TL;DR:
Filing your ITR free in India is genuinely possible: the Income Tax Department’s portal at incometax.gov.in files every ITR form at no charge, with salary and tax data pre-filled. Private platforms are free only in slices: Quicko’s Basic plan is free up to Rs 12 lakh of income, ClearTax charges for most plans, TaxBuddy starts at Rs 699. Missed the 31 July deadline? A belated return runs until 31 December 2026.
Published: 12 November 2026. Last checked: 23 October 2026.
Can you really file your income tax return for free in India?
Yes, completely. The Income Tax Department’s e-filing portal charges nothing for any ITR form, from a simple ITR-1 to a business return, and it pre-fills your salary, interest and tax deducted at source from the department’s records. Private platforms earn money on extras: guided plans, capital gains schedules and expert help.
That makes the portal the only unlimited free route. The real choice is doing it yourself there, using a platform’s free slice, or paying only when your return is complicated enough to justify it. Paying any balance tax is free too, by net banking or UPI; our comparison of the best UPI apps covers challan payments.
Who has to file an ITR for FY 2025-26?
You must file if your gross total income for FY 2025-26 crosses the basic exemption limit: Rs 4 lakh under the new regime or Rs 2.5 lakh under the old regime, for most individuals. Older guides still print Rs 3 lakh as the new regime limit. That figure applied up to FY 2024-25, not this year.
File even below the limit when TDS was deducted and you want the refund, to carry forward capital losses, or for income proof for a loan or visa. Freelancers file on income minus expenses; under the presumptive scheme in section 44ADA, 50 percent of gross receipts counts as profit. A clean filing record also supports your credit profile; our guide to the best free credit score check apps shows the other half.
What are the new regime slabs and the section 87A rebate for FY 2025-26?
Under the new regime, income up to Rs 4 lakh is taxed at nil, rising through 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 percent bands to 30 percent above Rs 24 lakh. The section 87A rebate then cancels tax of up to Rs 60,000 when taxable income is Rs 12 lakh or less.
| Taxable income (new regime) | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to Rs 4 lakh | Nil |
| Rs 4 to 8 lakh | 5 percent |
| Rs 8 to 12 lakh | 10 percent |
| Rs 12 to 16 lakh | 15 percent |
| Rs 16 to 20 lakh | 20 percent |
| Rs 20 to 24 lakh | 25 percent |
| Above Rs 24 lakh | 30 percent |
The maths checks out. Taxable income of Rs 12 lakh produces Rs 60,000 of tax: Rs 20,000 from the 5 percent band plus Rs 40,000 from the 10 percent band, and the 87A rebate wipes out the amount. A salaried person reaches it at a gross salary of Rs 12.75 lakh, because the Rs 75,000 standard deduction brings that down to Rs 12 lakh. Just above Rs 12 lakh, marginal relief stops the tax exceeding the extra income. The table is from the Income Tax Department’s own rate page for AY 2026-27, checked on 23 October 2026; a 4 percent cess applies on top when tax is payable.
Old regime or new regime: which leaves you paying less?
For most people the new regime wins, because the Rs 12 lakh rebate beats typical deductions. The old regime only pulls ahead when deductions are large: the full Rs 1.5 lakh under 80C, health premiums under 80D, HRA and home loan interest together. The portal computes both before you submit, so compare there, never guess.
On a gross salary of Rs 15 lakh, maths in full: new regime, the Rs 75,000 standard deduction leaves Rs 14,25,000 taxable, slab tax Rs 93,750, plus 4 percent cess, Rs 97,500. Old regime, with Rs 4,05,000 of deductions (standard deduction, the full 80C limit, 80D premiums, Rs 1,80,000 of HRA): taxable Rs 10,95,000, slab tax Rs 1,41,000, plus cess, Rs 1,46,640. The new regime wins by Rs 49,140. Your break-even point moves with your deductions, which is why the portal comparison matters. One warning: business taxpayers who missed the due date cannot switch regimes using Form 10-IEA this year.
Which free filing route fits your return?
Match the route to the return. Simple salary-only returns are free everywhere, including the government portal and Quicko’s Basic plan. Capital gains, F&O trades, foreign income or business books push you into paid plans on private platforms, while the same forms stay free on the portal if you fill in the schedules yourself.
| Route | Cost (checked October 2026) | What is free | What triggers a charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Tax Department portal | Free, always | Every ITR form, pre-filled data, e-verification | Nothing |
| Quicko Basic | Free | DIY filing for income up to Rs 12 lakh | Capital gains and business plans, from Rs 999 |
| ClearTax | Start free, plans charged | Starting a return and importing Form 16 | Self-file plans, from Rs 3,999 for capital gains |
| TaxBuddy | From Rs 699 | Nothing fully free | DIY from Rs 699; expert help from Rs 999 |
These prices come from each platform’s own pages, checked on 23 October 2026: Quicko publishes its free Basic and Rs 999 Essential plans, ClearTax lists plan prices on its filing pages, and TaxBuddy publishes its own plan table. Treat any site claiming a completely free TaxBuddy plan as out of date. Paying can be worth it for expert review, but that is a purchase, not a free filing.
What documents should you keep ready before you start?
