ITR 2026: 5 Ways to File — Which Costs You Less?
You do not have to file your income tax return only on the government portal. Several fintech platforms and CA services let you file online, some free, some paid. Here is what each option costs and who it suits best.
Filing ITR on the free government portal costs ₹0 — same as your morning chai, but only if you DIY.
What you could pay to file your ITR depending on where you go
Key Takeaways
Visit incometax.gov.in first — if your income is simple (salary + FD interest), you can file free in under 30 minutes.
Compare fintech platform fees before paying — most charge ₹500–₹3,000 depending on income complexity and CA support level.
Keep Form 16, AIS (Annual Information Statement), and bank statements ready before you start on any platform to avoid mid-way errors.
You do not have to file your income tax return only on the government portal. Several fintech platforms and CA services let you file online, some free, some paid. Here is what each option costs and who it suits best.
Here's what happened: The ITR filing deadline for AY 2026-27 is July 31, 2026 for salaried individuals with no audit requirement.. Fintech platforms like ClearTax, Tax2Win, myITreturn, and EZTax offer guided ITR filing with expert assistance at varying fees.. The Income Tax Department's own e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in) remains free for all taxpayers to use directly..
What you should do: Visit incometax.gov.in first — if your income is simple (salary + FD interest), you can file free in under 30 minutes.. Compare fintech platform fees before paying — most charge ₹500–₹3,000 depending on income complexity and CA support level.. Keep Form 16, AIS (Annual Information Statement), and bank statements ready before you start on any platform to avoid mid-way errors..
Your AIS on the income tax portal pre-fills most income details automatically — download it before filing anywhere to catch discrepancies that could trigger a notice later.
For readers weighing their credit and loan options, our personal loan guide and CIBIL score resources put this update in context.
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- [1]“ITR filing 2026: Where to file return online other than the tax portal; Know the charges” mint - money · 29 Jul 2026
This article is reported by GoCredit's Editorial Team based on the source above. GoCredit synthesises, contextualises, and adds India-borrower-relevant analysis. We are not the original publisher.