AY 2020-21 Income Tax Return Filing Tips | Which ITR Form should you file?

The Central Board of Direct Taxes has recently notified the new ITR Forms for AY 20-21 Income Tax Return Filing (for FY 2019-20).

Normally, the last date to file ITR is 31st July. But, due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the due date for AY 2020-21 income tax return filing has been extended to 30th November, 2020.

Below infographic gives you an idea about the various new income tax deadlines applicable to AY 2019-20 & AY 2020-21.

AY-2020-21-Income-Tax-Deadlines-FY-2019-20-ITR-Filing-due-date-TDS-Form-16-Sec-80c-tax-deduction-latest
Income Tax Due Date Extensions AY 2020-21

Income Tax Slab Rates for FY 2019-20 / AY 2020-21

Be aware of the applicable income tax slabs and rates before filing your ITR.

Income Tax Slabs & Rates FY 2019-20 / AY 2020-21
Income Tax Slabs & Rates FY 2019-20 / AY 2020-21

Based on the Finance Bill 2019-20, some important proposals (as listed below) have been implemented in FY 2019-20. Let’s revise some of them!

  • Surcharge on Individuals with income above Rs 2 cr has been increased.
  • New Section 80EEA for Income Tax Deduction on Home Loan Interest Payment was introduced.
  • New Section 80EEB for Income Tax Deduction of Rs 1.5 Lakh on Purchase of e-Vehicle was introduced.
  • Standard Deduction for FY 2019-20 / AY 2020-21 has been increased to Rs 50,000.
  • Income upto Rs 5,00,000 is exempted from income tax (Tax Rebate u/s 87a).
  • No tax deducted at source (TDS) for interest income of up to Rs 40,000
  • No notional rent on second Self-Occupied Home.
  • Long Term Capital Gains (of up to Rs 2 cr) tax exemption on Sale of Property.
  • Mandatory filing of Income Tax Return if you have deposited more than Rs. 1 crore in a current account.
  • Gifts to NRIs (non-relatives) are now Taxable. 

For more information on the above mentioned points, you may kindly go through this article @ ‘Important & Comprehensive list of Budget 2019-20 Proposals related to Personal Finance | W.e.f AY 2020-21.’

AY 2020-21 Income Tax Return Filing | Important changes in New ITR Forms

Below are some of the important changes that are incorporated in the notified new ITR forms of AY 2020-21;

  • Interchangeability of PAN and Aadhaar Number has been introduced in the new ITR Forms. Now, while filing ITR-1, ITR-2, ITR-3 or ITR-4, an Individual assessee having Aadhaar Number but not having a PAN can file his/her ITR by just quoting his/her Aadhaar Number.
    • Similarly, in case of let-out property, instead of PAN and TAN details of the Tenant, Aadhaar Number of the Tenant can be provided if the tenant is an Individual.
    •  In case the Return of Income is being filed by a representative assessee, now there is an option to give either the PAN or the Aadhaar Number of such person. 
Notified ITR 1 Form AY 2020-21 PAN Aadhaar interchangeability
Notified ITR 1 Form AY 2020-21 | PAN & Aadhaar interchangeability
  • Under Nature of Employment section of ITR-1 form, Government employees have been bifurcated as Central Govt. and State Govt. employees. The other options like PSU, Pensioners and Others are provided. Also, a new option “NA” has been added to the list. This option can be used by individuals claiming Family Pension, etc.
Notified ITR 1 ITR 2 ITR3 ITR $ Forms AY 2020-21 Nature of employment
New ITR Forms AY 2020-21 | Nature of Employment options
  • “Schedule DI- Details of Investment” has been incorporated in all the ITR Forms, for declaring any investments/ deposits/ payments made during the period 01.04.2020 to 30.06.2020 (new revised date is 31-07-2020) for the purpose of claiming any deduction under Chapter VIA. This schedule varies according to requirements of the related ITR.
    • Kindly note that, any tax-saving investment between April and July period, is eligible for deduction either in the FY 2019-20 or FY 2020-21.
    • You can choose the financial year in which you want to claim the benefits. However, ensure that you don’t claim the deduction for one investment in both the financial years.
FY 2019-20 AY 2020-21 ITR forms Schedule DI Details of investments for claiming tax deductions
Details of Investments for claiming Tax Deductions – Schedule DI
  • The Finance Bill 2019-20 has made ITR filing compulsory for persons (otherwise not required to file Return of Income); (The same has to be declared in ITRforms.)
    • Who have deposited more than Rs. 1 crore in a current account in a year, or
    • Who have expended more than Rs. 2 lakh on foreign travel,
    • Electricity consumption bill of more than Rs. 1 lakh, or
    • Persons claiming the benefits of tax exemption for long term capital gains under various provisions under section 54 of the Income Tax Act.
Seventh proviso to section 139 (1) Rs 1 cr current account deposit