Five things cover most returns: Form 16 from your employer, your Annual Information Statement and Taxpayer Information Summary from the portal, bank interest certificates, capital gains statements from your broker, and deduction proofs if you are using the old regime. Add Aadhaar linked to your PAN for OTP e-verification.
- Form 16 and Form 16A: salary and TDS details, plus TDS certificates for interest or fees.
- AIS and TIS: download both from the portal and cross-check every entry; mismatches cause most notices.
- Bank statements and interest certificates: savings and deposit interest must be reported even without TDS; broker statements cover capital gains.
- Old regime proofs: 80C receipts, HRA rent receipts, home loan interest certificate and 80D premium receipts.
Keeping these organised through the year is the same habit our guide to the best free budgeting apps builds for everyday money.
How do you file free on the government portal, step by step?
Register on incometax.gov.in with your PAN, start a return for assessment year 2026-27, pick the form that matches your income, check every pre-filled figure against your AIS and Form 16, choose the cheaper regime, pay any balance tax, submit, and e-verify within 30 days. Most salaried returns take under an hour.
- Register and log in. Your PAN is your user ID; link Aadhaar, as filing is blocked without it.
- Pick the right form. ITR-1 covers most salaried individuals up to Rs 50 lakh. ITR-2 covers capital gains; ITR-3 and ITR-4 cover business and professional income.
- Let the data pre-fill, then verify it. Match every figure against Form 16 and your AIS; add anything missing, such as savings interest.
- Choose your regime and claim deductions. Use the portal’s comparison; on the old regime, enter 80C, 80D and HRA exactly.
- Review the computation and pay any balance. The portal shows tax, TDS paid and the refund or amount due. Pay any balance before submitting.
- Submit and e-verify within 30 days. Aadhaar OTP is fastest; net banking and EVC also work. An unverified return is treated as never filed.
New to paying the challan by UPI? Our UPI guide for beginners walks through it.
Missed the 31 July deadline? What does filing late cost now?
You can still file a belated return for AY 2026-27 until 31 December 2026, and for most individuals that December date, not July, is now the live deadline. It costs a late fee of Rs 5,000 under section 234F, or Rs 1,000 if your income is Rs 5 lakh or less, plus interest on unpaid tax.
The interest is section 234A: 1 percent a month on unpaid tax. On Rs 20,000 filed three months late, that is Rs 600; if TDS covers your liability, only the fee applies. Two consequences matter more. Capital and business losses cannot be carried forward on a belated return, though a house property loss can. The September extension, CBDT Circular 07/2026, moved only audit-case returns, to 21 November 2026. After 31 December, only an updated return, ITR-U, remains, with 25 to 70 percent additional tax and no refund.
What mistakes turn a free filing into an expensive one?
The costly errors are boring ones: accepting pre-filled data without checking your AIS, filing ITR-1 when you have capital gains, forgetting to e-verify within 30 days, and leaving exempt income such as PPF interest out of the return. Each invites a notice, a defective tag, or a lost refund.
- Ignoring the AIS: the department already sees your interest, dividends and high-value transactions. Report everything; use AIS feedback for wrong entries.
- Skipping e-verification: submission alone does not complete filing.
- Wrong form: ITR-1 with capital gains invites a defective return notice.
- Unreported exempt income: PPF interest and agricultural income are exempt, but still belong in the exempt income schedule.
- Deductions without proof: keep receipts for six years; claims can be examined later.
Frequently asked questions
Is the government portal really free for every ITR form?
Yes. The portal charges nothing for ITR-1 through ITR-7, including schedules for capital gains, business income and foreign assets. What you give up versus a paid platform is hand-holding, not capability.
I missed 31 July 2026. Can I still file for AY 2026-27?
Yes, as a belated return under section 139(4), until 31 December 2026. Expect the section 234F fee of Rs 5,000, or Rs 1,000 if your income is Rs 5 lakh or less, plus 1 percent monthly interest on unpaid tax. Do not wait for December; the clock is running.
Do I need to file if my income is below Rs 4 lakh?
Not legally, in most cases: your income is under the new regime basic exemption limit for FY 2025-26. File anyway if TDS was deducted and you want it back, for income proof for a loan or visa, or if high-value transactions make filing compulsory.
What happens if I submit but never e-verify?
The return is treated as not filed at all. Verify within 30 days, ideally immediately, using Aadhaar OTP, net banking or an EVC. If the 30 days have passed, ask the e-filing helpdesk about condonation.
Can I fix a return I filed with a mistake?
Yes. A revised return under section 139(5) corrects an original or belated return, and for AY 2026-27 it runs until 31 December 2026. Fixing a mistake yourself is cheaper than waiting for the department.
What should you do this week?
If you have not filed for FY 2025-26, make it this week’s task: download your AIS, file the belated return on the free portal, and e-verify the same day. Every month of delay adds 1 percent interest on unpaid tax, and 31 December 2026 is a hard stop after which only ITR-U remains.
What it means for your money: the filing itself costs nothing, and the savings are real. A refund claimed is money back in your account, a loss carried forward on time can cut a future tax bill, and the Rs 5,000 late fee is the most you should pay for this year’s delay. When a refund lands, give it a job in your monthly budget system; if you are starting to invest, see our guide to building a portfolio with no money. This guide is educational information, not tax advice; verify slabs and deadlines on the official portal and consult a chartered accountant for complex cases.
