Income Tax Return Filing for FY 2024–25 (AY 2025–26) Has Started!

The Income Tax Department has officially commenced the ITR filing process for the Financial Year 2024–25 (Assessment Year 2025–26). As of now, two ITR forms—ITR-1 (Sahaj) and ITR-4 (Sugam)—have been made available for e-filing.

These two forms cater to a large segment of taxpayers:

• ITR-1 (Sahaj) is applicable for resident individuals having income from salaries, one house property, other sources (like interest), and agricultural income up to ₹5,000. The total income should not exceed ₹50 lakh.

• ITR-4 (Sugam) is applicable to residents (Individuals, HUFs, and Firms other than LLPs) having total income up to ₹50 lakh and income from business and profession under the presumptive taxation scheme under sections 44AD, 44ADA, or 44AE.

It is important to note that these forms can currently be filed only using the official JSON utility provided by the Income Tax Department. As of now, the department has not enabled online filing or Excel-based utilities for these forms. Other ITR forms such as ITR-2, ITR-3, and ITR-5 are expected to be released soon and will be made live for filing progressively.

🔍 What You Should Do

If you fall under the ITR-1 or ITR-4 category, you can start gathering your documents and proceed with your return filing. Early filing ensures timely compliance, avoids late fees, and helps faster processing of refunds (if applicable).