FY 2019-20 Income Tax Filing | Which ITR form to file?

AY 2020-21 Income Tax Return Filing New ITR Forms Which ITR form to file FY 2019-20
AY 2020-21 Income Tax Return Filing | New ITR Forms Which ITR form to file?

Who can file New ITR 1 (Sahaj) Form For AY 2020-21 Income Tax Return Filing?

The resident individual whose Total Income includes one or more of the following needs to file ITR-1.

  • The Total Income is not exceeding Rs 50 Lakh.
  • If you have Income from only one house property, except when the loss is brought forward from previous year.
  • Agriculture income does not exceed Rs 5,000.
  • There is no income from capital gain (or) income from business / profession.
  • There is Income from other sources excluding Income from Lottery and Horse Races.

In case you are a you are a Director of a company, you own foreign assets or have generated foreign Income (or) you are a Resident not Ordinary Resident (RNOR) and Non-Resident then you can not file ITR-1 form.

Who can file New ITR-2 Form for Assessment year 2020-21?

Individuals / HUFs can file ITR-2 based on the following conditions:

  • When your Total Income exceeds Rs 50,00,000 and it includes income from all or any of these three sources; Income from salary, Income from house property, and Income from other sources (including Lottery and winning Horse Race).
  • If you have agricultural income more than Rs 5,000.
  • If you are a Director of a company.
  • Income from Capital Gains.
  • If you held investment in unlisted shares at any time during the financial year.
  • You own foreign assets or received foreign Income.
  • You are either Resident Not Ordinary Resident (RNOR) or Non-Resident.

In case you have Income from business or profession, ITR-2 is not applicable to you.

Who can file New ITR 3 Form for AY 2020-21?

ITR-3 is applicable only to individuals or a Hindu Undivided Family who is carrying on any proprietary business or any profession. The eligible incomes are:

  • In case the assessee is an individual Director in a company.
  • If you have income as a partner in a firm.
  • If you carry on any business or profession.

This ITR covers all kind of businesses and professions irrespective of any income limit. Assessee can also report his income from salary, multiple house properties, lottery winnings, capital gains, speculative income i.e. horse race in ITR3 together with the Business Income.

Who can file New ITR 4 Form for AY 2020-21?

This form is applicable;

  • For Individuals, HUFs and Firms (other than LLP) being a resident having total income upto Rs.50 lakh and having income from business and profession 
  • No Capital Gains  
  • Agricultural Income which is less than Rs 5k  
  • No asset in foreign country or no income from a source outside India  
  • Income from one house property  
  • Income from other sources.

ITR-4 is also known as Sugam. All those assessees who have opted for presumptive income tax scheme, or they are individual or HUF or Partnership Firm (except LLPs) carrying on any business or profession and have an annual business turnover up to Rs 2 Cr can file ITR-4 (Sugam) form.

Applicability of ITR-5 form

The ITR-5 is applicable for LLPs (Limited Liability Partnership), AOPs (Association of Persons), AJP (Artificial Juridical Person), BOIs (Body of Individuals), business trust and investment fund, for Estate of a deceased and the Estate of insolvent.

