Chartered Accountant · ICAI M.No. 153926 · FRN 136869W
Quick guide
- ITR-1: salary/pension, one house, income up to ₹50 lakh
- ITR-2: capital gains, more than one house, NRI, foreign assets
- ITR-3: business or professional income
- ITR-4: presumptive income (44AD/44ADA)
Common mistakes
If you have capital gains you can’t use ITR-1, and NRIs can’t use ITR-1 or ITR-4. Estimate your position with our income tax calculator or let our filing service pick and file the right form.
Matching the less-obvious cases
A few situations decide the form beyond the headline rule. If you have any capital gains — even a small mutual-fund redemption — you move from ITR-1 to ITR-2. If you’re a director in a company, or hold unlisted shares, ITR-1 and ITR-4 are out, and you generally use ITR-2 (or ITR-3 with business income). A salaried person who also does a bit of freelancing or trading has business or professional income and files ITR-3, or ITR-4 if they opt for presumptive taxation. NRIs can’t use ITR-1 or ITR-4 at all. Agricultural income above ₹5,000 also pushes you out of ITR-1. Picking the wrong form gets the return treated as defective under Section 139(9), with a notice asking you to refile, which can cost you the deadline. Beyond the four common forms there’s ITR-5 (firms and LLPs), ITR-6 (companies) and ITR-7 (trusts). If you missed filing altogether, ITR-U lets you file an updated return for an earlier year within the allowed window, with additional tax. Confirming your income mix — salary, capital gains, business, foreign assets — before you start is what gets the form right first time.