ITR for FY25-26: 5 Mistakes That Invite Tax

Filing your ITR wrong or leaving out income can trigger a notice from the Income Tax Department. Knowing these 5 common red flags helps you file clean and stay safe this season.

Here's what happened: The Income Tax Department uses AIS (Annual Information Statement) and Form 26AS to cross-check every rupee you report in your ITR — mismatches trigger automatic notices.. Common mismatch triggers include: salary income not matching Form 16, TDS credits differing from 26AS, interest income from FDs or savings accounts left unreported, and capital gains from stocks or mutual funds omitted.. The AIS now captures data from banks, brokers, registrars, and even freelance platforms — so income you think is invisible to the department is almost certainly already logged..

What you should do: Download your AIS and Form 26AS from the Income Tax portal (incometax.gov.in) before filing — compare every entry against your own records and resolve any mismatch first.. Report ALL interest income — savings account interest above ₹10,000, FD interest, RD interest, and post office deposits — even if TDS was already deducted by the bank.. If you sold mutual funds or stocks between April 2024 and March 2025, report exact gain/loss figures from your broker's capital gains statement — don't estimate or round off numbers..

Pro tip: If you spot an error in your AIS, you can raise a 'feedback' flag directly on the portal — the department takes this into account and it protects you during scrutiny.