Accurate ITR Filing with Professional Review in 24 to 48 Hours Starting at ₹499
Salaried, Freelance, Professional and Business Returns with Complete Reconciliation Support.
Income Tax Return (ITR) e-filing is the annual exercise of declaring your income, the taxes already paid on it, and the exemptions and deductions you're claiming, to the Income Tax Department — submitted in a prescribed digital format through the department's own e-filing portal at incometax.gov.in. It replaced the older paper-filing regime entirely for the vast majority of taxpayers, and today it's the sole recognised channel for filing a valid return.
Accuracy in this process matters more than it might first appear. An ITR is what lets you claim back excess tax deducted at source, and it doubles as the most widely accepted proof of income when applying for a home loan, a car loan, a credit card, or a visa. Just as importantly, the return you file gets automatically checked against the data the department already has on you — from Form 16, Form 26AS, and the Annual Information Statement (AIS) — and a mismatch between what you report and what these third-party sources show is one of the most common reasons an otherwise routine return draws scrutiny.
What "getting it right" looks like differs by taxpayer. A salaried employee is usually filing to secure a refund and to have a clean, verifiable income document on hand for future financial needs. A freelancer or business owner is filing for a different reason altogether — the return becomes the compliance trail that banks, investors, and government departments will later rely on when evaluating a loan application, a funding round, or a tender, which makes getting the income computation and reconciliation right from the outset far more consequential than it is for a simple salaried filing.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Governing Law | Filed under Section 139 of the Income-tax Act, 1961, in the format prescribed by Rule 12 of the Income-tax Rules, 1962 |
| Filing Portal | The official Income Tax Department e-filing portal at incometax.gov.in — the only recognised channel for online ITR submission |
| Applicable Forms | Seven forms — ITR-1 through ITR-7 — each mapped to a specific combination of taxpayer type, income source, and turnover/income thresholds |
| Pre-Filled Data | The portal auto-populates salary, TDS, interest income, and specified high-value transactions drawn from Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement (AIS) |
| Verification Window | A filed return must be e-verified within 30 days of submission — Aadhaar OTP, net banking, or a Digital Signature Certificate are the accepted modes |
| Filing Window | Ordinarily open from 1 April to 31 July of the assessment year for non-audit taxpayers, extendable to a belated window up to 31 December with a late fee |
The entire return — from data entry to submission — is completed on the e-filing portal, with a real-time status tracker showing exactly where the return stands: submitted, under processing, or refund issued.
Salary, TDS, dividend, interest, and specified high-value transactions are pulled in automatically from Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement, cutting down manual entry and transcription errors.
Seven distinct forms — ITR-1 through ITR-7 — accommodate everything from a simple salaried return to complex business, partnership, and trust filings, each scoped to a specific income profile.
Refunds on accurately filed, promptly e-verified returns are generally processed and credited directly to the taxpayer's bank account faster than the paper-filing era ever allowed.
A return only counts as filed once it is verified — taxpayers can choose between Aadhaar-linked OTP, net banking login, or a Digital Signature Certificate, depending on what is available and applicable to their case.
Under Section 139(5), an error or omission spotted after filing can be corrected by filing a revised return, provided it is done before the statutory deadline for that assessment year.
Missing the original due date doesn't close the door entirely — a belated return can still be filed up to 31 December of the assessment year under Section 139(4), subject to a late fee under Section 234F.
Taxpayers can compare their liability under the exemption-heavy old regime against the lower-slab, fewer-deduction new regime each year and pick whichever works out cheaper for their situation.
Where tax deducted at source or advance tax paid during the year exceeds the actual liability, filing a return is the only route to getting that excess credited back to your bank account.
Banks, embassies, and credit card issuers routinely ask for filed ITRs as the standard, government-recognised proof of income when evaluating loan, visa, or card applications.
Business losses, capital losses, and losses under house property can be carried forward to set off against future income — but only if the return reporting them is filed within the original due date.
Timely, accurate filing sidesteps the late fee under Section 234F, interest charges under Sections 234A/234B/234C, and a meaningfully higher chance of a mismatch-triggered scrutiny notice.
A consistent multi-year filing history signals financial stability to lenders and visa-issuing authorities, often smoothing and speeding up the underwriting or application review process.
Regular, on-time filing builds a compliance trail that matters well beyond the current year — it supports future audits, business fundraising due diligence, and dealings with regulators.
