Good news for taxpayers! The Income Tax Department has made the Excel utilities for ITR-1 and ITR-4 available for Assessment Year 2025–26. These can now be downloaded from the official portal to help you prepare your return for the financial year 2024–25. The IT Department posted on X, “Attention taxpayers! The Excel Utility for ITR-1 and ITR-4 for AY 2025-26 has been enabled and is now available for taxpayers.”
The update follows the extension of the ITR filing deadline to September 15, 2025. It gives taxpayers extra time to file their returns. The extension was announced due to updates in ITR forms, technical improvements on the portal and the need to correct TDS information. Here’s a quick overview of who can file using ITR-1 and ITR-4, and what’s different this year.
ITR-1, also known as Sahaj, is the simplest income tax return form and is perfect for salaried individuals or pensioners. You can use it if your income comes from a salary, one house property or other sources like interest from savings or fixed deposits.
A recent update now allows you to file ITR-1 even if you have long-term capital gains (LTCG) up to Rs 1.25 lakh under Section 112A, as long as no tax is payable on it. Earlier, such taxpayers had to use ITR-2. However, you can’t use ITR-1 if you have taxable capital gains, short-term capital gains, have sold property, or want to carry forward any losses.
ITR-4, also called Sugam, is designed for individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs), and firms (excluding LLPs) who opt for the presumptive income scheme. You can file this form if your income comes from a business or profession under Sections 44AD, 44ADA, or 44AE, and your total income for the year is up to Rs 50 lakh.
However, ITR-4 isn’t for you if you’re a company director, own unlisted shares, have income or assets abroad, or earn more than Rs5,000 from agriculture. Now that the Excel utilities are available, eligible taxpayers can get an early start on filing. Just make sure to pick the right form to avoid issues later on.
The Income Tax Department has given taxpayers more time to file their returns for the financial year 2024–25 (assessment year 2025–26). The original deadline of July 31, 2025, has now been extended to September 15, 2025. This extension comes as a relief, especially after delays in issuing the ITR form notifications.
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