ITR filing 2025-26: Errors in your form? Here's how you can fix them, avoid penalties

Revise your returns to correct errors, omissions and avoid penalties

The annual income tax return (ITR) filing exercise is often tedious, as it involves a lot of paperwork, complex forms, rules and often glitches in the annual information statement (AIS) and even official ITR e-filing utilities.

The government has extended the date for filing ITR for the financial year 2024-25 (assessment year 2025-26) to September 15  but leaving it to the last moment can lead to errors.

Those filing returns using forms ITR-1 and ITR-4, in particular, should complete the task at the earliest, as the online excel utilities were released sometime ago. If you notice errors in your ITR forms such as omission of some sources of income you can revise rectify them.

Revise your returns to avoid notices later

These mistakes can range from grave — concealing some sources of income — to minor ones such as errors while entering bank account details. If you spot the error in time, you can revise the return before December 31, the date for filing late returns.

Here are some common errors:

- Faulty selection of ITR form

- Errors in personal information

- Wrong bank account details

- Missing out on declaring all incomes

- Paying excess tax by not claiming deductions you were entitled to

- Claiming deductions that don't have documentary proofs

If you spot errors, especially if you have missed reporting any income — for example, foreign bank or pension account, ESOPs from multinational companies, etc — you must file a revised return to avoid income-tax notices.

Not declaring foreign income or assets will invite penalties under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015, though non-disclosure of movable foreign assets worth less than Rs 20 lakh will not attract penalties after an amendment in Budget 2024.

Also read: Income tax return filing: ITR forms for AY 2025–26 notified — check key changes

How to revise returns

To revise your returns, log on to the e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in). Go to 'E-file', click on 'File income tax return’, choose the relevant assessment year and click on 'Revised return under Section 139(5)'. While revising the return, ensure that you mention the acknowledgement number of the original return.

If you have filed your returns offline, in paper format, which super senior citizens or those aged 80 and above are allowed to do, the revision cannot be made online. They will have to use the paper mode to revise the returns.

Your return needs to be revised three months before the end of the relevant assessment year or before the completion of the assessment, whichever is earlier. So, for assessment year 2025-26, the due date for filing a revised return is December 31, 2025.

This is also the last date for filing belated returns. You can revise belated returns, too. There is no bar on the number of times you can revise your returns. And you do not have to pay any additional charges or penalties for revising returns. You can even revise returns after the refund is processed.

Like the original return, ensure that you verify the revised returns, too, within 30 days of submitting them online.

Also read: Filing ITR? Four key points salaried taxpayers should keep in mind

Filing updated returns 

Some taxpayers may miss revising their return by December 31. They still have the option of updating their ITR.

The Finance Act 2025-26 extended the limit for filing updated returns from 24 months to 48 months from the end of the relevant assessment year. Taxpayers who wish to correct their original or belated returns can use this facility by furnishing the details in Form ITR-U.

Introduced in Budget 2023, Section 139(8A) of the Income Tax Act allows taxpayers to file updated returns, irrespective of whether the person has filed the original, belated or revised return.

The condition is that you should have tax liability — that is, if you owe the income tax department some dues. For example, you can file updated returns to declare additional income and pay the tax but not to claim a loss or an increased refund. You will have to pay to pay penalties on the tax payable while filing updated returns.