ITR Filing Checklist: Every Document You Need Before You Start

Filing an income tax return is rarely difficult. What makes it slow is realising halfway through that you are missing a statement, then losing a week chasing it. This checklist is what we ask our own clients for, grouped by income type. Gather these before you start and the filing itself takes an hour.

1. Identity and basic records

• PAN card, and Aadhaar linked to the same name and date of birth
• Bank account details with IFSC for any refund due
• Last year's filed return and its acknowledgement
• Form 26AS and your Annual Information Statement (AIS), downloaded from the income tax portal

2. If you are salaried

• Form 16 from every employer you worked for during the year
• Salary slips, particularly for months around a job change
• Rent receipts and your landlord's PAN if you claim HRA above the threshold
• Proof of any deduction not already reflected in Form 16

If you changed jobs mid-year, both employers will have applied the basic exemption separately. This almost always leaves tax underpaid, and it surfaces at filing time. Collect both Form 16s and expect a balance to pay rather than a refund.

3. If you have investment income

• Interest certificates from banks and post office deposits
• Capital gains statement from your broker — most issue a ready tax P&L
• Mutual fund capital gains statement from the registrar
• Dividend statements
• Details of any property sold, including the sale deed and purchase cost

Savings bank interest is taxable even though no TDS is deducted on it. It appears in your AIS, so leaving it out is a visible omission rather than a hidden one.

4. If you run a business or profession

• Books of account, or at minimum a summary of receipts and expenses
• Bank statements for every business account
• GST returns filed during the year, so turnover reconciles
• Fixed asset purchases for depreciation
• Details of any loan taken and interest paid

If your turnover is within the presumptive taxation limits, you may be able to declare income at a prescribed rate without maintaining full books. That decision has consequences for future years, so it is worth taking advice before opting in or out.

5. Deduction proofs

• Life insurance premium receipts, PPF and ELSS statements, tuition fee receipts (80C)
• Health insurance premium receipts for yourself and your parents (80D)
• Home loan interest and principal certificate from your lender
• Education loan interest certificate (80E)
• Donation receipts with the institution's registration details (80G)

A note on timing

The due date for most individuals is 31st July following the end of the financial year. Filing in the last week is when portal slowdowns and missing documents collide. Aim to have your papers together by the end of June and the rest is straightforward.

If you would rather hand the whole thing over, send us your documents on WhatsApp and we will take it from there — we will tell you within a day if anything is missing.