ITR-1 or ITR-2 for AY 2026-27 - old vs new regime, capital gains, ESOPs, multi-employer Form 16, HRA, foreign salary stints - handled end-to-end by Regikart's CA team across Kolkata, Delhi, Gurugram and Pune.
Last updated
17 May 2026
ITR
Which form, which regime
31 Jul 2026
ITR-1 / ITR-2 due date
₹12 L
Tax-free under new regime (Sec 87A)
₹1.25 L
LTCG (112A) allowed in ITR-1
7 days
Typical filing turnaround
The Income Tax Act, 2025 came into force on 1 April 2026. FY 2025-26 returns are still filed under the old Act framework (AY 2026-27) - section numbers like 87A, 80C, 80D, 10(13A), 192 all continue. Five Budget changes do matter this season.
Under the new regime, income up to ₹12 lakh is effectively tax-free. The slab table still shows tax from ₹4 L - the rebate erases it. Marginal relief kicks in just above ₹12 L so you don't lose ₹60,000 on the first rupee over the threshold.
If your only capital gains are LTCG under Section 112A (listed equity / equity MF) up to ₹1.25 lakh with no carry-forward losses, you stay in ITR-1. Anything above forces you to ITR-2.
Claiming 80C, 80D, 80G? The portal now makes you pick the specific clause from a dropdown rather than typing the amount. Wrong sub-section = defective return notice under Section 139(9).
28-digit Aadhaar Enrolment ID is no longer accepted. You need the 12-digit Aadhaar number itself, linked to your PAN.
Old regime opt-out via Form 10-IEA is a once-in-a-lifetime switch for salaried filers with no business income. You can flip back to new regime later, but no ping-ponging.
For most salaried employees, the decision is binary - ITR-1 if your life is simple, ITR-2 if it isn't. If any disqualifier on the ITR-1 side applies, you cannot use ITR-1.
Simple
ITR-1 (Sahaj)
Complex
ITR-2
Got business or professional side income (consulting, freelance writing, F&O trading on the side)? Neither ITR-1 nor ITR-2 works - you file ITR-3. See our /itr-freelancer page instead.
New regime is default from AY 2024-25. For incomes up to ~₹12-15 L with limited deductions, new regime wins. With ₹1.5 L 80C + ₹25-75 K 80D + ₹2 L home-loan interest + HRA, old regime can still win above ₹15 L - situational.
Default
New regime (FY 2025-26)
| Slab | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹4 lakh | Nil |
| ₹4 - 8 lakh | 5% |
| ₹8 - 12 lakh | 10% (87A rebate up to ₹12 L) |
| ₹12 - 16 lakh | 15% |
| ₹16 - 20 lakh | 20% |
| ₹20 - 24 lakh | 25% |
| Above ₹24 lakh | 30% |
Opt in via ITR
Old regime (unchanged)
| Slab | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹2.5 lakh | Nil |
| ₹2.5 - 5 lakh | 5% (87A rebate if income ≤ ₹5 L) |
| ₹5 - 10 lakh | 20% |
| Above ₹10 lakh | 30% |
Old regime wins if you have most of these
Regikart computes both regimes side-by-side in every salaried engagement and recommends the regime that lowers your liability for the year - not the one that's fashionable to claim. Salaried-only filers can switch each year directly in the ITR; with any business / professional income, the switch requires Form 10-IEA and the opt-out is a one-time event.
The portal pre-fills a lot - treat pre-fill as a draft, not a final answer. Have the following ready so we can file in one pass.
Identity & access
Income & TDS
Deductions & special items
The e-filing portal is designed for the median ITR-1 case - one employer, no investments beyond Form 16, no capital gains, no foreign anything. These scenarios are common enough that we see them every peak season, and each one breaks the DIY workflow differently.
When you change jobs mid-year, both employers compute tax assuming they're the only payer - both grant the basic exemption and Section 87A separately. Result: TDS is short and you owe self-assessment tax, sometimes ₹50,000+. Regikart consolidates, recomputes, and quotes the right self-assessment tax before submission.
ESOP perquisite is taxed twice - at exercise (perquisite u/s 17(2)(vi), TDS deducted) and at sale (capital gains in Schedule CG). Foreign-company ESOPs also trigger Schedule FA and DTAA claim via Form 67. Missing either is a notice waiting to happen.
