Filing your Income Tax Return (ITR) means reporting a lot of details—from the income you earned in the year to the taxes you paid through TDS, TCS, or advance tax.
To put all this together accurately, you’ll need certain documents: income proofs, investment records, and tax deduction certificates. If you keep them handy in one place, filing your return becomes much easier.
Here’s a simple checklist of documents you’ll need to file your ITR:
1) Personal documents
These contain your identity details and are especially important if you’re filing your return for the first time.
- PAN
- Aadhaar
2) Bank documents
It’s mandatory to disclose all your active bank accounts—whether in India or abroad—in your ITR. You’ll need to report details like bank name, account number, IFSC code, and the total number of accounts. You can find these in your passbooks, chequebooks, or account statements.
You’ll also need certificates of interest income and TDS from banks to report interest earned on savings accounts and fixed deposits.
- Details of all bank accounts (domestic & foreign)
- Bank statements
- Annual interest statements (interest certificate)
- TDS certificates issued by banks
3) Tax documents
Documents like Form 26AS, AIS and TIS, provided by the Income Tax Department, contain a record of your income, investments, and taxes paid.
It’s also a good idea to keep copies of any challans for tax payments and your previous year’s return if you need to refer to them.
- Form 26AS
- Annual Information Statement (AIS)
- Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS)
- Challans of advance tax and self-assessment tax paid
- Previous year’s return copy
4) Income documents
Depending on your sources of income, you’ll need different sets of documents to report them correctly. For example, you’ll need Form 16 if you are a salaried employee, while freelancers and consultants should collect Form 16A. If you have income from a business or profession, you are required to maintain books of accounts and report those details accurately.
- Salaried: Form 16, monthly salary slips
- Form 16A (for freelancers/consultants)
- Financial statements for business/profession: P&L statement, balance sheet
- Income from stocks/MFs/ETFs: Broker trade books, P&L report, Tax P&L report
5) Real estate documents
If you earned rental income or bought/sold property, keep these ready:
- Rental income: Lease deed, tenant details
- Municipal tax receipts (can be claimed as expense)
- Sale of property: Purchase/sale deed, buyer’s PAN & Aadhaar
6) Deductions/expenses proofs
If you plan to claim deductions for tax-saving investments like ELSS funds, PPF, NPS, or insurance, or if you have expenses related to your business or profession, these are the documents needed.
- Rent receipts (to claim HRA/business expense)
- Home/education loan tax certificate
- Proof of investments: ELSS/PPF/NPS statements
- Health/life insurance premium receipts
- Donation receipts
- Receipts of business/profession expenses
7) Other documents
Lastly, a few more documents depending on whatever applies in your case.
- Foreign assets (stocks/funds): Reports from investment platform
- Details of ESOPs/RSUs/unlisted shares
- Details of exempt incomes like agricultural income, tax-free gifts
Please note this is not an exhaustive list and you might need more documents based on your profile and income situation.
Moreover, these documents are only required to furnish the details and none of these need to be submitted while filing your ITR. But, remember to keep them handy as you may need them in case of a scrutiny assessment or notice from the income tax department.
Happy tax filing!