Wrong ITR Filed? Discard & Refile in 4 Steps
If you filed your income tax return with mistakes, the IT Department lets you discard it and file a fresh one — but only before you verify it. Miss that window and your new filing counts as a late return, attracting penalties.
One wrong ITR can cost you more than 50 cups of chai in penalties — and months of stress.
Your late ITR filing can cost you this much in fees
Key Takeaways
Log in to the Income Tax e-filing portal immediately and check whether your filed ITR is still pending verification — that is your discard window.
If you spot errors, discard the unverified return before hitting the e-verify button, then file a fresh, corrected return right away.
If the July 31 deadline has already passed, file the corrected belated return before December 31 of the assessment year to avoid a ₹10,000 maximum penalty.
If you filed your income tax return with mistakes, the IT Department lets you discard it and file a fresh one — but only before you verify it. Miss that window and your new filing counts as a late return, attracting penalties.
Here's what happened: The Income Tax Department allows taxpayers to discard a submitted ITR if they catch errors before completing e-verification.. Once discarded, you can file a completely fresh return — but if the original deadline has passed, the new one is treated as belated.. A belated ITR filed after the due date can attract a penalty of up to ₹5,000 and may restrict you from carrying forward certain losses..
What you should do: Log in to the Income Tax e-filing portal immediately and check whether your filed ITR is still pending verification — that is your discard window.. If you spot errors, discard the unverified return before hitting the e-verify button, then file a fresh, corrected return right away.. If the July 31 deadline has already passed, file the corrected belated return before December 31 of the assessment year to avoid a ₹10,000 maximum penalty..
Pro tip: Never e-verify a return you are unsure about. The discard option disappears the moment you verify — so double-check all income, deductions, and bank details first.
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- [1]“Made a mistake in filing income tax return? Here's how to discard it before verification” mint - money · 22 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.