Important points to consider before filing your ITR :

  • Before you file your Income Tax returns, check if your Form 26 AS has correct TDS entries.
    • For example: Your employer might have deducted TDS amount for last quarter and deposited the amount on your behalf. Check for this transaction in Form 26 AS. Also, check whether all the investments with TDS have been duly mentioned in your Tax return form also. Any mismatch will lead to a notice from the department. (Note that new Form 26AS format is applicable from FY 2020-21 / AY 2021-22.)
  • Do not file your ITR till you get Form-16 (issued by your employer, if salaried) and Form 16A. While Form 16 is for only salary income, Form 16A is applicable for TDS on Income Other than salary. Form 16A is a statement containing all details of TDS Deducted on all Payments except Salary. For example, Form 16A is issued by banks when they deduct TDS on interest income earned on your Fixed Deposits / Recurring Deposits. (Employers have to issue Forms 16 by 15th August, 2020.)
    • Form16, Form 16A and Form 26AS documents will come handy while filing your ITR. As discussed above, you have most of the details in your form 16 with which you can easily file your Tax Returns. Cross check your Form 16/16A TDS amounts with Form 26AS and then key in TDS details in ITR accordingly.
    • Based on Form 16, you can fill ‘Income’ and ‘TDS’ details. By looking at your Form 16 A, you can fill ‘income from other sources’ and ‘TDS’ details in ITR sheet.
    • Based on Form 26AS, you can cross check the above TDS payments and also fill in details of ‘Advance or self assessment tax’ payments (if any) in your ITR sheet.
  •  If you had joined a new company during the financial year then do not forget to declare the income from previous employer in the tax return.
  • In case, if your declared investment amount (to your employer) is more than your actual investments, you have to pay additional taxes while filing your Income Tax Return
  • In case, if your declared amount is less than your actual investments, your company might have deducted higher TDS. So, you can claim this as ‘refund‘ while filing your taxes. (Kindly read : ‘TDS & Misconceptions‘)
  • Even if you miss the deadline for submitting the investment proofs, you can still claim all the tax deductions while filing your Income Tax Return.
  • In case, you are filing ITR through an auditor/CA, advisable to check the ITR-Draft version thoroughly before submitting the ITR-final to the IT dept.
  • It is advisable to keep copies of all your original documents for your future reference.

Tax evasion is illegal. Do note that non-disclosure of income & non-filing of ITR may attract penalties and also has severe consequences. So, file your income tax return on time.

Continue reading :

  1. Income Tax Deductions List FY 2019-20 | List of important Income Tax Exemptions for AY 2020-21
  2. Income Tax Exemption Vs Tax Deduction Vs Tax Rebate Vs TDS | Key Differences
  3. How Income Tax Department tracks the High Value Financial Transactions?
  4. Income Tax Deductions List FY 2020-21 | New Vs Old Tax Regime AY 2021-22

(Post first published on : 07-August-2020)

Join our channels

  • LAVA KUMAR says:

    WHAT IS THE PASSWORD TO OPEN ITR FILE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FY 1920-21

  • G. Ramachandran says:

    Sir, one of my friends wants to let out his house
    on lease accepting 10 lakhs for 11 months and no
    rent. What will be his tax liabity? if any. Kindly
    explain sir.

    • Sreekanth Reddy says:

      Dear Ramachandran,
      As this is a refundable deposit (without any interest), I believe it is non-taxable.
      You may kindly check with a CA as well.

  • Ranbir says:

    Dear Sir,
    My Form 26AS tallies with Part A of Form 16, that is Tax collected by bank and deposited with Income Tax department. Somehow part B of Form 16 is showing Rs 2 Lacs extra on account of pension received from them. This happens to be correct. Please suggest as to how to go about it for filing ITR for AY 2020-21.

    • Sreekanth Reddy says:

      Dear Ranbir,
      Pension is a taxable income.
      If its ITR-1, you can file it by yourself on e-filing portal. Kindly visit their HELP section to understand the ‘ITR filing’ process..

