ITR Filing Checklist 2025: Documents Every Taxpayer Must Gather Before Filing

The Income Tax Department has made ITR filing increasingly system-driven. Pre-filled data now includes salary, TDS, dividends, FDs, and high-value transactions pulled from AIS (Annual Information Statement) and Form 26AS. But pre-filled data is not always complete or correct — and it is your responsibility to verify every entry.

Here is the complete document checklist for AY 2025-26 (FY 2024-25).

Step 1: Access AIS and Form 26AS First

Before gathering any physical documents, download these two reports from the Income Tax portal:

• AIS (Annual Information Statement): Contains all information reported about you — salary, interest, dividends, property sales, foreign remittances, GST turnover, mutual funds
• Form 26AS: Tax credit statement — all TDS/TCS credited against your PAN, self-assessment tax paid, refunds

Cross check AIS with your actual income and investments. Report errors directly in the AIS feedback portal (takes 7–10 days to process).

Salary Income Documents

• ☐ Form 16 from all employers (Part A + Part B)
• ☐ Appointment/increment letters (for verifying HRA, allowances, perquisites)
• ☐ Leave travel allowance documentation (bills for travel claimed)
• ☐ Arrears of salary statement (for Section 89 relief calculation)
• ☐ Form 26AS / AIS — verify TDS matches Form 16

Capital Gains Documents

Depending on your investments:

Equity and Mutual Funds

• ☐ Capital Gains Statement from your broker / mutual fund registrar (CAMS, KFintech)
• ☐ STT (Securities Transaction Tax) paid statements — LTCG above ₹1,25,000 is taxable at 12.5% for FY 2024-25 (changed in Union Budget 2024)
• ☐ ELSS redemption details (for 80C status and gains)
• ☐ SGB (Sovereign Gold Bond) maturity / sale statements

Property Sale

• ☐ Sale deed with stamp duty valuation
• ☐ Original purchase deed (for indexed cost)
• ☐ Home loan closure statement (for re-investment in Section 54)
• ☐ Capital gains computation worksheet

Foreign Assets / Investments

• Schedule FA (Foreign Assets) is mandatory if you hold foreign bank accounts, stocks, ESOPs in foreign companies, or had foreign income.

Business or Professional Income Documents

• ☐ Books of accounts or profit summary (FY April to March)
• ☐ Invoices raised and received
• ☐ TDS certificates received from clients (Form 16A)
• ☐ Advance tax payment challans (Challan 280)
• ☐ GST annual turnover (must match Books)

Deduction Documents (Old Regime Only)

Rental Income Documents

• ☐ Rent receipts / bank transfers received from tenant
• ☐ Property tax payment receipts (deductible: 30% standard deduction on net of property tax)
• ☐ Home loan interest certificate (for let-out property: fully deductible against rental income)
• ☐ Municipal tax paid (if paid by owner)

Other Income Documents

• ☐ Bank FD interest certificates from all banks
• ☐ Savings account interest (₹10,000 exempt under 80TTA)
• ☐ Dividend statements (taxable in hands of shareholder)
• ☐ Partnership firm profit share (if partner in a firm)
• ☐ Freelance / other income invoices (not covered under TDS)

Key AY 2025-26 Changes to Know

1. LTCG threshold raised: Exempt LTCG on equity and equity MFs increased from ₹1L to ₹1.25L
2. STCG rate increased: Short-term capital gains on equity rose from 15% to 20% for sales after July 23, 2024
3. Indexation benefit removed: For property sold after July 23, 2024, indexation benefit is no longer available (20% tax without indexation OR 12.5% without indexation — choose per situation)
4. New regime surcharge: Surcharge rate on high income capped at 25% (down from 37%)

ITR Form Selection Guide

Filing the wrong ITR form is a defective filing — the department will send a Section 139(9) notice asking you to re-file.