ITR Filing 2026: When will the process for filing Income Tax Returns begin?

The new financial year has begun, and with it, a question has started to arise in the minds of taxpayers: when exactly will the process of filing Income Tax Returns (ITR) commence? If you, too, are planning to file your return on time, there is good news for you. The Income Tax Department has notified the ITR forms for the Assessment Year 2026-27. Tax experts believe that taxpayers will be able to start filing their returns as early as this month.

**The Filing Process May Begin in April Itself**

Typically, the process of filing Income Tax Returns begins in the month of April. The Income Tax Department first releases the ITR forms, following which the utilities for online filing are enabled. It is expected that these utilities will become active on the e-filing portal very soon, thereby paving the way for the commencement of filing.

Last year, taxpayers had to wait for a considerable period to file their returns. The primary reason for this delay was certain major changes introduced in income tax regulations, which included new provisions related to Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG), Short-Term Capital Gains (STCG), and indexation. However, this time, the Department has notified the forms in advance—having made full preparations—making it highly probable that the filing process will begin smoothly starting this very month.

**Salaried Individuals Will Need to Exercise Some Patience**

Even though the return filing process may commence this month, salaried employees will still have to wait a few weeks before they can file their ITRs. The primary reason for this is 'Form 16.' For any employed individual, Form 16 is an extremely crucial document required to accurately file their tax return.

According to the regulations, all companies and employers must issue Form 16 to their employees by June 15th of every year. This form contains a comprehensive breakdown of the total salary received by the employee during the relevant financial year, as well as the Tax Deducted at Source (TDS). It is precisely based on this accurate information that salaried individuals are able to file their returns securely.

**New Law Implemented, Yet Return Filing Remains Under the Old ‘Act of 1961’**
Taxpayers must be aware that, effective April 1st, the new Income Tax Act, 2025, has come into force across the country. This new legislation replaces the decades-old Income Tax Act, 1961. However, it must be clearly understood that the Income Tax Returns you file this year for the Financial Year 2025-26 will be filed entirely under the provisions of the old Income Tax Act, 1961.

This implies that taxpayers must continue to adhere to terminology and regulations—such as the ‘Previous Year’ and ‘Assessment Year’—just as they did previously. For individual taxpayers, the deadline for filing returns without penalty remains fixed at July 31st. On March 30th, the government officially notified all ITR forms—ranging from ITR-1 to ITR-7—for the Assessment Year 2026-27.

**Major Relief for Owners of Two House Properties: ITR-1 Usage Gets the Green Light**
The most significant and positive change introduced in this year's ITR forms pertains to homeowners. According to a new notification issued by the Income Tax Department, taxpayers deriving income from two house properties are now permitted to utilize the ‘ITR-1 (Sahaj)’ form. In previous years, individuals owning more than one house property were required to file relatively complex forms—such as ITR-2 or ITR-3—to report their income details. This change is expected to significantly simplify the filing process.

However, notwithstanding this simplification, certain existing conditions regarding the usage of ITR-1 will continue to apply. If an individual derives income from a business or profession, or if their capital gains under Section 112A exceed ₹1.25 lakh, they will not be eligible to use the ‘Sahaj’ form. Furthermore, the use of ITR-1 will also be restricted in cases of income derived from other sources, such as lottery winnings or horse racing.

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