Every individual whose gross total income exceeds the basic exemption limit must file an income tax return in India. Under the new tax regime (default from FY 2025-26), the basic exemption limit is ₹4 lakh — income up to ₹12 lakh is effectively tax-free due to the Section 87A rebate of ₹60,000. Under the old tax regime, the basic exemption is ₹2.5 lakh for individuals below 60 years, ₹3 lakh for senior citizens (60–80 years), and ₹5 lakh for super senior citizens above 80 years. Companies, firms, LLPs, and trusts must file ITR regardless of profit or loss. Individuals with foreign assets, high-value bank transactions, or TDS refund claims must file even if income is below the exemption limit.

e-Filing of Income Tax is the process of submitting your income tax return electronically through the official income tax e-filing portal at incometax.gov.in — without visiting any government office. The portal auto-populates your salary, TDS deductions, and financial transaction data from Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement (AIS). You select the correct ITR form based on your income type, review and verify the pre-filled data, add any additional income or deductions, and submit the return. After submission, you verify the ITR using Aadhaar OTP, net banking, or DSC. Tax Robo handles the entire e-filing process on your behalf — you just share your documents, review the prepared return, and approve before we submit.

The ITR filing due date India depends on the taxpayer category. For individuals, HUFs, and non-audit cases, the due date is 31 July of the assessment year — for example, 31 July 2026 for FY 2025-26. For businesses and professionals whose accounts require audit under the Income Tax Act, the due date is 31 October. For companies and firms liable for transfer pricing audit, it is 30 November. If you miss the due date, you can file a belated return by 31 December of the assessment year with a late fee under Section 234F — ₹5,000 for income above ₹5 lakh and ₹1,000 for income up to ₹5 lakh. Interest at 1% per month under Section 234A also applies on any unpaid tax. Missing the due date also means you lose the option to carry forward business and capital losses.

New tax regime vs old tax regime is the most important decision every taxpayer must make before income tax filing. The new tax regime is the default from FY 2025-26 — it offers zero tax up to ₹4 lakh basic exemption and effectively zero tax up to ₹12 lakh through the Section 87A rebate. Salaried employees get an additional standard deduction of ₹75,000 making the effective zero-tax limit ₹12.75 lakh. However, the new regime does not allow deductions under Section 80C (EPF, PPF, ELSS), Section 80D (health insurance), home loan interest, or HRA. The old tax regime retains all these deductions but has higher slab rates starting from ₹2.5 lakh. The better regime depends entirely on how much you can claim in deductions — Tax Robo's CAs calculate the tax under both regimes for every client before filing.

The Income Tax Act classifies all income into five heads for the purpose of income tax filing. Income from Salary covers wages, pension, allowances, and perquisites received from an employer. Income from House Property covers rent received from owned properties after standard deduction. Income from Business or Profession covers profits from business activities, freelancing, and professional services. Income from Capital Gains covers profits from sale of property, shares, mutual funds, or other capital assets. Income from Other Sources covers interest income, dividends, gifts, lottery winnings, and any income not covered under the other four heads. All five heads of income must be declared correctly in the ITR to avoid notices and ensure accurate tax computation.

Income tax return filing online is done through the income tax e-filing portal at incometax.gov.in. The first step is selecting the correct ITR form — ITR-1 (Sahaj) for salaried individuals with income up to ₹50 lakh and simple income sources; ITR-2 for individuals with capital gains, foreign income, or multiple properties; ITR-3 for individuals with business or professional income; ITR-4 (Sugam) for presumptive income under Section 44AD/44ADA; ITR-5 for firms, LLPs, and AOP; ITR-6 for companies; and ITR-7 for trusts and charitable institutions. Using the wrong ITR form makes the return defective and results in a Section 139(9) notice. Tax Robo's CAs select the correct ITR form for every client based on their complete income profile before filing.

Advance tax is payable in four instalments during the financial year when your estimated tax liability for the year exceeds ₹10,000. The payment schedule is — 15% of estimated tax by 15 June, 45% by 15 September, 75% by 15 December, and 100% by 15 March. Salaried employees whose entire tax is deducted as TDS by the employer generally do not need to pay advance tax separately. Business owners, professionals, freelancers, and those with significant interest, rental, or capital gain income must calculate and pay advance tax as per the schedule. Failure to pay advance tax on time attracts interest under Section 234B (for shortfall) and Section 234C (for deferment) at 1% per month. Tax Robo tracks and calculates advance tax obligations for all business and professional clients.

The documents required for income tax filing depend on your income type. For salaried individuals — Form 16 from employer, bank statements for all accounts, investment proofs for Section 80C (ELSS, PPF, LIC), home loan interest certificate, rent receipts if claiming HRA, and health insurance premium receipts for Section 80D. For business owners and professionals — audited P&L account, balance sheet, GST return copies, TDS certificates (Form 16A), and business expense records. For all taxpayers — PAN card, Aadhaar card, bank account details for refund credit, Form 26AS, and Annual Information Statement (AIS) from the income tax portal. Tax Robo provides a customised document checklist based on your specific income category after you book a consultation.

Yes, you can revise your income tax return after filing if you discover any mistake, omission, or wrong statement in the original return. A revised return can be filed under Section 139(5) of the Income Tax Act up to 31 December of the assessment year — the same deadline as a belated return. There is no limit on the number of times you can revise a return before the deadline. A revised return completely replaces the original return — all corrected income, deductions, and tax details must be entered again in full. Revising a return is advisable if you forgot to claim a deduction, made an error in income reporting, or received a Form 26AS mismatch. Tax Robo reviews your original return before revision to ensure the corrected return is complete and accurate.

Receiving an income tax notice does not always mean there is a problem — many notices are routine communications. Section 143(1) intimation is the most common — it is automatically generated after processing your return and shows whether there is a refund, demand, or no change. Section 139(9) is a defective return notice requiring correction within 15 days. Section 143(2) is a scrutiny notice asking you to explain specific income or deductions. Section 148 is a reassessment notice for income that may have escaped earlier assessment. All notices must be responded to within the specified time through the income tax e-filing portal — ignoring a notice leads to ex-parte assessment, penalty, and recovery action. Tax Robo's CA team handles income tax notice replies promptly — contact us on WhatsApp at wa.me/919150461117 immediately after receiving any notice.