ITR Filing 2025: Missing These 2 Steps Before Filing ITR Could Delay Your Refund or Trigger a Tax Notice!

The Income Tax Department has made tax filing much easier in recent years. The e-filing portal now auto-fills many details from your previous filings, Form 26AS, and AIS (Annual Information Statement), reducing the manual work for taxpayers.

However, just because the portal auto-fills your data doesn’t mean you can skip verifying it. Before submitting your Income Tax Return (ITR), it’s important to carefully check your Form 26AS and AIS. Ignoring these could lead to refund delays or even an income tax notice.

Why You Must Check Form 26AS and AIS

Both these forms work like a financial mirror. They help you confirm that all income details and tax deductions are correctly reported. If you file your ITR without reviewing them, there might be mistakes or missing entries, leading to problems later.

What is Form 26AS?

Form 26AS is a tax credit statement that shows how much tax has been deposited against your PAN. It includes:

• TDS (tax deducted at source) on salary and other income
• Advance tax and self-assessment tax payments
• Refunds issued
• High-value transactions (like property purchases or mutual fund investments)

If something is missing (like a TDS entry), you can contact the deductor (like your employer or bank) to fix it.

What is AIS?

The Annual Information Statement (AIS) is a more detailed version of Form 26AS. It shows:

• Bank interest
• Dividend income
• Share and mutual fund transactions
• Rent received
• Foreign remittances
• Big credit card expenses

AIS offers a full view of your financial activity and helps you ensure that all income sources are correctly included in your ITR. If you spot an error, you can submit feedback directly on the portal to request corrections.

Difference Between Form 26AS and AIS

According to the Income Tax website:

• Form 26AS lists taxes deducted/collected, property purchases, and high-value investments.
• AIS includes all that plus interest on savings, dividend income, rent, securities transactions, foreign payments, and GST turnover.
  AIS also allows taxpayers to give feedback on any incorrect or missing data.

Read More, ITR Filing 2025: ITR Filing Made Easy with Digital Form 16

What Should You Do Before Filing ITR for AY 2025–26?

Before filing your return:

• Review Form 26AS and AIS carefully
• Make sure all your income, taxes paid, and investments are correctly reflected
• Correct any errors before submission

This small step will help you avoid mistakes, prevent refund delays, and reduce the risk of getting a tax notice.

Remember, the last date to file ITR for AY 2025–26 is 31 July 2025 (for individuals not requiring audit). Even though the ITR utilities are not fully updated yet, you can start reviewing your Form 26AS and AIS now to avoid last-minute stress.

Conclusion

Form 26AS and AIS act as your financial report cards. Verifying them ensures that your income, taxes, and deductions are accurately reported. This simple yet crucial step can save you from future complications like refund delays or tax notices. So, don’t wait—start reviewing your tax data today and file your ITR stress-free before the 31 July 2025 deadline!

Disclaimer: This blog has been written exclusively for educational purposes. The securities mentioned are only examples and not recommendations. This does not constitute a personal recommendation/investment advice. It does not aim to influence any individual or entity to make investment decisions. Recipients should conduct their own research and assessments to form an independent opinion about investment decisions.                  

Investments in the securities market are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing.