ITR Filing 2025? Don’t Forget These Crucial Documents
The Income Tax Return (ITR) filing is now live, and taxpayers are filing their ITR for the FY 2024-25 (AY 2025-26). However, sometimes filing your ITR can seem a bit confusing and difficult, especially if you do not know which documents must be submitted. One of the most important steps before you even begin filing your ITR is preparing the right documents.
The Income Tax Department has extended the deadline of ITR filing from July 31, 2025, to September 15, 2025 for the taxpayers whose accounts are not subject to auditing, such as salaried individuals and pensioners. Therefore, if you are a salaried individual or pensioner, then you can file your ITR by September 15, 2025. Even though the government has extended the due date of the ITR file, that does not mean you should wait until the last minute. It is important to stay prepared with the right documents. Let us take a look at the important documents that you may require to submit in your ITR.
Form 16
Form 16 is a certificate which an employer gives to their salaried employees. It shows your total salary and how much tax was deducted (TDS) and paid to the government during the year. It helps you verify the details in your ITR form. It also shows deductions claimed if you submitted proof. It is essential for filing your income tax return.
Capital Gains Statement
A capital gains statement is a document that has the information of the profits or loss made from selling capital assets. This statement is required to be reported in your income tax return, as it allows you to claim exemptions or carry forward losses.
You can get a capital gains statement from your broker or mutual fund house. It must be noted that the tax implications for Capital Gain have changed from July 23, 2024. Therefore, if you sell your capital asset on or before July 22, then the old rules for capital gains taxation will apply. If you have sold your assets after July 23, 2024, then the new capital gains tax rule will apply.
AIS, TIS and Form 26AS
The Annual Information Statement (AIS), Form 26AS and Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS) show income and tax details. Form 26AS Shows all TDS and tax collected during the year. AIS gives detailed information about your financial activities, such as interest, rent, dividends, etc. TIS is also similar to AIS, but it gives a category-wise aggregated information summary for a taxpayer, in a simpler format to make it easy to read and understand.
Reporting Foreign Income and Unlisted Shares
If you have foreign assets or bank accounts, investments in foreign companies, and unlisted shares, then you must report them in your ITR especially if you are a resident. If you own unlisted shares, you must use ITR-2 for filing your return. You must provide details like company name, shares bought or sold, etc., in your ITR.
Other TDS certificates
A taxpayer must also get the other TDS certificates based on the sources of income, including Form 16A, Form 16B, Form 16C, Form 16D, and Form 16E.
- Form 16A: It is issued by deductors for the TDS deducted on interest from fixed deposits, life insurance commissions and income from lotteries, among others.
- Form 16B: When a seller is selling a property worth above Rs 50 lakh, then the buyer is liable to deduct TDS from the payment made to the seller and issue the seller Form 16B.
- Form 16C: This form is issued by tenants to landlords when rent exceeds Rs 50,000 per month.
- Form 16D: It is issued for TDS on payments like commission, fees, or contracts (under Section 194M).
- Form 16E: It is issued for TDS on the sale of digital assets (including cryptocurrencies) issued by the buyer.
Tax-Saving Instruments
The old tax regime offers several deductions under several sections, such as 80C, 80CCD(1B), 80D, 80DD, and 80TTA. In addition to this, salaried individuals can also claim exemptions on House Rent Allowance (HRA), Leave Travel Allowance (LTA), and more under the old tax regime.
The new tax regime does not offer such deductions; it only offers a standard deduction of Rs 75,000 and a deduction under Section 80CCD(2) (Employer’s NPS contribution for up to 14% of basic salary). Therefore, if you plan to file your ITR under the old tax regime, make sure you have all the documents showing the proof of your tax-saving investments and expenses.
Aadhaar and PAN Card
Before filing ITR, make sure you have an updated PAN Card and Aadhaar Card. These are very important, as you cannot proceed to file ITR without entering the PAN and Aadhaar details. These details are required while logging in on the income tax e-filing portal.
PAN is also required to deduct TDS and should be linked with your bank account for the credit of the income tax refund. Make sure your PAN is linked with your Aadhaar number. Linking PAN and Aadhar helps in verifying your income tax return online through an OTP. This year, it is mandatory to submit your Aadhaar number instead of the Aadhaar enrolment ID, which was earlier allowed in case the taxpayer did not have an Aadhaar number.
Active Bank Accounts
It is important to disclose all the active bank accounts of the taxpayer. The details, including names of the banks, account numbers, account type and IFSC codes, must be reported in the ITR form. Taxpayers are advised to keep all these details of the active bank accounts before ITR filing to avoid any delay.
Interest Certificates
An interest certificate is a document that shows the information of the amount of interest paid on a loan or earned on a deposit during a financial year. It helps cross-check the interest and dividend income shown in the AIS. You can get your interest income from various sources, apart from banks. These include interest earned from investments in post office schemes, RBI floating rate bonds, and sovereign gold bonds etc.
Taxpayers should get interest certificates from banks, post offices, and any other financial institution where they have fixed deposits or investments.
Bank Statements
The bank statement shows the financial transactions done by the taxpayer over a specific period of time. It helps identify any income that is missing from AIS, TIS, or Form 26AS. Taxpayer can download their bank statements from the official website of the bank or can visit in person to get the bank statement for the financial year 2024-25.
Home Loan Statement
A home Loan Statement is a detailed summary of your loan repayment in a financial year. The taxpayers must submit the details, including the principal amount and the interest they repay in their loan statement. This information is also important while filing ITR.