8 ITR filing mistakes to avoid this tax season

Published 22 June 2026 · india

Budget (FY2025-26) changes Income of up to Rs.12 lakh? No tax outgo under the new regime. Salaried taxpayers, pensioners pay no tax up to Rs.12.75

Budget (FY2025-26) changes Income of up to Rs.12 lakh? No tax outgo under the new regime. Salaried taxpayers, pensioners pay no tax up to Rs.12.75 lakh. New regime: Exemption limit raised to Rs.4 lakh; I-T slabs liberalised. Earning over Rs.25 lakh? Old regime beneficial only if deductions>Rs.8 lakh + standard deduction. HRA remains the needle-mover in the old vs new regime selection. Tax deducted at source (TDS) will now apply to rent over Rs.50,000 per month. 1.Claiming deductions, exemptions not backed by proof 2.Not tallying AIS, Form 26AS and your financial details 3.Not selecting the right form 4.Not declaring all incomes 5.Not being meticulous with capital gains reporting 6.Omitting income from former employer 7.Delaying return filing beyond due date 8.Not verifying returns after online submission For most taxpayers, filing an income tax return (ITR) is an annual ritual that is tedious, but unavoidable. Taxpayers continue to see it as a cumbersome chore despite the Income Tax (I-T) Department’s attempts to make the process simpler by introducing pre-filled return forms and the Annual Information Statement (AIS). The latter is a detailed summary of incomes earned and specified financial transactions made during a financial year, and thus can serve as a source of self-verification for taxpayers.At the same time, however, the artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven scrutiny has become stricter and the room for errors narrower.For taxpayers, this necessitates filing income tax returns with more care than ever. “The ITR forms for financial year 2025-26 (assessment year 2026-27) introduce a mix of eligibility relaxations and tighter disclosure norms. While the changes aim to simplify filing for small taxpayers, they simultaneously deepen reporting requirements, reflecting the administration’s continued push for data-driven compliance,” says Sudhakar Sethuraman, Partner, Deloitte India.Since June is when salaried individuals receive their Forms 16 from their employers, it’s best to file the returns soon rather than waiting until 31 July, the due date for completing the process. For those who use ITR-3 or ITR-4 (non-audit cases), the due date is 31 August.Not only will an early start help you steer clear of the technical glitches that the ITR e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in) tends to be riddled with closer to the due date, but also reduce the scope for errors made in a hurry to complete the process. As of 17 June 2026, the total returns filed had exceeded 42.6 lakh, and around 40.2 lakh were verified, as per incometax. gov.in. According to the chartered accountants ET Wealth spoke to, a majority of individual taxpayers—some estimating the proportion to be as high as 90%—have chosen the new tax regime this time around.Taxpayer category and due dates (2026)Do not use this form if you have equity LTCG of over Rs.1.25 lakh, STCG, foreign income, own unlisted shares or are a director in a company.Here are eight common mistakes that taxpayers should avoid this ITR filing season.Over the past three years, several salaried taxpayers have found themselves facing a growing number of I-T queries and notices.