India's Income Tax Department reports over 1.7 crore returns filed for AY 2026‑27

The Income Tax Department of India announced that more than 1.7 crore taxpayers have filed Income Tax Returns for Assessment Year (AY) 2026‑27, covering the 2025‑26 financial year. The update, posted on X on 11 July 2026, noted that over 10 lakh returns were submitted on the preceding Friday and urged remaining filers to comply before the July 31 deadline for ITR‑1 and ITR‑2 forms.

The department also released an Excel‑based utility for ITR‑7 on 9 July 2026, enabling eligible trusts, political parties, research institutions, hospitals and similar entities to prepare returns offline and upload a JSON file to the e‑filing portal. The utility, sized at 5.86 MB, is part of a broader rollout that earlier included Excel tools for ITR‑1 and ITR‑4.

Key filing forms: ITR‑1 (Sahaj) for individuals with income up to ₹50 lakh, ITR‑2 for those with capital‑gain income, and ITR‑7 for entities required under sections 139(4A‑D). Direct tax collections rose 14.64 % year‑on‑year to ₹5.21 lakh crore in the April‑June period of FY 27.

Taxpayers are reminded that missing the deadline may attract penalties ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹5,000, and early filing helps avoid technical glitches during the peak filing window.