While filing income tax returns, we need many documents. Many times it happens that while filing the return, we come to know that we do not have some important documents. Therefore, to avoid such problems while filing tax returns, it is important to keep all the necessary documents ready with you in advance. Although every taxpayer may need different documents according to their income and financial transactions, some documents are needed by most people.

Whether you work in a company, are a business owner, or have many other sources of income, some documents are mandatory for all taxpayers. To help you, today we are going to tell you a checklist of such documents here.

List of documents required to file ITR

Below is a list of the necessary documents you will need to file ITR for the financial year 2024-25 (assessment year 2025-26).

PAN Card: First comes your PAN (Permanent Account Number), which is very important for filing your ITR. It is used for TDS deduction and keep in mind that it should be linked to your bank account for direct income tax refund. If you are not able to find your PAN card, you can also use your Aadhaar number to file ITR.

Aadhaar Card: Under section 139AA of the Income Tax Act, you have to provide your Aadhaar details while filing your return. If you have applied for Aadhaar, and have not received it yet, you can use the enrollment ID in your ITR. Linking PAN and Aadhaar enables online verification of your ITR through OTP.

Form 16: This document is issued by your employer and contains details of your salary and TDS (Tax Deducted at Source). This is a very important document for salaried individuals filing ITR. Form 16 has two parts: Part A contains details of tax deducted by the company, and Part B contains TDS calculations such as salary breakup.

Form-16A/ Form-16B/ Form-16C: These forms are required for TDS deducted on income other than salary (such as deposits or income from the sale of property). Form 16A is issued to you by the bank or the paying institution, while Form 16B is related to property transactions, and Form 16C to rental income.

Bank Account detail: You have to disclose all active bank accounts in your ITR, as well as specify an account for a tax refund. A Bank statement or passbook is required to tell about the interest earned on savings account or fixed deposit.

Form 26AS: This is an annual tax statement that shows the tax deposited against your PAN. That is, in simple words, Form 26AS contains details of all your important financial transactions during the entire financial year. It includes TDS details of bank, employer, or other organization. To claim tax credit, it is necessary to match the information filled in your return with the details given in Form 26AS. If there is a difference between the two, the Income Tax Department can ask you for clarification.

Home Loan Statement: If you want to claim tax exemption on the interest of your home loan, then keep the interest certificate of the home loan ready with you, because you will need it while filing ITR. If you have taken a home loan, then you will easily get this statement from the bank.

Tax Saving Instruments: Keep the documents related to tax-saving investments such as FD (Fixed Deposit) or Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) ready in advance for filing tax, especially if you want to claim a tax deduction of up to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Capital gains details: If you have sold an asset like shares or property, then keep the broker statement or sale deeds to report the capital gain or loss on it.

Rental income: You will also have to declare the rental income from the property in your ITR.

Foreign income: To claim tax benefit or DTAA (Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement) benefit, documents related to income earned abroad are required. Taxpayers can claim deduction on tax paid to foreign governments in their country of residence i.e. where they live.

Dividend income: It is necessary to show the dividend income from investment in shares or mutual funds while filing the return. For this, you can extract details from broker statements or Demat account summaries.

You can make your tax filing process easier by keeping all these documents ready while filing your returns. Keep all these documents safe to show to your tax consultant or the income tax department later if required.

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