What Is ITR-1 Form? Meaning, Contents, and Who Fills It

Last updated: Oct 2026

The ITR-1 form is the income tax return that most salaried residents file. It is short because it holds only 4 kinds of income. This page covers assessment year (AY) 2026-27, which is income earned in financial year (FY) 2025-26.

• Name: Sahaj, a Hindi word for simple
• Who files: resident individuals, with total income up to Rs. 50 lakh
• Income held: salary or pension, up to 2 house properties, other sources, and Section 112A gains up to Rs. 1.25 lakh
• Not for: non-residents, directors, foreign assets or business income

• Dates for AY 2026-27: original 31 July 2026, belated 31 December 2026, revised 31 March 2027

  
  

Read the exclusions first, because a single ineligible item moves you to ITR-2. Check each limit against your own records before you open the portal, and keep Form 16 and the Annual Information Statement beside you.

The ITR-1 form is the simplest of the 7 income tax return forms notified for AY 2026-27. A resident individual uses it to report salary, house property and other income, claim deductions and show the tax paid.

It is called Sahaj. The form is meant for people whose income can be read straight from Form 16 and the Annual Information Statement (AIS). It cannot carry business income, foreign assets or most capital gains.

You can file it if all 6 conditions hold. The Central Board of Direct Taxes notified the AY 2026-27 forms through Notification 45/2026 of 30 March 2026.

Tax deducted under Section 194N, or tax on stock options that was deferred, also rules the form out. Sources differ on whether the Section 112A allowance began in AY 2025-26 or AY 2026-27, so check the form for your year.

It has 5 blocks, and each maps to a document you already hold.

For tax years from 1 April 2026, the Tax Credit statement is Form 168, according to one mapping. Match each pre-filled figure to your records.

Gather 6 documents before you start.

1. Form 16 from your employer, with Part A and Part B.
2. Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement.
3. Interest certificates from banks and post office accounts.
4. Rent receipts and the loan interest certificate, if you own let-out property.
5. Proofs for deductions, if you choose the old regime.

6. Your bank account details, for the refund.

   
   

Form 16 should reach you by 15 June, under Rule 31. Check the dates on it, because a change of job in the year means more than one Form 16.

The original date was 31 July 2026. A belated return can still be filed until 31 December 2026, with a fee under Section 234F of Rs. 1,000 for income up to Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 5,000 above that.

An updated return after 12 months from the end of the year costs 50% extra tax. See the guide to the income tax return last date for 2024 for how that works.

Consider Meena, a 36-year-old teacher in Jaipur with a salary of Rs. 14 lakh, a household income of Rs. 1.5 lakh a month and a CIBIL Score of 757. She owns 2 flats, one self-occupied and one rented, and earned Rs. 38,000 of bank interest.

She files ITR-1. She checks the interest against Form 26AS, pays the balance tax, and verifies the return within 30 days. See how to file ITR-1 for the steps.

Bajaj Finance reviews income documents, including returns for the last 2 years. A filed and verified ITR-1 is the document most salaried applicants provide. Bajaj Finance does not offer home loans to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).

Approval timelines can extend where a year's return is missing or unverified, and minimum income thresholds can differ by city. Check your home loan eligibility and compare forms in the guide to the difference between ITR-1 and ITR-2.