beginning of the ITR filing season for AY 2026-27.

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What is an ITR?

An Income Tax Return (ITR) is a formal document that individuals, businesses, and organisations submit annually to the Income Tax Department to declare their total earnings, expenses, tax deductions, and net tax liabilities for a given financial year. ITR-1 ITR-1, also known as Sahaj, is meant for resident individuals whose total income is up to Rs 50 lakh in a financial year. It is suitable for people who earn income from a salary or a pension, can have income from up to two house properties, and also earn income from other sources, like bank interest. Agricultural income is allowed if it does not exceed Rs 5,000. Additionally, taxpayers who have long-term capital gains under Section 112A up to Rs 1.25 lakh can also file ITR-1. ITR-4 ITR-4, also known as Sugam, is for resident individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs), and firms (excluding LLPs) whose total income is up to Rs 50 lakh and who choose the presumptive taxation scheme under Sections 44AD, 44ADA, or 44AE.

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How to download the ITR Excel utility

1. Visit the e-filing portal of the Income Tax Department. 2. Click on the drop-down menu and choose the relevant Assessment Year for which you are filing. 3. Scroll down to find the specific Income Tax Return form matching your tax profile (e.g., ITR-1, ITR-4). 4. Lastly, click on the utility Excel-based link to download the compressed ZIP file.

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Filing utilities available online and offline

The income tax department stated that taxpayers can either file their ITR online through the e-filing portal or use the offline Excel and HTML utilities.