Filing obligations fall into two buckets — situations where filing is legally mandatory, and situations where it isn't required but is still worth doing.
| Category | Trigger / Condition | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Mandatory — Income Threshold | Total income exceeds the basic exemption limit under either the old or the new tax regime, computed before claiming Chapter VI-A deductions | Applies regardless of whether any tax is actually payable after deductions are factored in |
| Mandatory — Foreign Assets or Income | Holding any foreign asset (bank account, equity, property) or signing authority in a foreign account, or having foreign-sourced income | Filing is compulsory even if total taxable income is below the exemption limit |
| Mandatory — High-Value Current Account Deposits | Aggregate deposits above ₹1 crore in one or more current accounts during the financial year | One of several "specified financial transaction" triggers designed to widen the tax base |
| Mandatory — Foreign Travel Spend | Expenditure above ₹2 lakh on foreign travel for self or on behalf of another person | Applies even where the traveller's own income is below the exemption limit |
| Mandatory — Electricity Consumption | Electricity expenditure exceeding ₹1 lakh in the financial year | Another specified-transaction trigger under the proviso to Section 139(1) |
| Mandatory — Business/Professional Turnover | Business turnover or professional gross receipts crossing the prescribed thresholds for the year | Applies independently of whether presumptive taxation under Section 44AD/44ADA is opted for |
| Voluntary — Refund Claim | Tax deducted or collected at source exceeds the taxpayer's actual tax liability for the year | Filing a return is the only mechanism available to claim that excess back |
| Voluntary — Loss Carry-Forward | Business loss, capital loss, or house-property loss that needs to be carried forward to set off against future income | The return must be filed by the original due date under Section 139(1) to preserve this right |
| Voluntary — Documentation Needs | Visa applications, loan approvals, credit card applications, or tender eligibility requirements | A filed ITR commonly serves as the accepted, government-issued proof of income for these purposes |
ComplianceBharo's ITR filing packages are scoped by taxpayer type and start at ₹499 for a straightforward salaried return. As the income profile gets more involved — presumptive freelance/professional income, capital gains, or business income with full books of account — the applicable package moves up accordingly, since each profile involves meaningfully more computation, schedules, and reconciliation work.
| Taxpayer Profile | Typical ITR Form | ComplianceBharo Starting Price |
|---|---|---|
| Salaried Individual | ITR-1 (Sahaj) | ₹499 |
| Freelancer / Professional (Presumptive Income) | ITR-4 (Sugam) | ₹1,999 |
| Capital Gains / Multiple Income Sources | ITR-2 | ₹2,999 |
| Business / Professional with Books of Account | ITR-3 | ₹3,999 |
The final quote for your specific return can move beyond the starting price where the filing involves additional complexity — multiple Form 16s from job changes during the year, capital gains across several instruments, foreign income or foreign asset reporting, or a case that requires tax audit coordination. We confirm the exact scope and final price with you before beginning the filing.
What you need to hand over depends on your income profile — here's the typical checklist by taxpayer type.
Gather every source of income for the year — Form 16, bank interest certificates, capital gains statements, rental receipts, or business books — so nothing gets left out of the return.
Match your income profile (salary, capital gains, business income, or a combination) against the applicable ITR form, since filing the wrong form results in the return being treated as defective.
Cross-check the TDS, TCS, advance tax, and reported financial transactions in Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement against your own records, and flag any mismatch before it becomes a notice.
Aggregate income under all applicable heads, apply the relevant slab or concessional rates under whichever regime is chosen, and arrive at the final tax payable or refundable figure.
Under the old regime, claim Chapter VI-A deductions such as Section 80C, 80D, and 80G where applicable; under the new regime, apply the more limited set of deductions it still permits.
Submit the completed return on the e-filing portal and complete e-verification — via Aadhaar OTP, net banking, or DSC — within 30 days, since an unverified return is treated as not filed at all.
Once processed, monitor the refund status on the e-filing portal or through the NSDL/TIN refund tracking service, and follow up if the credited amount doesn't match what was claimed.
The applicable due date depends on whether you need an audit, and missing it doesn't end your options — it just adds a late fee and interest to the equation.
| Compliance Requirement | Applicable Date / Rate | Details |
|---|---|---|
| ITR Filing — Non-Audit Taxpayers | 31 July of the assessment year | Applies to most salaried individuals, pensioners, and other taxpayers who are not required to get their accounts audited |
| ITR Filing — Taxpayers Requiring Audit | 31 October of the assessment year | Applies where turnover or receipts cross the Section 44AB audit threshold; the tax audit report itself is generally due a month earlier, by 30 September |
| ITR Filing — Transfer Pricing Cases | 30 November of the assessment year | An extended date for taxpayers with international or specified domestic transactions that require a Form 3CEB accountant's report |
| Belated Return | 31 December of the assessment year | Filed under Section 139(4) after missing the original due date; still allowed, but subject to a late fee under Section 234F |
| Late Filing Fee — Section 234F | ₹1,000 where total income is up to ₹5 lakh; ₹5,000 where it exceeds ₹5 lakh | Levied automatically the moment a return is filed after the original due date but before 31 December |
| Interest — Sections 234A / 234B / 234C | 1% per month or part of a month | Charged respectively for late filing with unpaid tax outstanding, a shortfall in advance tax paid, and deferred or short quarterly instalments |
| e-Verification Deadline | Within 30 days of filing | A return that isn't e-verified within this window is treated in law as though it was never filed, regardless of when it was originally submitted |
Have questions about filing your ITR? Let our experts help you figure out the right form and the fastest path to getting it filed.
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