The ITR-1 Form, also called Sahaj (meaning easy in Hindi), is the Income Tax Return Form for salaried individuals (i.e. salary/pension/family pension and interest income).
The due date of filing the ITR-1 form for the Financial Year 2015-16 is 31 July, 2016.
ITR -1 should be filed for an assessment year, when Total Income of an Individual includes:
In case of clubbed Income Tax Returns, where a spouse or a minor is included, this can be done only if their income too is limited to the above specifications.
Individuals who are not eligible to fill the ITR-1 SAHAJ form are those who have earned Income through the following means:
What is the structure of the ITR-1 Form?
ITR-1 is divided into:
The ITR-1 Form can also not be used if you are claiming double taxation relief under Section 90/90A/91.
Documents which you should keep in hand before filling out your ITR-1 form are:
The ITR-1 Form can also not be used if you are claiming double taxation relief under Section 90/90A/91.
Revised Return: If you have already filed your income tax return but you later discover that you have made a mistake in it, you can re-file. This is called a Revised Return. For the Financial Year 2015-16, you can file your Revised Return till March 31, 2017.
Notice Number: You should fill this in only if you are filing your return in response to a notice from the Income Tax Department.
Advance Tax: For salaried individuals, TDS mostly takes care of advance tax payments. However you might have other forms of income – like interest on savings bank accounts, fixed deposits, rental income, bonds or capital gains. If tax on income is more than Rs. 10,000 per year, you are required to estimate your income and pay Advance Tax. This has to be paid in quarterly installments in September, December and March.
Self Assessment Tax Payments: This is the difference between tax payable and tax paid and it needs to be paid before you file your return. When you fill out the form for the first time, you won’t know whether Self Assessment Tax has to be paid or not. So fill out the form first along with the Advance Tax details, if paid. Compute your income and if after computing, you find that tax is still payable pay it and then fill in the details in this section.
Annexure-less Return: ITR-1 Form is an Annexure-less return. This means that you do not have to attach any documents (such as Form 16/Form 26AS) with the ITR-1 Form.
Arun rents out his apartment. Since he owns just one property, he files ITR-1.
How do I file my ITR-1 Form?
You can submit your ITR-1 Form either online or offline. From the Financial Year 2013-14, all taxpayers earning more than Rs. 5 lakhs must furnish their Income Tax Returns electronically, through either Mode 3 or Mode 4 mentioned here.
The Income Tax Department will issue you an acknowledgment at the time of submission of your physical paper return.
If you submit your ITR-1 Form electronically under digital signature, the acknowledgment will be sent to your registered email id. You can also choose to download it manually from the income tax website. You are then required to sign it and send it to the Income Tax Department’s CPC office in Bangalore within 120 days of e-filing.
Can all salaried individuals file ITR-1?
You can only file ITR-1 if the exemptions you claim under Section 10 are less than or equal to Rs. 5,000.
I am supposed to file ITR-2 and not ITR-1 if my maximum exempted income exceeds Rs. 5,000. I am confused – what qualifies as exempted income?
You should file ITR-2 if your maximum exempted income exceeds Rs. 5,000. Certain incomes are exempt under Section 10 of the Income Tax Act. Allowances which may be exempt to a certain extent include:
Gratuity, leave encashment and pension may be exempt under Section 10 of the Act.
I have a House Property loan. Can I file ITR-1?
Yes you can.
I have Rental Income. Can I file ITR-1?
Once again, the answer is yes.
While filing ITR-1 should Interest Income be shown in Income from Other Sources if TDS has already been deducted?
Yes, you should always include Interest Income under Income from Other Sources, even if tax has been deducted by the bank.
My company provides me with ‘medical reimbursement’ of Rs. 15,000 as part of my salary. I have only claimed medical expenses worth Rs. 6,000 during the year. How much tax will be deducted if I don’t submit medical proofs for the remainder of the Rs.15,000?
The I-T Department allows medical reimbursement of up to Rs.15,000. You must however furnish the necessary bills to your employer to claim this. The remaining unclaimed amount of the Rs.15,000 is added to your taxable salary. And your taxable salary is taxed at the slab rate you belong to. The bills must be between April last year to March this year.
There is no refund due to me. Do I still have to fill in my Bank Account details in the Income Tax Return?
Yes, it is mandatory to fill in your bank account details. This is because it has been noticed that many taxpayers pay more than their required tax liability. In such cases, it is important for the Income Tax Department to send refunds within a certain amount of time. If you do not fill in your bank account details, the process would be considerably delayed.
Is there any restrictions on the number of returns I can file using one email id and mobile number?
Yes, you can only file 10 returns using the same email id and mobile number.
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