Income Tax Return Filing Guide for Salaried Employees

Income Tax Return (ITR) filing for salaried individuals is the most common tax compliance in India. With Form-16 issued by employers and the e-filing portal, the process has been fully digitised.

Who Must File

• Salaried individuals with income above the basic exemption limit

  • Residents with income above ₹3 lakhs (₹5 lakhs for new tax regime)

  • Any person wanting to claim refund or carry forward losses

  • Self-employed individuals with any income level

Documents Required

• Form-16 (TDS certificate from employer) — Part A and Part B

  • Form 26AS (consolidated TDS and tax payment statement)

  • Bank account statements for the financial year

  • Investment proofs for Section 80C, 80D, 80G, etc.

  • Home loan interest certificate (if applicable)

  • Aadhaar card and PAN card

  • Previous year ITR copy (for reference)

Step-by-Step Filing Process

• Log in to incometax.gov.in with PAN and password.

• Go to “e-File” → “Income Tax Returns” → “File Income Tax Return”.

• Select the Assessment Year and ITR Form 1 (Sahaj for salaried).

• Pre-fill personal and income details using Pre-load.

• Verify pre-filled Form 16 data against your records.

• Claim deductions under Chapter VI-A (80C, 80D, etc.).

• Calculate tax liability and verify TDS matches Form 26AS.

• Preview return and submit with Aadhaar OTP or net banking.

• E-verify within 30 days using one of: Aadhaar OTP, net banking, or bank account validation.

Key Deductions for Salaried

• Section 80C: PPF, ELSS, EPF, life insurance, home loan principal — up to ₹1.5 lakh

  • Section 80D: Health insurance premium — up to ₹25,000 (₹50,000 for senior citizens)

  • Section 80CCD(1B): NPS contribution — up to ₹50,000 extra

  • Section 24(b): Home loan interest — up to ₹2 lakh for self-occupied

  • Standard Deduction: ₹75,000 (new regime)

Due Dates

July 31 of the assessment year for individuals without audit. October 31 for those requiring tax audit.

When this guide applies

Use this guide when you need a practical, plain-English explanation of the topic for an Indian business or taxpayer. We assume you already know the basics of Indian taxation and compliance — this guide focuses on the specific situations, deadlines, and pitfalls that matter in real filings.

Step-by-step process

1. Confirm the trigger event — turnover threshold, registration requirement, or compliance deadline that brings this topic into scope for your business.
2. Gather the documents you need (PAN, Aadhaar, GSTIN, bank statements, or the specific records called out in the linked forms).
3. File or register through the official portal (income tax e-filing, MCA, GST, FSSAI, or the relevant regulator). Keep acknowledgement numbers.
4. Pay any fee or tax due. Note the challan reference for your records.
5. Track the SLA — most approvals arrive in 3-30 working days; escalate through the regulator’s grievance portal if delayed.

Common pitfalls

• Filing after the due date without paying the late fee — penalty compounds per month under Section 234F for ITR, per return period for GST.
• Using the wrong ITR form or business code — leads to defective return notice under Section 139(9) and a fresh round of filing.
• Ignoring state-specific requirements (professional tax, shop & establishment, state GST registration) when operating across multiple states.

When to escalate

Talk to an expert if the situation involves cross-border transactions, notice from the department, or disputed turnover. Self-filing works for the routine cases but escalates quickly once a notice arrives.

Next steps

For a personalised check, use our eligibility wizards and free code search tools. To file end-to-end, see the linked service pages on FinTax24.