  • Manoj says:

    Dear Sir,

    My father has given some of Rs 5 lac to his friend’s company, & on that money every month Company will give us Rs 5000 as an interest. now i have below some question

    1) Amount given by way of cheque from my father saving account. But every month Company will credit Interest amount in my saving account. So
    A) Is it right way or not ??
    B) Interest credit in my account so in whose ITR that amount should show ?? (Father or Son ??)
    C) Which ITR should i use for that income
    D) Interest income comes under which head in ITR ??
    E) Now for e.g. after 3 Year Principal amount (Rs 5 Lac) if credit in My account (instead of My father account, )then is it become income for me ?? or not ??

  • Janvi Mehta says:

    Dear Sir,
    As i have filed income tax return for A.Y.2021-21, But in that return as my Leave en cash ment For the year 2019-20 was not done from my Company due to corona situation. so i have not shown leave salary income in ITR & i have filed income tax return for F.Y.2019-20 on 20th July 2020.

    But as on today i.e. dt 26.08.2020 i have got My Leave en cash ment. So let me know what should i do ??

    Either i should file revised Income Tax return for F.Y. 2019-20 ?? because yet not delay last date is 30th Nov 2020.

    Or

    I should show that income in Income Tax return of F.Y. 2020-21 ??

    Please advice

    • Sreekanth Reddy says:

      Dear Janvi,
      Is your income tax return processed?

      • janvi says:

        No, Sir not yet processed

        • Sreekanth Reddy says:

          Dear janvi,
          You may revise your ITR filing..

          • Janvi says:

            Sir,
            Can i show that Leave salary income in ITR of F.Y. 2020-21 ?? because that amount is credit in this year i.e. 25.08.2020 so is it ok or not ??

          • Sreekanth Reddy says:

            Dear Janvi,
            I missed the date!
            As the date of credit happened in FY 2020-21, you can include it in ITR of AY 2021-22.

            Leave encashed during service is fully taxable and gets added to “income from salary” for taxation. This is applicable for government as well as private company employees.

            However, if the dues are not paid in the same year in which you were entitled to the leaves but are paid in any other year when a higher tax slab is applicable to you, you are entitled to some tax relief. If the total income includes any dues from past years paid in the current year, you do not need to pay a higher rate applicable to your current slab rate if the dues are from years when you were in the lower tax slab.

            In short, you don’t need to pay more taxes if there was a delay in payment to you and you were in a lower tax bracket for the year you received the money. This relief is permitted under Section 89 to help you avoid additional tax burden. The benefit under Section 89 is admissible when you are still in service.

            Related article : Leave Encashment & Tax Implications

  • Nikhil Ranjan Chaudhuri says:

    Highly informative and useful.

  • Vipan Kumar verma says:

    How much time time take INCOME Tax department after ITR e verify of ITR as a routine in general .

  • Vipan Kumar verma says:

    As the last date of ITR filling for F.Y. 2019-20 is 30th Nov.2020 ; but I want to know what is the start date of filling .I filled my ITR ON 6th July 20 as there was refund on Dr.citizen scheame of post office.But more than 39 days completed no refund processed. Being at.citizen nominal EPS 95 Pension Rs.2712/- P.M. & interest etc. How long it will refund e verify was done on the same day of ITR filling.

  • Raja says:

    Hi Sreekanth,
    My wife is currently not employed from last year financial year. For filling tax when we checked the traces 26A form, we found a entry called SFT -005 Time deposit.
    We understand that we transfer the amount from our joined account to my wife’s personal account and open an FD.
    Do we need to submit any forms for this SFT-005 ? if yes , what information we need to provide?
    Thanks & Regards,
    Raja

    • Sreekanth Reddy says:

      Dear Raja,
      There is no need to submit any specific form as long as this properly accounted in your ITRs.
      In case, you receive a compliance notice from the IT dept, you can reply to it by justifying your stand.

  • radhaaariv says:

    Hello Sreekanth, Thank you for sharing the detailed information about ITR. Great work and guidance. This blog post is exactly what i was actualy looking for. I am really glad to say that you have done a fab-work.

  • Pradeep says:

    If my income is less than 50 Lacs through salary, rental income and capital gains, which form should I use?
    Certainly not ITR 1 since capital gains not covered in it but ITR 2 says income must be above 50 Lacs.
    Quite confusing this.

  • >
    Scroll to Top