Listed equity LTCG is 12.5% above ₹1.25 L/year (effective 23 July 2024 onwards); equity STCG is 20% u/s 111A. Equity-oriented MF follows equity rules; debt funds bought post-1 Apr 2023 are fully slab-rated. Anything beyond the ₹1.25 L LTCG cap forces you out of ITR-1.
Section 10(13A) exempts the lowest of: actual HRA received, rent paid - 10% of basic, or 50% of basic (metro) / 40% (non-metro). The portal computes this - the failure mode is wrong basic salary or wrong metro classification. Rent above ₹1 L/year requires the landlord's PAN.
You now pick the exact clause from a dropdown - "80C - Life insurance" is different from "80C - PPF" - and the amounts must match your proofs. Wrong sub-section triggers a Section 139(9) defective return notice and a 15-day rectification window.
Received arrears of salary / pension that relate to previous years? You can claim Section 89 relief to avoid the spike pushing you into a higher slab. Form 10E must be filed before the ITR - missing Form 10E means relief is denied even if computed correctly.
Worked abroad part of the year and paid foreign tax? You claim relief under Section 90 (DTAA country) or Section 91 (non-DTAA). Form 67 must be filed on or before the ITR due date. Filing late means the credit is denied.
We start the moment your Form 16 is issued and finish before the deadline with time to spare for revisions if AIS surfaces something unexpected.
01
Days 1 - 3You upload Form 16, Form 26AS, AIS, bank statements and any investment / capital gains / ESOP statements to a secure folder. We cross-check Form 16 vs 26AS (TDS), vs AIS (income events), vs bank statements (interest income AIS may have missed). Mismatches are flagged for your review before we proceed.
02
Days 3 - 5We compute liability under both old and new regimes, applying every deduction you qualify for. You see both numbers and the recommendation in writing. Capital gains grandfathering (pre-31 Jan 2018 equity) and indexation (where applicable) are done correctly the first time.
03
Days 5 - 7We prepare and file under your login, walk you through e-verification (Aadhaar OTP fastest, net banking fallback), and confirm the ITR-V is generated. You get the final computation, filed return, and acknowledgement number. Refund tracking continues until credit hits your bank.
If a Section 143(1) intimation arrives later in the year (common - sometimes the department's computation differs by ₹100 due to rounding, sometimes by ₹50,000 due to mismatched TDS), Regikart handles the response under a separate scope.
The base rate covers a straightforward salaried ITR-1 filing - one employer, no capital gains, no ESOP, standard deductions. Additional complexity is quoted on top based on actual work.
Base
Salaried ITR-1
Complexity add-ons
Quoted on top
For a personalised quote based on your income profile, write to us or call - written quote within one working day.
Get a quoteAll fees and charges listed are indicative only and do not constitute a binding offer. Final amounts may vary depending on the volume of work and the complexity involved.
Most salaried employees file once a year and never look at the form again. We file thousands of salaried returns each peak season - the pattern recognition matters. When your DIY filing returns an unexpected demand or refund-stuck status, you call a CA. Start there.
Our team files thousands of salaried returns each peak season across Kolkata, Delhi, Gurugram and Pune. We've seen every multi-Form-16 variation, every ESOP edge case, every AIS mismatch type, every Section 143(1) intimation.
Tax practice led by Deepak Jaiswal (FCA), who heads the income tax filing function. Every return is reviewed by a senior CA before it leaves our office.
One named CA owns your filing from document collection to refund credit. No handoffs, no "someone else handled your case last year".
Still unsure which form, which regime, or how to handle a multi-Form-16 year? Book a free 20-minute consult - a senior CA will walk you through your specific case.
Still have questions?
Book a free 20-minute consult with a senior partner - we'll walk through your case and outline next steps.
Talk to a partner →Side consulting, gig, freelance income.
Futures & options - turnover, tax audit & ITR-3.
VDA - 30% flat tax, 1% TDS & Schedule VDA.
DTAA, NRO / NRE, foreign assets & repatriation.
Got business or professional income? You'll need bookkeeping and possibly GST registration before next year's ITR. Accounting & GST services connect directly to ITR filing. For salaried HNI clients with significant capital gains, tax planning advisory is the right adjacent service.
A senior CA will get on a call, confirm your Form 16 / AIS, recommend the regime that lowers your liability, and file under your e-filing login - usually within the week.
