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Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Which ITR form you should use to file your income tax return depends on your income sources and taxpayer category: Here's how to pick right
Choosing the right ITR form is the first and most crucial step, as a wrong form can lead to defective returns, penalties, or refund delays. The Income Tax Department has notified the updated forms for Assessment Year 2025-26 . Here's a quick guide to help you identify the correct form based on your income type and tax situation . ITR 1 (Sahaj) For salaried individuals with simple income YOU CAN USE THIS IF You are a resident individual (not HUF or NRI/RNOR). Your total income is less than or equal to Rs.50 lakh. Your income includes: Salary or pension. One house property (no carry-forward loss). Interest or other sources (excluding lottery/racehorses). Agricultural income up to Rs.5,000. Capital gains up to Rs.1.25 lakh from shares/mutual funds (Section 112A, new from FY 2024-25). No carry-forward loss allowed. You cannot use this if: You're a director in a company. Hold ESOP/unlisted shares. Profit from virtual digital assets (crypto). Have foreign assets or income. Own more than one house. Have business or professional income. Have capital losses to carry forward. New for this year Live Events You can now declare up to Rs.1.25 lakh in LTCG from shares or equity mutual funds in ITR 1 without needing ITR 2 or ITR 3. ITR 2 For investors, NRIs, and those with capital gains or multiple properties YOU CAN USE THIS IF You are an individual or HUF. Your income includes: Salary/pension. Income from multiple house properties. Capital gains (any amount). Foreign income or assets. Agricultural income > Rs.5,000. You're an RNOR/NRI. You're a director or hold unlisted shares. You have clubbing of income (spouse's income). You cannot use this if: You have income from business or profession. New feature: The Excel utility now supports filing revised returns under Section 139(8A). ITR 3 For business owners, freelancers, and partners in firms YOU MUST USE THIS IF You are an individual or HUF with: Income from business or profession (proprietorship). You are a partner in a firm (not an LLP). Income includes capital gains (any amount or with carry-forward loss). You hold unlisted equity shares. Income/loss from futures & options. You also earn salary, rent, or other income along with business income. Use this if you cannot file ITR 1, ITR 2, or ITR 4 due to your income mix. If you're opting out of the new tax regime, Form 10-IEA confirmation is required ITR 4 (Sugam) For small businesses and professionals under presumptive tax YOU CAN USE THIS IF You are a resident individual, HUF, or partnership firm (not LLP). Your total income is less than or equal to Rs.50 lakh. You earn from: Presumptives (Section 44AD or 44AE). Presumptiven (Section 44ADA). One house property. Salary/pension. Other sources (excluding lottery/racehorses). LTCG under Section 112A: Rs.1.25 lakh (no carry-forward loss). You cannot use this if: Income is > Rs.50 lakh. You have foreign assets or income. You are an RNOR or NRI. You're a company director or hold unlisted equity. Your business turnover is > Rs.2 crore. You have capital losses to carry forward. Freelancer tip Use ITR 4 only if you're under presumptive taxation (44ADA). Otherwise, file using ITR 3. ITR 5 For LLPs, AOPs, co-operative societies, and others You can use this if you are: A partnership firm (excluding proprietorships). An LLP. Association of Persons (AOP). Body of Individuals (BOI). Estate of a deceased or insolvent person. Business trust or investment fund. Certain cooperative societies or trusts (not filing ITR 7). You cannot use this if: You are an individual, HUF, or company. You are a trust required to file ITR 7. Note If you opt out of the new tax regime, submit Form 10-IEA Don't forget... If you've received ESOPs or hold startup shares not listed on stock exchanges, you own unlisted equity even if you haven't sold it. This disqualifies you from using ITR 1 or ITR 4. Even if your salary is under Rs.50 lakh, having capital gains above Rs. 1.25 lakh or owning more than one property requires ITR 2. Using ITR 1 here can lead to a defective return notice. Only ITR 2 or ITR 3 lets you carry forward capital losses to offset future gains. If you use ITR 1/4, these losses lapse, potentially costing you thousands in future tax savings. If you've returned to India recently after living abroad, you may be an RNOR, not a regular resident. You are an RNOR if you were an NRI in nine out of the last 10 years or stayed in India for 729 days or less in the last seven years. If you're a freelancer, small business owner, or professional with modest income, you can opt for presumptive taxation to simplify filing. Under this, you declare a fixed percentage of your total receipts as income. There's no need to maintain detailed books or get audited. Use this only if your turnover is within limits (Rs.2 crore for business, Rs.50 lakh for profession). If you're salaried and traded in F&O, you must file ITR 3. F&O income is treated as business income, not capital gains, even if it's just a side activity.
New Indian Express
12-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Should you invest in Small Cap Funds
Small Cap Equity Funds have been in the eye of a storm ever since a prominent fund manager expressed his opinion on this category at the prevalent valuations. Several others were of a contrary opinion and the electronic media had a field day flogging this debate longer than needed. So, what exactly are these Small Cap Equity Funds? They are those funds that must mandatorily invest at least 65% of their assets in equity stocks of Small-Cap companies, as per SEBI's categorisation of funds. Small-Cap companies are defined to include all companies whose market cap is lower than that of the 250 largest companies (in terms of market capitalisation) listed in the Indian stock market. A popular theory among many wealth managers is that it is better to avoid Small Cap Equity Funds, or at best, allocate a relatively smaller portion of the portfolio to them to steer clear of a bad hit in the event of a vertical fall in the market which in turn could adversely impact the overall performance of one's portfolio. While there might be merit in the above belief, one must always remember that Investing is an Art and not a Science and hence cannot be bound by rules and formulae. Simply put, the above rule of avoiding or not investing in small-cap equity funds cannot be applied in the same measure to two individuals at opposite ends of the Investment Life-Cycle stage or to a person with a drive to maximize their investment returns coupled with a high-risk appetite. At the early Investment Life-Cycle stage, for example, and with all other factors being equal, the risk appetite of an investor is likely to be higher than that of another individual closing in on retirement towards the end of their Investment Life Cycle. Like with all other investment vehicles where the underlying asset class is Equity, one must give small-cap equity funds the luxury of time to perform. While there may be times when it provides handsome short-term gains too, serious investors intent on wealth creation have more often than not, thrived by staying invested for longer time frames that include at least one economic cycle. This is even more so because, unlike the large and mid-cap companies, small-cap companies are lesser known and less researched, with relatively lesser-known management too. As far as its taxation is concerned, based on the underlying asset, it qualifies for Equity taxation. It is taxed at the rate of 12.5% for Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) made on the sale of units priced at over Rs.1.25 lakh, and 20% for Short Term Capital Gains (STCG) if the units are sold within the time frame of 1 year from the date of allotment of units. And thus, while Small-Cap equity funds may not merit an across-the-board blanket ban for investors, those including it in their portfolios must do so after calibrating its risks. (Ashok Kumar heads LKW India. The views expressed here are his own)
