New Delhi: 

The ITR filing starts after the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) releases new forms. The I-T department is expected to notify ITR forms (both online and offline) for the financial year 2024-25 soon. Notably, salaried people file their ITRs after receiving Form 16.

The new assessment year 2025-26 has started and several taxpayers are planning to file their Income Tax Return (ITR). It may be noted that the return will be filed for the financial year 2024-25. Many are wondering as to when they would have to file ITR or when Form 16 be available. The Income Tax Department will soon notify the new ITR forms so that the process of e-filing can start.

E-filing portal expected to open in April or May 2025.
Form 16 is expected by June 15, 2025.
Last date for ITR filing (in non-audit cases) 31 July 2025.

The taxpayers are advised to not wait till the last moment and file their ITRs in advance so that they do not face any technical issues or penalties.

Form 16 is a crucial tax document for salaried taxpayers. It is issued by employers and has the details of the employee’s salary and the tax deducted on it i.e. TDS. According to the rules, employers have to submit Form 16 by 15th June 2025. For this reason, most salaried people start filing ITR in late May or June.

In the last few years, the Income Tax Department has made the refund processing very fast. If a taxpayer is entitled to any refund (such as excess TDS has been deducted or excess advance tax has been paid), and the individual’s documents are properly filed, he/she can get the refund within 7 to 20 days.

How taxpayers can get fast tax refund

File the ITR early so that processing is faster

The taxpayers should carefully check pre-filled ITR forms. The government now pre-fills many details in the forms, however, the concerned person should cross-check everything before final submission.

The beneficiary should keep all the documents in regards to savings account interest, dividends and tax-saving investments ready.

The taxpayers can verify their returns immediately, preferably with Aadhaar OTP

The bank account should be pre-validated and linked to PAN

All the documents should be submitted after thorough calculations

Updated bank details which are linked with Aadhaar should be mentioned in the tax related documents.

By filing early, technical difficulties can be avoided and refunds can also be received quickly.

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